Lamb Pizza

LAMB PIZZA

This pizza will take about2-1/2 to 3 hours to make, so plan accordingly!

For the Dough:
1 (1/4 ounce) packet of active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup semolina flour [or use another cup of the all-purpose flour]
2tsp fine salt

For the Topping:
6 tblsp EVOO
1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
6 tblsp tomato paste
1 pound ground lamb [you can also use beef!]
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
kosher salt
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tblsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tblsp fresh parsley, chopped

For the Sauce:
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the yeast, sugar, olive oil and 2 cups warm water; let stand 5 minutes.
• Whisk both flours and the salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Place in a bowl brushed with oil, cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, MAKE THE TOPPING: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, lamb, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, allspice and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 1 minutes Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley; season with salt.
• MAKE THE SAUCE: Stir the yogurt, mint, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Cut 12 9-inch square pieces of parchment paper. Stretch each peice of dough into an 8-inch round, brush with olive oil on both sides and stack with the paper in between.
• Invert the dough onto the the grill; remove the paper. Grill in batches until golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and spread each round with 1/4 cup lamb mixture, leaving border. Continue grilling until the dough is charred in spots and cooked through, about 3 minutes. 
• Transfer the pizzas to a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the sauce.

this recipe is from "Food Network Magazine" September 2012 issue

Lamb & Feta Stuffed Bell Peppers

LAMB & FETA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

1 tblsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4-5 medium bell peppers, any color
2 tblsp fresh dill, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb ground lamb
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup cold water
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp white granulated sugar

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat old in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Add in garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
• Slice top off peppers and remove seeds. Stand peppers upright in a square baking dish, or rectangle if using more than 4 peppers.
• In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, dill, salt, allspice and pepper. Mix in rice and lamb then fold in feta cheese. Stuff peppers with mixtures.
• Mix tomato sauce with water, lemon juice and sugar. Pour over peppers allowing enough to pool in dish. Cover in foil.
• Bake peppers for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes, basting with sauce every 15 minutes. Make sure internal temperatures reach at least 165 degrees F. Serve hot.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin

GRILLED STUFFED PORK LOIN

Not all pork loins can be stuffed. When choosing a pork loin, look for short and wide shape. That gives more surface area once roast is opened up. Avoid long and thin pork loins, too little room for stuffing.

Filling
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thing crosswise
1 1/2 cups packed dried apples (4 oz)
1/2 cup packed dried cranberries
1 tblsp grated fresh ginger
1 tblsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


Bring all the ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over med-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Push mixture through fine-mesh strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over med-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup cup, about 5 minutes; reserve glaze. Meanwhile, pulse apple mixture in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about 15 1-second pulses. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate while preparing pork.

Pork
1 boneless center-cut pork loin roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)
kosher salt and ground black pepper
vegetable oil for cooking grate

Cut meat into an even 1/2 inch thickness. Start cutting across on bottom, "rolling" meat out until you have an even thickness rectangle. Click HERE for a similar cutting strategy. Season liberally with salt and spread apple filling en even layer, leaving 1/2 inch border. Roll tightly and tie with twine at 1-inch intervals. I used my special  reusable "food loop" ties that I used as a giveaway HERE quite a ways back. They are awesome!

INDIRECT heat grilling
Heat grill on high heat, scrap grate to clean, then rub oil over to prevent sticking. Turn off one side of the grill and place the roast, with fat side up first, on the side without flames. Continue grilling, rotating only once, until instant-read thermometer stuck in the thickest part of roast reads 130 to 135 degrees F. About 55 to 70 minutes. When you flip the roast half way through, brush with the reserved glaze. Brush roast again 5 minutes before removing from heat.

Transfer to cutting board and loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest 15 minutes. Cut into slices and serve immediately!