Played golf even though it was too hot to, especially given this summer cold/cough. But it seems to have done some good. I woke up in better shape today...less depth to the cough. We'll see what happens after two more days of serious rest.
After golf I had three friends over, and oh what a splendid repast I prepared! I wanted things to be easy since I had this cold. The evening before I shopped for lamb in town and found a nice leg of lamb at Costco - $21. At the
Mediterranean Store and Cafe I picked up Baba Ghannouj for an appetizer and Baklava for dessert (with gelato, of course, my dessert of choice). Here's the recipe for the lamb kebabs:
LAMB KEBABS WITH YOGURT SAUCE, VEGGIE KEBABS
Lamb Kebabs:
- 2 pounds lean lamb, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 or 2 onions, chopped in large pieces
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 TBS ground coriander
- 1 TBS ground cumin
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
Directions for Lamb: Place all ingredients (except lamb and onion) in a blender. Puree until smooth. Place lamb pieces and onion pieces in a plastic bag or glass bowl, add spice mixture and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator, for example, up to 8 hours. Place onion pieces and lamb pieces on skewer interspersed. Set grill 6 inches from heat. Grill, turning, until lamb is browned and firm, 12 to 15 minutes (3 or so minutes/side - meat thermometer at 165 I think); serve warm.
Veggie Kebabs
- 1 small eggplant (about 12 oz.), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
- marinade is similar ingredients as above (I was low on cumin for the veggies, so I put in some fresh rosemary and thyme)
Veggie Kebabs: Thread vegetables on skewers, dividing evenly and alternating with red pepper, eggplant, yellow pepper, tomato. Brush marinade on veggie kebabs and refrigerate until ready to grill.
Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 TBS lime juice
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
To make dipping sauce: In a small serving bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro, lime juice and cumin; mix well (Some folks like garlic here too). Stir in salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish kebabs with cilantro sprigs. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.
I served the kebabs on brown basmati rice which I cooked in my slow cooker. And questions?
Jeannie and I drove to up to Mount Baker until we could drive no longer...12 feet of snow that hadn't been cleared on the road, right before Ski to Sea on Memorial Weekend. On our last day together in my home area, we drove to Langley, BC to Vista D'Oro Farms, that I've written about in another post, and we also visited with a friend of theirs for lunch at Bacchus Bistro at Domaine de Chamberton. On our way back to Sudden Valley, Christina hosted us for chocolate pecan pie and coffee - YUM. I'm sure my family enjoyed the Bay, the Lake, the mountains, the visit, if not the weather. Such an unusual May!
