Now that Lamb is Back in Stock....

As previously mentioned, we are back in stock with our very own Spring lamb! If you are feeling adventurous for new flavors and haven't tried the ground lamb yet, why not try making an easy curry?

Here's one easy way to prepare a curry using ground meat: Just brown the pound of ground lamb with a half cup or so of finely chopped onions (pour off any excess grease), add optional other chopped veggies to saute such as sweet or hot peppers, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes; add some fresh garlic or dried/minced garlic or garlic powder if you like.

Next add a pat of butter to the saute and spice it up however you like with a tablespoon or so of any standard curry powder blend, or make your own curry blend with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, tumeric, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for heat, and a little ground or whole cardamom seed...cinnamon is nice too--so is bay leaf. Add about a cup or two of water once the meat is browned and the onions are tender so you can simmer the curry and add more veggies (or not).

If you like garbanzo beans (chick peas), add about a half cup of those or else you could substitute green peas, or skip the beans/peas entirely. You could also add a diced carrot and a diced potato or turnip or cauliflower. Once all the ingredients have been added, simmer the curry for about 20 minutes to blend all the flavors and allow the root veggies to become tender, if used. 

Now to make it your own....taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed or a little tomato paste or ketchup if you like a little sweetness. ( If you want the sauce thicker, add a spoonful of flour or cornstarch blended in a little cold water or mash up some of those root veggies in the sauce.) For extra richness if you like, just before serving, stir in a spoonful of sour cream or a few tablespoons of half-n-half or cream (next time try some coconut milk). If you made your curry really spicy with cayenne or red pepper or hot peppers, you could serve some plain yogurt along side. If your curry is very thick with veggies, you could serve it like a hearty soup. If it is thinner like a gravy or meat sauce, you could serve it over rice, such as basmati or brown rice.

I think you get the idea that the curry is your own creation! If you like the flavor of curry spices and enjoy eating lamb, next time try making lamb curry the more traditional way using longer-cooking cuts of lamb such as stew meat or shoulder chops and larger chunks of veggies.  . To speed it up, you could even use a pressure cooker!