Tag: lamb chops
Cappadocia – Day 1
This trip to Turkey has been absolutely delightful. Not only is it a great place to visit as far as sights are concerned, it is also a great place for food.. the wine is yummy and very importantly, the people are very friendly and helpful.
Day five or day one in Cappadocia started with a yummy breakfast filled with coffee, cheeses, fruit and eggs. We got in our car and headed to an open air museum on Goreme consisting of amazing landscape filled with rocks and churches carved in. It was an amazing experience visiting this place. After a lot of walking, hiking and stopping for Turkish ice cream, we headed to the town of Goreme for some late lunch. We found a restaurant called Old Cappadocia Cafe. It was a great place to sit outside and enjoy the sun and good weather. We started with the most delicious Turkish lavash with some tomato spread and a yogurt and mint spread.
Tomato Spread
We proceeded to order lamb chops, small raviolis in a yogurt garlic sauce and some beef kebabs.
Lamb Chops
Ravioli with Yogurt and Garlic
With our stomachs full of good food and wine, we went for a long drive taking in all the beautiful landscape all around us. We stopped at a huge rug warehouse and bought some beautiful rah rah kilims. We then came back to our hotel and explored the town of Urgup, which was beautiful and quaint. We did some more shopping and realized just how friendly the people were!
It was time to have a snack consisting of some kebabs and lots of dessert. We proceeded to a dessert place and got a variety. We went back to our hotel, very happy and looking forward to our hot balloon ride tomorrow early morning!!!
Turkish Rice Pudding
Pistachio Baklava
Chestnut Pastry
Walnut Baklava & Cream Filled Baklava
Lamb Chops with Roasted Grapes
This is a great meal to make through the week or on the weekend for company. The good thing about this recipe is that one can do most of the work before hand and finish off in one pan before serving. I browned the chops and made the sauce early in the evening. I finished cooking the chops in the sauce right before we ate. I garnished with cilantro and served the delicious chops with a sweet potato quinoa dish.
- 12 to 14 lamb chops
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Add the cilantro, garlic, smoked paprika and salt to a mortar and pestle and pound till a pulp is formed. Add the olive oil and mix well. Spread the mixture all over the lamb chops and marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the grapes onto a lined cookie sheet. Add the oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and roast for 30 to 40 minutes till the grapes are bursting and soft. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Brown the lamb chops on high heat on both sides. Keep aside. Add the orange juice and chicken broth and stir carefully to pick up all the bits off the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce till a thick sauce if formed. Add the mustard and whisk till smooth. Add the lamb chops and cook till desired. Add the roasted grapes and cilantro. Check for seasonings and serve hot.
Cherry and Walnut Couscous Served with Lamb Chops
This is one of those meals that look really complicated but are super easy to make. One of the things I did with this particular dish- I bought the lamb chops frozen and already marinated. I usually never buy prepared proteins but these lamb chops are amazing and they are from my favorite store- Trader Joes.
I always have some on hand in the freezer. They are great to take out when you don’t have any plans for dinner and don’t have a lot of time. I served the chops with couscous. I always have whole-wheat couscous in my pantry. I cooked some with chicken broth and I added walnuts and dried cherries to it. I thought of serving a salad with the meal but then I decided to just add some lemon juice, olive oil and salt to mixed greens and placed them on top of the chops.
The meal was great to look at and best of all- it tasted delicious. The greatest thing about the meal was that it took almost no time to prepare…. definitely make this meal- it will be part of your repertoire.
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Lamb Chops with Creamed Spinach and Spice Roasted Potatoes
This meal is partially home-made, which is fine because we all need meals like this to get through the week. I love shopping at Trader Joes and one of my favorite things to buy is their frozen marinated rack of lamb. It is absolutely delicious with lots of garlic and rosemary, perfectly spiced! I always have that in the freezer. I decided to make my spiced roasted potatoes (recipe already posted) and some creamed spinach. Both the sides didn’t take very long and in the end we had a fabulous meal. My husband made some delicious tamarindtinis!!! (a form of martini that includes tamarind and pinneapple juice) Overall it was a fabulous dinner!
- One frozen Rack of Lamb
- 20 ounces frozen chopped Spinach
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Prepare the lamb according to instructions on the package.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallot and garlic. Cook till transparent and add the spinach. Cook the spinach until heated through and the water evaporated. Add the half-and-half and nutmeg. Cook for another minute or so. Adjust the seasoning and serve with the lamb and the Spice Roasted Potatoes (recipe already posted).