Lamb Doner

The first lamb meat in our life was a big disappointment. We didn't know then that we never buy lamb meat from supermarket - in general we don't buy any meat from there. I bought a very nice lamb rib for Christmas, I didn't have to do anything with it, just put in the oven and bake. We were  looking forward to the Christmas dinner so we could taste the first lamb meat. The meat was so old, and it had an intense flavor of tallow, that our Christmas dinner ended up in the bin. Then we said we would never eat lamb again. By now, I,ve learned that lamb meat is good if it has smell of tallow, but when it's done, it has no smell and you can't even taste it. But now for the recipe.

Ingredients ( for 4 person ): 500g Lamb Mince, 1tsp Dried Oregano, 1tsp Dried Chilli Flakes, 2pcs Garlic Clove, 1tsp Ground Caraway Seeds, 60g Panko Breadcrumbs, 2pcs Red Onion, 2pcs Tomato, 4tbsp Mayonnaise, 4tbsp Ketchup.2pcs Gem Lettuces, 4pcs Wholemeal Pittas.

First, prepare the dressing and the pickled onions. For the hot sauce, mix ketchup and chilli flakes with 4tbsp of cold water. For the garlic mayonnaise, mix the mayonnaise and 1pcs grated garlic with 4tbsp of cold water and half lime of juice. Season to taste with salt, ground pepper and sugar. Then put all the dressing in the fridge. For the pickled onions, cut one of the red onions into thin slices, then scald them with hot water, then quickly put in cold water. Drain the water from it, mix it with vinegar, salt and sugar to taste, then put it in the fridge.  Wash, dry and cut the lettuce into strips, and cut the tomato into thin wedges. We also put in the fridge until serving. Put the lamb mince in a bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs, caraway seeds, oregano and the rest of the red onion that we grated. Season generously with salt and ground pepper,  then mix thoroughly with your hands. Place the meat patties between two sheet of baking paper and roll out to the thickness of wo fingers. Then place in a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven (180C/fan) for approximately 20 - 30 min. I covered the top with tin - foil and baked it like this for 15 - 20min, then I removed the tin - foil and baked it without foil for the last 10min so that the top browns. After it has been baked, dry with kitchen paper, and after it has cooled, slice it thinly. When ready, you can put the meat and vegetables in the pittas, but you can also put it on top the pittas. 

Lamb Meatball Biryani

We don't like Indian flavors because of the intense seasoning, but I added everything to taste and it turned out very delicious. I loved the spicy rice, and the pickled red onion and mint sauce really enhanced the flavors. I think I will keep this rice recipe.

Ingredients ( for 4 person ): 500g Lamb Mince, 2tsp Chicken Stock, 1tsp Curry Powder, 4pcs Garlic Cloves, 0,5 tsp Ground Turmeric, 5tbsp Mayonnaise, 2tsp Mint Sauce, 2pcs Red Onion, 100g Spinach, 300ml Basmati Rice.

Mix it up the minced meat with half of the mint sauce and half of the grated garlic, generously seasoned with salt and ground pepper, then from balls the size of walnuts. Heat a little olive oil a non - stick pan, add the meatball, and fry for 5 - 6 min. When cooked, put it on a plate and set aside. In the same pan, in the remaining fat, fry half the red onion, which we cut into small cubes, with a pinch of salt. When it has softened, add the curry, the ground turmeric and the remaining grated garlic and fry for 30sec. Add basmati rice and the chicken stock and fry thoroughly. Put the meat ball back, pour 600ml of water over them, season generously with ground pepper and a pinch of salt, then cover with a lid and simmer at a low temperature until the rice absorb the water. When the rice is ready, add the washed and chopped spinach, we don't cook it any longer here because the spinach will soften from the residual heat. Cut the remaining red onion into thin strips and scald with hot water. Drain and season with salt, sugar and vinegar to taste, then mix thoroughly. Finally, mix to mayonnaise  and mint sauce with the mint sauce, season to taste with salt, ground pepper, sugar, and mix thoroughly.

Greek Lamb Raguot Baked In Bechamel Sauce

During our moved abroad, we had the opportunity to eat lamb. In Hungary, pork and chicken are mostly eaten. Beef is rarely eaten, mutton even less often, and lamb is not eaten at all. Unless we sit down in a fancy restaurant and eat a steak or lamb chops.

Ingredients: 500gr Lamb Mince, 2pcs Brown Onion, 100gr Cheddar Cheese, 2pcs Smoked Garlic Clove, 70gr Tomato Paste, 300gr Tortiglioni Pasta, 1tsp Ground Cinnamon, 1tsp G round Oregano, Salt and Pepper - to taste.

Roast the lamb in a very hot, non stick, dry pan for 10 - 12 min, or until the meat is browned or crumbly. When the meat is browned, add the diced onion, the crushed garlic with a pinch of salt, and ground pepper. When the onion has softened, add cinnamon, oregano and tomato paste, pour 600ml boiled water and cook until the ragu thickens. You can season it thoroughly with salt, pepper and, if the tomatoes are sour, a little sugar. ( We don't like cinnamon in salty food, so I just added a pinch of cinnamon. But if you don't like it at all, don't include it.) Cook the pasta in lightly salted water, then dry and set aside. Don't forget to set aside a cup of the pasta cooking water. For the bechamel sauce, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Add 40gr of flour, stir frequently and fry until the flour begins to browned.,  then  add 500ml if milk and cook until the sauce thickens. Grease a heat resistant bowl with butter, pour the lamb ragout into it, add the cooked pasta, mix thoroughly and pour over the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese, then bake in a preheated oven for 20 - 25min,or until the top is golden brown.