Best Grilled Lamb With Pomegranates And Israeli Couscous Recipes

GRILLED LAMB LOIN WITH TOMATO AND CUCUMBER RAITA AND ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Strip leaves from stems of rosemary and thyme, then chop coarsely. Smash garlic cloves, then chop coarsely. Pulse herbs, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon oil in a food processor until smooth. Place lamb in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish; rub with garlic mixture; cover; refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling. Cook couscous as directed on package; transfer to a bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoon oil, cherry tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Make raita: Heat oven to 375°F. Toss tomato slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and spread on a baking sheet; roast until tomatoes brown in spots, about 30 minutes. Grind cumin seeds to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Puree roasted tomato in a blender with cumin, yogurt, cucumber and sugar until smooth. Stir in mint. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat. Heat grill to medium-high heat (about 375°F). Grill lamb, about 2 minutes per side for medium. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes; cut into 1-inch-thick slices. Divide couscous and lamb among 4 plates. Serve with 1 tablespoon raita per plate.

POMEGRANATE-MARINATED LAMB WITH SPICES AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Whisk pomegranate molasses, coarsely chopped garlic, olive oil, ground ginger, cinnamon, 1 3/4 teaspoons cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat. Cover and marinate 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving marinade. Pat lamb dry.
• Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add meat and bones, if using, and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes total per batch. Return all lamb and bones to skillet. Add reserved marinade and 1/4 cup water. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 1 cup water and chicken broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add couscous and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, then stir in butter until melted. Divide couscous among plates and top with lamb, pomegranate seeds, and basil leaves, spooning remaining sauce over lamb.
• A thick pomegranate syrup; available at some supermarkets, at Middle Eastern markets, and from adrianascaravan.com.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED MOROCCAN RACK OF LAMB WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Rinse rack of lamb under cold water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits between the bones and into the meat. (This will allow some of the spice blend to penetrate into the meat) Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Ras el hanout and paprika. Allow to stand at room temperature while preparing the couscous.
• Rinse cilantro, parsley, and mint leaves. (Amounts listed above in ingredients are approximate, since I use a handful of each) Dry in paper towels, then roughly chop. Also roughly chop preserved lemon and dried apricot. **For most recipes that call for preserved lemon, thoroughly rinse off the salt and remove the pulp and seeds, using only the rind.** If you do not have preserved lemon, zest a whole lemon to add later while combining couscous ingredients.
• Grind pistachio nuts and combine with bread crumbs. (If your pistachios are salted, there is no need to add salt to the lamb before searing it).
• To prepare the Israeli couscous, melt butter in saucepan and sauté chopped onion until soft. Add the couscous and cook with the sautéed onion, then add the stock. If you do not have stock, use water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and continue simmering about 8 minutes, until couscous is soft. Not all of the liquid will be absorbed. Empty contents into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water, rinsing off the starch that was released during simmering. Return the rinsed and drained couscous back into the saucepan and reheat slightly.
• Prepare your lamb: Preheat oven to 375. If your pistachio nuts are unsalted, sprinkle rack of lamb with salt. Using an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over moderately high heat. When oil is hot, sear the lamb rack until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove pan from heat. Slather both sides of lamb rack with pomegranate molasses. Then with meaty side of lamb rack up, pack nut crumb mixture on top. Place skillet in oven and roast until internal temp reaches 140 degrees F for rare, about 15-20 minutes. Then allow to stand a few minutes before carving.
• Combine couscous, preserved lemon or zest, apricot, pomegranate seeds, and chopped mint, cilantro, and parsley. If desired toss couscous with a splash of olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice from the zested lemon.
• Carve rack into 8 chops. Spoon couscous onto plate and arrange chops on top.
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• Preserved lemon: You will need a glass jar with an air-tight seal. Combine ~ a tablespoon of coriander seed with ~ a tablespoon of fennel seed. Place 1 bay leaf and 1 cinnamon stick in the bottom of glass jar. Have a small bowl of Kosher salt nearby. Slice lemons in quarters ALMOST down to stem end, but leave intact. Place coriander and fennel seed inside lemon and also fill with salt. Place cut side down into glass jar, squeezing as many into the jar as you can. As you squeeze them, some of the lemon juice is released, but not enough to fill the jar. Just continue packing in as many lemons as you can and add additional salt between layers of lemon. Top off with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then refrigerate for a month. I think this is Jamie Oliver's technique, but there are many out there. He has also suggested doing this with other citrus, like limes and mandarin oranges. Meyer lemons work nicely. Some techniques suggest a layer of olive oil on top, and this works well, too.