Lamb with Roasted Jalapeno Harissa and Pearled Couscous

These days have been flying by, in a way that will never fail to amaze me. I didn't really connect that it was the middle of March until this morning, as I belatedly changed my clock radio for daylight savings and saw the date flashing as well, March 16th. The weather lately has seemed like an amazing gift, but in no way had I wrapped my head around the fact that spring was fast on my heels. But here we are, and I find more and more that instead of talking myself into embracing a day, I'm just rushed along into it and in a way that makes time just fly. And that's ok. That's the way spring should be.

Lamb is such a spring meal and with the shift in weather I've felt a shift in my taste buds as well. Roasts and stews and anything heavy or fatty is out. I'm craving salads, Mediterranean flavors, crispy veggies and puckery lemon. Cold hard cheeses like ricotta salata  and feta or chiffonade mint sprinkled over some pearl couscous with just a drizzle of olive oil and maybe a slab of grilled zucchini or eggplant. Perfection. But right now this is about lamb. And a delicious harissa.

Lamb Tagine

Well it's a year that's turning out all sorts of accomplishments and New Years Resolutions fulfilled. I joined my new gym and love it, but between my new role at work, spinning 3+ days a week, making time to see not only friends but to enjoy the everyday stuff that comes with keeping up with life, it's a never ending whirlwind. But one of my resolutions was to keep learning something new. I had gently chided myself at the beginning of the year over all my unused and under-appreciated kitchen appliances, namely my tagine, but also my roaster, my popover pans, my lobster pot, all of my canning supplies. And I promised myself that I would use every last one of them at least twice this year. So let's start with the tagine.

It's actually a shocker that I went a whole year without making this because I love lamb tagine. I first fell in love with the dish in Morocco years ago, along with the dramatic serving in the true Moroccan tagine. And  before I even owned a proper tagine apparatus I would make the savory, sweet Moroccan stew in my Le Creuset, slow cooker style. Even if you don't have a tagine, any sort of "tagine" recipe can easily be replicated in a crock pot or a dutch oven. This particular meal is rich and hearty, perfect for the colder months, though there are plenty of other recipes for chicken with olives or preserved lemons that are more suited for a spring or autumn day. But lamb tagine is best in the winter, the outside world buried under a blanket of snow while inside you're warmed by good company and delicious food, that's thick, sweet, savory and spiced just perfectly over a bed of fluffy couscous to cut the richness. This is winter's recipe at it's finest.

Lamb Steaks with Orzo Pilaf

Happy Easter

A little slideshow of our spread. We tried to keep it fairly light as lamb can be rich, with lots of vegetables, virtually no cream, butter or cheese, relying on good olive oil and fresh herbs to jazz up the meal, which they did perfectly.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

There were wasabi deviled eggs, the big spread with the lamb and all side dishes, the stuffed artichoke, delicious truffled almond green beans with a soft boiled egg, and my co-chef in the kitchen, right before working off our meal with an egg hunt.

This is my first Easter home with my family in a few years and it's been wonderful. I usually spend it with my sister and friends in DC, which has always been lovely... but as they say, there's no place like home.

In lieu of cooking...

I actually did cook tonight, I'm just exhausted. I have the pictures and the recipe all ready to go, but would rather just veg on my couch and watch a very frightening TV show (The Walking Dead on AMC). Which is ok, right? But here's a funny little diagram about learning to cook to hold you over.

Ok, ok. I made lamb tonight. I marinaded it in a bastardization of my mom's famous Easter lamb marinade and roasted it. And thank goodness for thinking ahead, yesterday me. If not I'd definitely be eating some form of take out tonight. Anyways, I served it with some gently sauteed veggies like onion, chard and zucchini and served over minted whole wheat couscous (that'd be regular whole wheat couscous with some fresh chopped mint mixed in). And topped with this really truly delicious mint mascarpone sauce that I tweaked from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe.