Lamb Sliders

Its getting to be that season we dust off the outdoor grills. BTW, I hear you grilling artists out there saying grilling has no season, it’s year round! Have you noticed burgers are off the charts trendy right now? Restaurants, chefs and home cooks alike are changing flavor profiles, adding unusual ingredients like beets? Varying meats and meat combos or meatless options. Varying the bun type and gracious the add ons ! Well I’ve got one to add to the selection that could be your new superstar. I know every time I’ve made them I quickly become the best cook ‘for the moment’ I’ve made these Lamb Burgers for wedding functions, catering events and just hubbie and me. My very favorite rendition is as mini sliders

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Stoney Mountain Farm Lamb Sliders

1 pound Ground American Lamb

1 link Italian sausage, casing removed

3-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced

¼ C grated onion

½ T cumin

½ t cinnamon

1 t fresh chopped cilantro or ¼ t coriander

1/8 -1/4 t hot pepper flakes

1-2T fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg

½ Cup oatmeal soaked in milk

S&P to taste

Feta or goat cheese

Place all ingredients, except cheese, in a bowl and mix well (I use my hands).  The mix will seem wet.  Form into 1” balls, place on roasting rack or prepare for grill.  Flatten the patty gently, then press dime size ball of cheese into center.  Cover with just enough additional meat mixture that the cheese is sealed in.  Roast in 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or starting to brown.  You can turn to broil if you like a crispier texture.  I also like to grill them.  These are also great regular burger size but the sliders are alot more fun!

Serve in “slider” rolls now available in most groceries.  “Hawaiian Bread “Slider” rolls are a great option. I serve these with pickled onions or an onion relish but tomatoe relish or any one or combo of these would be great.

Tagged: burgers, lamb burgers, ground lamb, grilled lamb, party food

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Strawberry Balsamic Basil Pops

A mouthful in word and flavor!

This time of year we’re all blessed with the bounty of glorious juicy naturally sweet seasonal fruits exploding from the gardens. Blessed with a basket of fragrant strawberries…plenty enough to make my ‘current’ favorite jam, Strawberry Rosemary. I still had plenty left.

What to do with the rest?

Make a strawberry pie, muffins, my new ‘current’ favorite Strawberry Cake, my grandmother’s strawberry shortcake, more of my new favorite jam (cause I never have enough)…..hmm, what shall I do?

Then I remembered my new pop sickle molds! I googled strawberry pops! I had no idea the number of results that would come up. Apparently strawberry pairs with a lot , even black pepper which I’ll try next time around.

Sooooo many combinations. Adding ice cream or yogurt, sugar, no sugar or sugar substitute, no dairy, straight fruit, water, lemon or lime juice…they’re all good.

A food processor, blender, or hand blender…strawberries (or any fruit really) some liquid (you choose what and amount…regardless they’ll freeze) ice cream or yogurt if you choose and herbs, if you choose.

Blend

Pour in molds

Freeze

Yum

Most of all I want to impress upon you….these are sooooo easy and I think a yummy refreshing treat to have around! The molds are inexpensive. And if you prefer really healthy they are so adaptable…again, everything freezes!

Start with about a pint of Strawberries. Remove stems. Throw in the blender or food processor. Add sugar, 1 Tablespoon to 1/3 Cup depending on your desired sweetness. Add about 2 cups of liquid or dairy or combination of. Blend. If you don’t want texture in your pops, blend alot…if you do want texture…don’t. If your adding herbs I like to wait until everything else is the consistency I want and then add the herb, blend just enough to have tiny bits throughout

If you’d rather specific directions to refer to…My favorite so far is Strawberry Balsamic and Basil…I just added about 1- 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar about 3/4 cup water and 4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice to the strawberries and sugar and threw in freshly torn basil leaves at the end. Each brand of pop sickle molds hold different amounts of liquid so you might have too much liquid. I adjusted my water and lime juice. More then once I’ve had extra liquid. The pops go fast so I cover and save the liquid in the fridge and when one pop disappears I refill and freeze!

Easy Peasy

Collard Salad

Who knew this southern green staple, collard greens, aka collards could become something other then a slow cooked slippery mass of greens swimming in liquid, aka pot liquor?  I didn’t.  This ubiquitous bowl of greens, commonly served with cornbread, can be found most anywhere in the south.  If not served, they sure know somewhere close you can go get some!

