I live in a rural area where the code amongst neighbors is strong  and firm: you do not ever show up empty handed, ever. We’re blessed with the sort of neighbors whose hands are frequently full of delicious lamb, locally raised and generously shared. We took advantage of our wealth one night and dined on [...]]]>

I live in a rural area where the code amongst neighbors is strong  and firm: you do not ever show up empty handed, ever. We’re blessed with the sort of neighbors whose hands are frequently full of delicious lamb, locally raised and generously shared. We took advantage of our wealth one night and dined on lamb burgers, packed with wine-soaked currants, a hefty amount of garlic, and served it on our homemade hobo bread with smoked paprika mayo, fresh spinach and grilled onions. We ate, and were happy. Here are the details.

**Perhaps I should mention that we helped prepare this particular morsel with our former employers a few weeks ago. I tweaked a little to my liking, but felt I should give the proper nod to Ciao Thyme Catering in Bellingham, Washington.

You’ll need some amount of ground lamb.

A good handful of currants.

Several, or fewer, cloves of garlic, slivered or minced.

Salt and pepper

A good slug of some sort of red wine.

In a small saucepan, bring the wine to a simmer and add the currants. You’ll want the wine to reduce until the currants have absorbed most of the liquid. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more, just to take the edge off. Remove from heat and let cool before you add it to the lamb. Don’t forget your salt and pepper!

Sear in a skillet (if your lamb is anything likes ours you won’t need any additional fat in the pan) or over a medium hot grill. We tossed some sliced onions onto our griddle and let them brown nicely while the lamb cooked.

As for the smoked paprika mayo: If you don’t have a little tin of smoked paprika in your life you need one. Not just some forgotten garnish for deviled eggs, smoked paprika is a little like powdered bacon. Smoky, spicy and warm, it is soo delicious stirred into mayo, homemade or otherwise. It does wonders for beans and grains, especially if perhaps you love bacon and smoked pork products but understand that your regular consumption of these morsels may not be in your best interest.

One of my favorite ways to incorporate smoked paprika into our lives is sprinkled onto roasted or fried sweet potatoes. Yes, yes!!

Other lamb burger ideas: Drizzle with homemade tzatziki…lemon aioli and arugula…slivered fennel and roasted peppers….other ideas?

Put this one in the tastier-than-it-looks category. We have an overabundance of carrots, thanks to the CSA, and an ample supply of yogurt, thanks to the trusty yogurt machine. Thus, carrot yogurt salad.

5 or 6 large carrots, or as many as you feel like using a cup of yogurt, more or less 2 or 3 [...]]]>

Put this one in the tastier-than-it-looks category. We have an overabundance of carrots, thanks to the CSA, and an ample supply of yogurt, thanks to the trusty yogurt machine. Thus, carrot yogurt salad.

Carrot Yogurt Salad

5 or 6 large carrots, or as many as you feel like using
a cup of yogurt, more or less
2 or 3 T olive oil, depending on how you like it
lemon juice
salt
1 clove garlic
cilantro or parsley, for color (it helps—that’s what’s missing in the photograph)

Crush the garlic, or, better yet, mash it in a mortar and pestle with some salt. Stir the garlic, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil into the yogurt. (If your yogurt’s particularly runny, you might want to drain it first). Meanwhile, shred the carrots, either by hand or in a food processor, depending on how you feel about washing dishes. Then mix it all up. Add the herbs. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes before adjusting for salt, lemon juice, etc.

Voila! An orange treat.

(Note that I’ve tagged this as gluten free, but that’s only because it’s my own yogurt and I know where it’s been. If you’re using commercial yogurt, double-check the label.)

