Back in August I wrote about a few new restaurants on the horizon in Alexandria. In The Westin Alexandria,the restaurant will be Jamieson Grille, and the (wine) bar will be Trademark bar. The expected opening is scheduled for early November. Stay tuned for more.
I have been wanting to try lamb meatballs for a while now. I enjoy lamb in most every way, except braised lamb shank for some odd reason. I don’t know, maybe it just doesn’t braise well. The most tasty lamb I’ve ever eaten was expertly prepared by Chef Cathal Armstrong at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA. It was about 3 years ago and my first (very excited) visit to the Tasting Room. I ordered the 5 course tasting menu (which was really 9 courses when counting the amuse bouche and goodies from the kitchen) and ordered lamb 4 ways as my main protien. Among the 4 preparations was lamb kidney and I’m not an organ meat eater generally, but I knew the chef is crazy talented and works with all parts of an animal lovingly. It was amazing. The lamb kidney had an intense lamb flavor, even deeper than the braised meat beside it. The texture was almost meat-like and really, I wouldn’t have known it was kidney if I wasn’t told.
Here, lamb provides a distinctly different flavor to the meatball. Moroccan spices compliment the savory lamb and the tomato-yogurt sauce has a nice tang from the acidity of the yogurt. These meatballs would make a wonderful appetizer if made bite sized and served with pita bread and the sauce for dipping. Here, I’ve simply made it with plain old spaghetti. The leftovers were gone within a day!
Ingredients for the lamb meatballs:
1-1 1/2 lb. ground lamb
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup half and half or milk
1 egg
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. cumin
1 T. corriander
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried thyme
3/4 t. paprika
3/4 t. ground mustard
1/2 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the tomato-yogurt sauce:
1 small onion, diced
1 T. olive oil
3 cups tomato sauce or puree
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 8 oz. container yogurt (I used non fat)
1 T. cumin
1 T. corriander
1 t. curry powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
Directions:
For the meatballs.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
In bowl, place bread crumbs and pour over half and half. Stir to incorporate. Add ground lamb, onions, garlic, spices, egg, salt and pepper. Combine but do not overwork the meat. Fry a small patty of lamb to check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Roll lamb into golf size meatballs and place on a baking sheet or top of a broiler pan (to allow grease to drip away. Space 1 inch apart. Bake in oven for 22 minutes until brown. Add meatball to sauce and continue to simmer in a covered pot for 20 minutes.
For the sauce.
In a heavy bottom saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 T. each, cumin and corriander. Add 1 t. curry powder and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Add yogurt and salt to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
*Presto Pasta Night is a weekly blogging event sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. This is my second entry!
Spanish garlic soup, or ajo blanco is a white gazpacho made with stale bread, almonds, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Thought to be brought by the Moors to Southern Andalusia, this cold soup was used to hydrate and provide antiseptic protection to those who consumed it as they toiled during the heat of the day.
After the Columbian Exchange in 1492, when Old World met New World, different methods of preparation and ingredients led to many variations on this dish. Mortars and pestles helped to grind the almonds with their milk to impart a more silky texture to the soup as is demonstrated in this recipe. Ingredients such as tomatoes and peppers have made gazpacho the “liquid salad” that we commonly know today and is a later introduction to Spanish cuisine.
I was inspired by Habeas Brulee’s food event “Yes, Of Course You Can Pair Garlic With That” to find a recipe which uses garlic and another main ingredient together, combined in a way not normally thought of. Spanish garlic soup, or ajo blanco was a revelation to me as I’d never known the origins of gazpacho and it’s deep ties to Andalusia and the Old World. To further this theme, several ingredients have been introduced to ajo blanco including grapes, apples and fried anchovies.
This recipe* for ajo blanco augments the original version a bit, with chicken stock and dried spices. The result is a silky yet not thick soup with a pleasant overtone of garlic which is deepened by mild spices and complimented by the acidity of the vinegar.
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 cup blanched almonds, whole or slivered
4 garlic cloves, chopped with a pinch of kosher salt
4 egg yolks at room temperature
3/4 cups olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 stale baguette, torn into chunks
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine stock, bay leaf, marjoram, salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain and let cool slightly.
In a food processor, pulverize almonds. Add garlic and puree. Add egg yolks and process to blend. With themachine running, slowly add oil to emulsify. Stir in vinegar.
Add 1/2 cup stock to the almond mixture in the food processor and process to blend. Pour the almond mixture back into the stock. Portion soup into bowls, garnish with bread and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil.
*Recipe from “Williams-Sonoma The Best Of Taste”. Spanish Garlic Soup.
Todd Kliman, food critic of the Washingtonian magazine and weekly chog leader, has announced today that the Executive Chef at 2941 in Falls Church VA Jonnathan Krinn and the Chef de Cuisine Jon Mathieson will be leaving the kitchen after Sunday, October 7. They are finalizing plans to open a contemporary American restaurant in Tysons Corner in about a year. An interim chef will be filling in for Krinn until he is replaced.
Update: Scott Bryan, a chef from NYC, will be interim chef. Word on the streets is to continue to expect wonderful food at 2941 while he’s at the helm.
