Big flavour, little effort in curried lamb dish
A quick yogurt marinade, 10 minutes under broiler and dinner is served
Sometimes, you just want to chew on something meaty, with bold flavour.
This recipe fills the bill. The marinade is thick enough to coat and protect the bite-size pieces of lamb under the broiler.
The marinade is good for fish fillets as well.
Serve with minted peas, new potatoes or sautéed eggplant.
Adapted from The Cabot Creamery Cookbook: Simple, Wholesome Dishes From America’s Best Dairy Farms (Oxmoor House, 2015).
QUICK YOGURT- CURRIED LAMB
Serves: 4 2-in. (5-cm) piece ginger root Leaves from 4 stems cilantro, plus more for optional garnish 2 cloves garlic 3/4 cup (180 mL) plain, low-fat Greek-style yogurt 1 to 1 1/4 lbs (454 to 568 g) lean boneless lamb 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin 1/ 2 tsp (2 mL) curry powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) kosher salt 1/ 2 lemon, for serving Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
1. Peel the ginger, then finely grate or chop it. Finely chop the cilantro and garlic; together is OK. Transfer those ingredients to a gallon-size (4.5-L) zip-top bag, along with the yogurt. Squish (through the bag) to incorporate.
2. Cut the lamb into bite-size pieces (if needed), trimming off any excess fat. Toss in a bowl with the cumin, curry powder and salt until evenly coated, then pour into the zip-top bag. Seal, pressing out as much air as possible, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (or up to 30 minutes, if you have the time).
3. Meanwhile, position an oven rack 4 to 6 in. (10 to 15 cm) from the broiler element. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Arrange the marinated, coated lamb on the baking sheet, keeping the pieces fairly close together; discard the excess marinade. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes (about medium; the meat should register 140 F (60 C) on an instantread thermometer or have some pink at the centre when you cut into a test piece).
5. Divide among individual plates. Squeeze lemon juice over each portion and drizzle with oil. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if using. Serve warm.