What's Cooking: Moroccan Lamb Cutlets with Mint Yoghurt

The following simple recipe was from SBS Food Safari - Moroccan episode. It doesn't take too long to prepare and use shortcuts such as fresh herbs/chopped garlic from a tube if you are time-poor. Alter the recipe with equal proportions of the ingredients if you have less or more meat.

Instead of lamb back-strap I used lamb cutlets and the grill frying pan instead of cooking through a BBQ. During this segment, he also adds black pepper which has been omitted from the recipe. The video can be found here.

Ingredients

1kg lamb backstrap, cut into 2 cm thick strips

Marinade
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sweet paprika
Salt
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp continental parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
Good drizzle of olive oil

Mint Yoghurt

1 cup natural yoghurt
¼ teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preparation

Put lamb into a bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Use your hands to combine. Cover and leave for 1 hour in the fridge before grilling medium/rare on the barbecue.

Serve with minted yoghurt: blend ingredients in a blender and serve with mechoui (marinated lamb backstrap).

We served it with sun dried tomato and garlic cous cous. Quick, simple and delicious!

Beer Can Chicken

As per the below post on Mr Hive & Kitchen Bar, beer can chicken cooking is an effective method to keep the internal meat moist. The beer liquid creates steam inside the cavity whilst maintaining a crispy skin exterior.

Here are some recipes and tips for your next dinner arrangement:

Things You'll Need

• Whole chicken
• 12-oz. can of beer (brand of your choice)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• Paper towels
• Shallow baking pan
• Aluminum foil
• Meat thermometer

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 
2. Mix salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper to make a homemade rub. You can buy a meat rub instead of making your own. Line the baking pan with aluminum foil.
3. Coat the chicken with vegetable oil and rub in the seasonings. Make sure to cover the entire bird.
4. Pour out half the can of beer. Either cut the top off of the can or poke some holes in the top.
5. Place the beer can in the middle of the baking pan and carefully sit the chicken on top. Position the chicken's legs so they are helping to support its weight on the can.
6. Bake the chicken in the oven for 2 hours. Stick the the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The chicken is done when it reads 180 degrees.
7. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carefully pulling it off the can.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_5179038_cook-beer-can-chicken-oven.html

How to cook Beer Can Chicken the perfect way: http://www.ehow.com/how_4480236_beer-can-chicken-perfect-way.html 

 

Tips & Warnings 

• Leave the lid on the pit for the duration, taking the lid off will extend the cooking time.
• I leave the lid on and forget about it, cooking 3 to 5 hours and they turn out wonderful.
• Water smokers don't really work that well because of too much air flow
• An aluminum pizza pan works well
• Hot items will burn you and leave a mark
• Use a 50/50 bleach water solution to clean up prep area from chicken juice