What Do I Eat? 8: Turkish Lamb

This marinade for lamb is adapted from Diane Kochilas’s wonderful cookbook Against the Grain:  150 Good Carb Mediterranean Recipes.  The marinade, as given in the cookbook, is enough for an 8-pound leg of lamb!  I have pared it down so that it is enough for two to four servings of lamb steaks or lamb chops; if you want to make a leg of lamb, use 1/3 cup of yogurt and multiply all other ingredients by six.  Refer to any good cookbook for times and oven temperatures to roast lamb.

I served this with roasted red peppers (highly recommended as a complement to the sweetly spicy lamb) and my usual giant green salad.

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1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
pinch cayenne (or more to taste)
1 garlic clove, minced, pressed, or grated
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
salt
2 to 4 lamb steaks or 4 to 8 lamb chops

Grind the coriander, fennel, and cumin in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.  Place in a medium bowl and add the black pepper, turmeric, cayenne, garlic, olive oil, yogurt, and salt to taste.  Mix together.

Rinse the lamb and pat dry.  Place in a container and pour the yogurt mixture over, using your hands or a basting brush to coat the lamb thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate 3 hours to overnight.

When you are ready to cook, remove the lamb from the yogurt mixture and wipe off excess.  Cook in an oiled skillet on medium high heat until browned and done to your liking.  Figure on 1 steak or two chops per person.