Mediterranean Lamb recipe.

 Whenever I eat lamb I am reminded of home. Lamb is a very Mediterranean dish and I personally prefer it over pork. This is a simple recipe but it takes some time for the lamb to cook. Time required to prepare; 15 minutes. Cooking time; 2-3 hours.

We spiced the lamb up with some herbs of our choosing. In this case they were rosemary, pepper, salt, daphne and thyme.

We cut up some potatoes and placed them in a deep pan and we filled the pan with enough water so that it reached the mid-point of the potatoes and lamb. After that we poured some extra virgin olive oil (around half a cup) so that it covered the surface of the water.

The reason for doing that is so we can get the lamb nice and juicy on the inside while crispy on the outside. The oil traps the water from evaporating during the cooking time so the meat isn't dried up.

Place the pan in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Farenheit and let it cook for 2-3 hours, occasionally checking it to make sure it's not burning! I say 2-3 hours because my oven is not the best, heat escapes and the cooking time varies.

 To go with our lamb, I made a nice Greek-style salad. I tore some iceberg lettuce, chopped up some red and orange bell peppers as well as some green onions and lastly, some pine nuts and black olives. I dressed it up with some olive oil, oregano and some freshly-squeezed lemon juice. The lemon juice really goes well with the lamb so it was a perfect match.

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Lamb kofte with mint salad wraps and capers.

Well hello there, I shan't delay you with futher excuses or apologies for the delay in my updating the blog.

 Rather, I'll just go ahead and post the recipe for this little delight!

 The recipe is simple. I used the same mixture as with the Greek style gyros. For those who aren't bothered to go check that out (you should!), i'll post it here as well.

Ingredients (enough for 2 people, plus seconds)

• 1 kilo lamb minced meat
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinammon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp parsley powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp oregano

Fry them in olive oil for 3-5 minutes on each side on medium-high heat. Cut into one to check if it's ready.

Fun fact
Kofte is a Middle Eastern dish. Each country has its own variation. It varies from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and reaches as far as Morocco. There is not right or wrong way to kofte ( which also has different pronunciations according to the region). In Cyprus, kofte is usually fried, or at least that's how my grandmother makes it. When she doesn't fry it she usually puts it in the oven with tomato sauce and some potatoes, but we call it bifteki.

 Now because the kofte have quite a bit of garlic in them, we pair them with some tomatoes and some mint salad. Where is the salad you may ask? Well, we put a salad mixture (lettuce, alfa alfa sprouts, cucumber, carrots and parsley) in some rice wraps along with mint... Tada! Fresh spring rolls!

You should eat the kofte first and the salad last, because that's the best way to get rid of garlic breath! No one wants garlic breath; it's vile. The mint, parley and tomatoes are natural ways to get rid of garlic breath. They are odor fighters and because you swallow them and they go down the throat, they get rid of the remaining garlic that's left there. No toothbrush or mouthwash will ever reach down that far!

Last but not least, we added some capers to the dish. These particular capers were marinaded and very salty. So we just soaked them in water to drain some of the salt out.

In Cyprus, we use the baby shoots of the plant as well as the capers and the 'cucumbers' and we pickle it. The caper bush can be found nearly everywhere on the island and it is a very nice companion to the main meal. The only downside is the thorns, which you usually clean off before marinating, or else you hope they will have softened and wont injure your mouth (ouch!).

 Benefits of capers
Capers are so good for you. They offer such a big punch for something so little. They contain vitamins A,K, riboflavin and niacin, as well as antioxidants. They help in stomachaches and can help lower LD cholesterol due to the niacin. The antioxidants they contain are rutin and quercetin, which  have anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties.
And this isn't even all! Iron, copper and calcium are also in capers.

In short, they are a superfood. So eat them up and enjoy!

 Yum.. look how nice it looks inside! It's crispy on the outside while juicy and so flavorful on the inside!

Give it a try and let me know how you fared.

Until next time.