When I saw this recipe for collard salad the northerner in me was apprehensive.  Did I say NORTHERNER?  No need to worry or get confused that this shepherd living and farming in the south is not the person you thought you knew… I am not a true northern but  a confused mix of both.  Most of my rearing took place in the south.  After all I  born in the south.  I cannot get too far away from the fact that both my parents were northerners and I spent a lot of my youth in the north.  My mom was a northerner  so that’s how we ate growing  up.  My mom also was adventurous and would be the first to honor any culture so we did eat southern foods from time to time but mostly like a northern transplant might.  She DID, as so many northern folk do, put sugar in her cornbread, not much but enough to know she could not be a southerner.  I have one of her old cookbooks and my story is evidenced by her handwritten “cornbread” recipe on the back cover.  Yep, sugar!

So in my round about way I’m saying collards are not and never were a common item on any menu in my house.  I eat them and enjoy them once a year, New years day.

On one particular Saturday in May at our weekly farmers market I was gifted a bundle of collard greens.  Grateful yes.  Unsure what I could do; so true.  Unable to waste anything =challenged.

Who better to help with this deeply southern food group then Vivian Howard.  I luckily own her first  cookbook, Deep Run Roots.  I journeyed through several of the recipes when I first got the cookbook, everything I tried was good.  Her deviled eggs with buttah, blueberry BBQ sauce, and her Party Magnet Cheese ball (as featured in Garden & Gun Mag)  all were hits.  Anywho, gifted with a bundle of collards I decided to try one of the recipes and ended up choosing the collard salad.  What a surprise, what a treat.  I usually ALWAYS commit to making a recipe exactly as written the first time but I just did not have pineapple on hand.  I did have collards though!  The heated dressing  wilts and tenderizes and the overnight marinade brings out the wonderful flavors.  The greens keep a “green” texture which allows it to be considered a salad I suppose.  I honestly say the pineapple was not missed and the idea of it has me a bit confused.  Alas, out of my desire to respect all recipes as written I shall try the pineapple next time.

Lamb Liver Paté

Lamb Liver Pate'

I love our customers and I love it when they share what they’ve created or how they’ve used our products. At the market last week someone shared his very successful rendition of liver paté using our liver.  He’d made it over the holidays  Not only did it sound yummy I thought, why haven’t I done that?  I decided to try paté with our lamb liver instead of the ubiquitous chicken liver.   Lamb liver is much milder then beef liver and much healthier then all liver.  For those who declare they don’t like liver I’d suggest you give this a try.

I’ve made paté before but most often I enjoyed it while sitting at one of my favorite restaurants enjoying their paté with the traditional accompaniments of coarse mustard, cornichons and caper berries with toasted baguette slices.  One of my sisters brought some to our recent holiday festivities, same accompaniments but, to be expected, made with chicken liver. 

Well my life has been changed FOREVER!

So easy.  So good .

Hey, did you know lamb’s liver is one of the worlds richest sources of B vitamins, and an incredible source of iron, zinc, copper, vitamin A and D.  

Ingredients

• 1 shallot, minced

• allspice 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon, depending on your tastes

• peppercorns, whole 3 teaspoons

• creme fraiché or cream, 2 Tablespoons

• port (or brandy) 1/8 to 1/4 cup

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 pound lamb liver

• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced or 2 teaspoons dried crumbled

• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced or 2 teaspoons dried

• ½ cup butter, melted

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ⅛ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Saute the shallots in the butter and cook for 2 minutes on medium-high. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the liver, sprinkling with the herbs. Cook until no longer pink in the center. Add the port and cook just to incorporate. Remove from heat, and place contents into a blender or food processor with the butter and all other ingredients except peppercorns. Process until it forms a paste, adding more port if too thick. Add the peppercorns and pulse until they crack.

1. Garnish with some fresh herbs parsley 

2. Serve with thin baguette slices and cornichons and coarse mustard.

YUM, just sayin’

BTW, it freezes beautifully.  DH isn’t fond of it so I have a bit, freeze the rest for a time I want a bit of decadence or just to feel really healthy.  It’s a great protein source for morning needs.

 Since my original post I’ve had quite a bit of feedback! One of our fans (a chef by trade) suggested adding a caramelized pear….2 DIE FOR! Another of our friends decided to use the lamb liver but created her own pared down version…first for simpler makings she roasted the liver, tossed with some EVOO. Then she blended simply with lemon zest, and the caramelized pear idea. She brought some for me to try. AGAIN, 2 DIE FOR! The lemon zest added a brightness that was so refreshing.

I guess the moral of the story is, use good quality ingredients and combine to your hearts content!