The local billy goat and I consume a shocking amount of yogurt: usually about 3 quarts a week. Yogurt makers are inexpensive (my model cost me $15 in 2003 and is now selling for $25 on amazon.com) and well worth it. Your first few batches may be a bit wobbly until you get the hang [...]]]>

The local billy goat and I consume a shocking amount of yogurt: usually about 3 quarts a week. Yogurt makers are inexpensive (my model cost me $15 in 2003 and is now selling for $25 on amazon.com) and well worth it. Your first few batches may be a bit wobbly until you get the hang of it, but check out the math:

1 quart organic yogurt = ~$5
1 gallon organic milk = ~$5-6
1 gallon milk = 4 quarts yogurt

So. Depending on how much yogurt you eat, you might want to give it a try.

Basic Yogurt

1/4 c. fresh (less than a week or two old) all-natural yogurt (try Fage,Stonyfield, or Brown Cow)
4 c. milk (your choice fat content: the thicker the milk, the thicker the yogurt. Try starting with whole and work your way down.)

After five years, my technique is half superstition and half science, but it works.

First, you heat up your milk to about 165°F. I used to use a thermometer, but now just look for foam. You don’t want it to boil. Then turn off the heat and forget about it for an hour or so while it cools down. Remove the skin and discard.

Meanwhile, right after I measure the milk, I put the starter yogurt into the measuring cup. I’ve never seen a recipe that says that you need to do this, but I find that things work out better if the yogurt is at room temperature when I mix it with the milk.

When the milk is cool enough that you can comfortably hold your finger in it, it’s cool enough. If you’re using a thermometer, you’re looking for about 105°F. It’s better to err on the side of too cool rather than too hot; I’ve forgotten about it for hours and not had a problem. Then add about half of the milk to the yogurt culture and whisk it smooth. Add the remaining milk to your yogurt container. Add the yogurt and milk mixture on top of this. Don’t bother to stir. Put it in your machine, plug it in, and let it cook for anywhere between 4 and 12 hours, depending on the age of the culture.

You’ll know when it’s done when you can clearly see a layer of whey that separates from the yogurt. You can pour that off, or keep it, your choice.

Yogurt FAQ

Aren’t you bascially leaving room temperature milk out on your counter for several hours? Why is this safe?
Two things. First, by bringing your milk up to 165°F, you are killing most of the most common milk-borne bacteria. Second, by seeding your milk mixture with “fresh” yogurt, you are giving the so-called “good” bacteria a head start. The idea is that the good bacteria outproduce the bad bacteria, and you end up with delicious yogurt.

Does it matter what kind of yogurt I use for a starter? Yes and no. For it to work, the most important thing is that your starter be fresh. You’ll also find that different brands of yogurt use a different mix of bacterial cultures, so a yogurt that you make from Dannon yogurt will taste different from one that you make from Trader Joe’s yogurt. My personal favorite starter is Fage.

Do I have to use a commercial starter every time? Heavens, no! I’ve been using my current yogurt culture as a starter for the next batch for about six months now. I only have to buy more yogurt when I travel or fall off the yogurt wagon for some other reason and it gets a couple of weeks old. Even then, I’ve sometimes reinvigorated it by making a really runny batch and then immediately making a good batch from the new one.

Why is my yogurt runny? There could be a couple of problems. First, you need to realize that homemade yogurt will almost always be thinner than commerical yogurt, which frequently comes with chemical stabilizers. But there could be other issues. The fattier your milk, the thicker your yogurt will be. It might just need to cook longer, even up to 24 hours. Or your culture could be bad, in which case you should buy a new one and start again. If this really bothers you, you could try spiking your milk/yogurt mixture with a couple of tablespoons of full-fat instant dry milk, although I have heard no-so-great things about the way that this product is made.

It’s really tart. Or curdly. Or something. What happened? If you forget to remove the skin, it’ll be gross. If the milk is too hot when you add it to the yogurt, the texture will be strange. If you forget to turn it off and let it go, say, 24 hours, it will be tart. None of these things will hurt you, but, depending on your tolerance for funky yogurt, you may or may not want to eat it.

What can I use it in? Everything! Most posts soon.