Category Archives: Meats
Greek Style Lamb Burgers with Olive Mayonnaise
This is a great recipe to make for the long weekend. It is not your typical burger. It is made with lamb and super flavorful. You can substitute beef or turkey if lamb is not preferred… and don’t forget to make those yummy fries from yesterday…
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup feta crumbles
- 2 teaspoons salt
Process the oregano, parsley, shallot and garlic in a food processor. Add the mixture to a bowl with the ground lamb. Add the salt and feta and mix and keep for an hour (it can be marinated the night before as well).
Form into 6 patties and keep aside.
Olive Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup olives, chopped fine
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of half a lemon
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 6 focaccia rolls
Grill the burgers and place them on toasted focaccia rolls. Add the olive mayo and serve with potatoes and a salad.
Udon Noodles with Sesame Pork
I love, love noodles.. here is another yummy recipe.
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Mix the pork, tamari, garlic, ginger and shaoxing wine and marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Keep aside.
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ¼ cup Asian sesame paste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix all the ingredients and set aside.
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 to 3 baby bok choy, chopped, whites and greens separated
- ½ cauliflower head, chopped
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, ground
- 1 pound Udon noodles, prepared according to package directions
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
Heat a wok with peanut oil and add the Szechuan peppercorns. Saute for 20 seconds on medium heat and add the ground pork. Cook on high heat stirring and breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes or till golden brown. Take the meat out and add some more peanut oil and add the mushrooms. Saute on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bok choy whites and cauliflower and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the meat, noodles, sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cover on a simmer to cook the cauliflower through. Check for seasonings and garnish with bok choy greens.
Turkish Style Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce
One of our best vacations was in Istanbul- the food was out of this world.. These kebabs remind me of the amazing trip…
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 10 minutes and keep aside.
- 1 pound ground pork, beef or dark meat turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Transfer the soaked breadcrumbs, ground meat, salt, cumin, all spice, sumac, dried mint, garlic, egg and parsley to a large food processor. Process till a smooth mixture is achieved. Take out and let the mixture marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours. Form into meatballs or kebabs, about ¼ cup of mixture for each kebab. Heat a frying pan with the oil and cook the kebabs on a medium heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes until all sides are brown. Cook till the kebabs are cooked through- about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup full fat yogurt, whisked
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
Mix all the ingredients including the yogurt in a bowl. Serve with the kebabs.
Malaysian Style Pork Coconut Curry
If you are in the mood for a really, really yummy dish and don’t mind turning the oven on for a few hours- this recipe is for you… truly one of my favorites…I had a version of this at a yummy Singaporean restaurant in the city and I still dream of the yumminess….
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2-3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces with excess fat taken off
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Salt
- 1 star anise
- 3 to 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
Spice Paste
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 3 to 4 dried red chilies, seeds taken out and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste (Asian store)
- 2 lemongrass (white part), chopped
Process all spice paste ingredients in a food processor until a paste is formed. Keep aside.
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 3 to 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 to 4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- Salt
- Sugar
Heat a large, heavy saucepan with the peanut oil. In the meantime, dredge the pork pieces in the flour and then sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Brown the pieces in the hot oil, in batches for at least 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set the pork aside and add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick and curry leaves. Saute on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spice paste and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pork pieces, coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid on for at least 3 to 4 hours. Add the potatoes half an hour before serving. Reduce the gravy according to taste and serve with coconut rice.
Stir Fried Noodles with Steak and Mushrooms
I love a one pot meal! This is a yummy dish filled with noodles, steak and mushrooms. It is flavored with one of my favorite Chinese spices- Szechuan peppercorns!!
- 10 ounces Chinese noodles, cooked according to directions, keep aside
- 1 rib eye steak, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
Roast the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Let them cool and grind till a powder is formed. Marinate the steak slices with the spice mixture and salt for 2 to 3 hours.
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 ounces Shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a wok like saucepan with the oil. Brown the steak on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out of the pan and add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for a minute and add the cooked noodles, steak slices and the sauces. Mix well and check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro.
Asian Ground Beef and Orange Sauce
Continuing with the Asian theme this week… this one is inspired by a New York Times recipe… really, really yummy!
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- Juice and zest of 3 navel oranges, separated
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 green onions, white and green parts cut into inch long pieces
Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the ginger, jalapeno and orange zest and sauté on a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mixed corn starch and bring to a boil until the sauce is thickened. Take the sauce out and reheat the pan with 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Add the ground beef and sauté on medium high heat till the meat is golden brown. Take out an excess fat if desired. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Mix well and check for seasonings. Garnish with green onions and serve with jasmine rice.
Mexican Style Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
This is a great recipe to make in this weather… and the pressure cooker makes it super fast. Really, really yummy! Will post some salad recipes in the two days…
- 3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Mix the spices and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over the pork, marinate overnight or at least for 2 to 3 hours.
If refrigerated, take out half an hour before cooking.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup Mexican style barbecue sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 2 cups water
Heat a pressure cooker with the olive oil. Brown the pork shoulder on all sides on high heat, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Add the sauce and water. Cover with lid and cook under pressure on low heat for an hour and a half. Take out of the pressure cooker and place in a bowl to cool off. In the meantime, bring the liquid in the pressure cooker to a boil and simmer till the liquid is cooked down to 1 cup. Take the liquid out into a bowl, skim the fat off the top.
Once the pork is cooked off, using two forks, shred the pork, taking off any excess fat. Pour the spare liquid and mix well. Keep aside.
Chili Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds discarded and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 14 ounces can diced tomatoes with chilies
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- Juice and zest of 3 clementines
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ancho chilies, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, zest, juice and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on a low flame for about 20 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a blender and blend till a smooth sauce is formed. Check for seasonings and take out into a small bowl.
Serve the pulled pork on bun of choice topped with a bit of the barbecue sauce and coleslaw!