October 25 Meal: Becoming a Lamb Lover

It was time for another lamb dish.  This time Grilled Lamb Speidini with Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Arugula and Figs with Honey-Orange Mascarpone and Pistachio Brittle.  Something about eggplant and lamb together didn't really sound that great to me.This would have been a recipe I'd pass up in the magazine.  However, I thought it was quite successful.  The dessert was good, too, although you have to like raw figs.  Shaun's not a fan.

Grilled Lamb Speidini with Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Arugula

The recipe calls for quite a complicated-sounding piece of meat, "lamb shoulder blade chops, fat trimmed, deboned, meat cut into 3/4-inch cubes."  I didn't pay close enough attention to the "deboned" part and ended up with a whole lamb shoulder.  It was a challenge getting the meat off, but I ended up with enough to fill 5 skewers.  I used the leftover bone and meat that I couldn't get off to make a lamb broth.  Before it goes on the skewer, the lamb is marinated with garlic, oregano, and olive oil.  Then, it is simply grilled.  That night it was cold, dark, and rainy, so we just used the grill pan.  The meat was super juicy and flavorful.  I was happily surprised at how much I liked it.

For the eggplant, you start out by salting it and placing it in a colander to drain out some of the bitterness. Meanwhile, char the peppers in a broiler, then peel and seed.  later, the eggplant is cooked in a skillet with some oil, then lemon juice, capers, oregano, the peppers, and some oil go in.  I didn't use the capers because I couldn't tell if they had been opened before.  Don't you hate it when you can't tell if a seal is broken on a brand new food item?  Not a problem though, the eggplant was still really good, much to my surprise.

Yumminess: 9 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $19 for 3 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 40 minutes for prep and 2:35 hours total. I spent about the same for prep and 2:10 hours total.

Was it worth it?: It was very flavorful, but next time I'd be sure to get the boneless meat.

 

Figs with Honey-Orange Mascarpone and Pistachio Brittle

This was an easier and fresh-tasting dessert to make.  First, make the brittle, the most challenging part. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan until it becomes dark amber.  It's a really challenging thing for me to not burn the sugar mixture.  Take it off the heat and add salt and pistachios.  Quickly pour out onto tin foil to cool and harder.  Then the cream is just a combination of mascarpone, orange peel, a little whipping cream, and some honey.  Cut up some fresh figs, top with the cream and broken-up pieces of brittle and you are done.

 

Yumminess: 7 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $8 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 40 minutes total. I spent about 20 minutes for prep and 30 total.

Was it worth it?: Yes, I probably won't make it very often, but for the right audience (say, non-chocolate-lovers) it's a good dessert.