The Savor of the Lamb

Our friend Ron had bought some lamb several months ago from someone in Jalisco. It had been in his freezer since then. He suggested that he grill it on our big charcoal cooker. After some discussion, we agreed that a Moroccan seasoning would be a nice approach. That suggested a Middle Eastern theme.

"Come here, you poor little lambs who've lost their way."

I made some supporting dishes, and our guests, Ron, Shirley and Krina; and Doña Cuevas and I enjoyed a great lamb dinner on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

Moroccan Lamb Dinner

• White Bean Puree
• Roasted Sweet Peppers and eggplant, Charmoula Marinade
• Pickled Setas from Gaby at Mercado Buen Provecho
• Totopos (tortilla chips)
• Mixed lettuces  (also from Gaby) and vine tomatoes salad, Olive oil and wine vinegar; Charmoula sauce option
• Charcoal grilled, Moroccan spice rubbed, boneless leg of lamb
• Perfumed Basmati Rice
• Garlic and Onion Naan (flat breads. Needs further work.)
• Wines
• Agua Fresca de Papaya
• Ricotta, honey, roasted almonds and berries, date-rosewater syrup, on Pan de Muerto toast rounds. Not an entirely successful dessert: the ricotta should have been sieved finely instead of merely whipped.

Here's  the super easy recipe for the white bean puree. It's similar to hummus but does not have tahini.

White Bean Puree

From A Book of Middle Eastern Food, by Claudia Roden.

1/2 pound of dried white beans (navy, pea or Great Northern)

I used alubias blancas chicas.

Pick over, rinse, soak overnight.

Boil the beans until very soft. Salt to taste.

I added some white onion and bay leaf.

Drain the beans thoroughly.* Save a few whole beans for garnish, and mash, pound or blend the rest to a smooth puree....

Add 5 tablespoons olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper.

I think I added a little ground cumin.

A clove or two of garlic, pressed, optional.

Thin with a little water if necessary.

*That's why I left a little cooking water in the beans.

Serve in a bowl, decorated with the whole beans, and a few olives.

I drizzled olive oil on it, and garnished with parsley.

White Bean Puree

Grilled Eggplant and Sweet Peppers with Charmoula Marinade

I used 3 medium eggplants and 3 medium to large sweet red peppers. A fourth pepper would have been nice.

Prepare the egplant by cutting in half lengthwise, and diagonally scoring the cut sides to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Salt the scored sides liberally, and place upright in a colander over a bowl. Allow to drain the bitter juices for an hour.

Rinse off the excess salt and blot dry with paper towels.

 Meanwhile, cut the sweet peppers lengthwise and seed them, also removing any white pith.

Prepare the Charmola Marinade (This recpe comes from Joyce Goldstein's The Mediterranean Kitchen. Originally, it was intended for fish. It somewhat resembles chimichurrí.)

1 cup fruity olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

I substituted lime juice, since we can seldom get lemons here.

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon paprika

I used some sweet paprika and a little Pimentón de la Vera smoked paprika.

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Used Spanish pimentón picante instead, but not the smoked type.

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Lightly but thoroughly daub the marinade on the eggplants and pepper halves. (Reserve some marinade for dressing after the vegetables are cooked.) Grill slowly over a charcoal fire until the eggplant softens and the peppers become tender. Drizzle lightly with reserved narinade, and garnish with sprigs of parsley and/or cilantro.

Eggplant and Peppers

And not to be forgotten, the lamb:

Grilling the lamb

Lamb on the table