SPICED LAMB AND DILL YOGURT PASTA

Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta image

This dish borrows the flavors of shish barak-lamb and pine nut dumplings form the Levant-and spins them in a pasta direction. No dill? Chives and parsley would be great. No lamb? Use another ground meat (or lima beans!). No currants? Any dried fruit works.

Provided by Sohla El-Waylly

Categories Bon Appétit Dinner Lunch Pasta Lamb Ground Lamb Herb Dill Dried Fruit Currant Yogurt Pine Nut Cumin Soy Free Peanut Free

Yield 4-6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks
2 cups kefir (cultured milk) or plain whole-milk yogurt
3 cups (lightly packed) dill fronds with tender stems (about 1 large bunch), divided
3 garlic cloves, divided
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
½ cup dried currants or raisins
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. orecchiette or other short pasta
½ lemon

Steps:

Combine egg yolks, kefir, and 1½ cups dill in a blender; finely grate in 1 garlic clove and blend until smooth. Set purée aside. Finely chop remaining 1½ cups dill and set aside separately.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add dried currants and cook, stirring often, until plump, about 1 minute. Scrape nut mixture into a small bowl; season with salt.
Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high. Stir together cumin, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Place lamb in pan and use a sturdy spatula to aggressively flatten (like you're making smash burgers); sprinkle spice mixture over. Cook, undisturbed, until lamb is well browned and crisp underneath, about 4 minutes. Hold back meat and drain off all of the fat. Break up meat into small pieces and mix in reserved nut mixture. Finely grate in remaining 2 garlic cloves and add reserved chopped dill. Cook, stirring, until herbs are wilted, about 1 minute. Set aside until pasta is ready.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute shy of al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Drain pasta and return to pot.
Pour reserved purée over pasta and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to cling to pasta and just comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; finely grate zest from lemon half over pasta, then squeeze in juice. Season with salt.
Divide pasta among bowls and top with lamb mixture.