Kebab Koobideh

Ground beef is usually not this exciting for me! A friend of mine recently purchased a whole grass-fed, organic, pastured, unvaccinated cow. She took it to a butcher to be cut and vacuum sealed and then let a few of us come over and buy some of the cuts that didn’t fit in her 2 massive freezers. I knew cows were big, but it never really registered on my mind how many hundreds of pounds of meats and bones they convert into. The other thing that I had never thought about is how few rib eye steaks  come out of a whole cow. I went there with the intention of stocking my freezer with all of my favorite cuts, but soon realized that the cow only had one tongue (duh!), one liver, one tail, one heart… fortunately no one was fighting with me over those cuts, but the rib eye steaks were a different story.

I came back home with 4 rib eye steaks, some organ meats, some bones for bone broth, some stew meat and wealth of ground beef. I can only have so many lettuce wrapped burgers and picadillos before I get bored. I started experimenting with all sort of ground beef dishes, but they all taste so similar. This dish definitely brightened up my remaining 20 pounds of  ground beef.

Kebab Koodideh is a traditional Persian dish made by combining ground meat, onion, and spices, wrapping it around a flat skewer and grilling it. It works better if you use flat metal skewers, but since I didn’t have any I just used a regular wooden skewer and make the kebabs thicker, so that they don’t fall apart.

For other ground recipes try my bolognese sauce, meatza, chayote squash picadillo, cabbage unrolled or shepherd’s pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pound ground beef , lamb, or chicken
1 Large onion
1/2 Tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of  turmeric
1 Minced garlic clove
1 Egg
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon of sumac (optional)

Preparation

• Grate the onion with a cheese grater, the smaller the better.  Remove any excess water before adding to the meat mixture.
• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate  for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator.  While still cold, scoop a large handful of the meat mixture and roll into a ball.  Push a skewer through the ball and use your hands to shape the meat into a long rectangle.  You can use a finger to make evenly space indentations along the meat.
• Grill the kabobs on high heat or open flame about 4-6 minutes each side, on until desired wellness.
• Sprinkle with sumac spice before serving.

Kebab Koobideh

Recipe Type: Entree

Cuisine: Paleo

Author: Edible Harmony

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Pound ground beef , lamb, or chicken
• 1 Large onion
• 1/2 Tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric
• 1 Minced garlic clove
• 1 Egg
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon of sumac (optional)

Instructions

1. Grate the onion with a cheese grater, the smaller the better. Remove any excess water before adding to the meat mixture.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator. While still cold, scoop a large handful of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Push a skewer through the ball and use your hands to shape the meat into a long rectangle. You can use a finger to make evenly space indentations along the meat.
4. Grill the kabobs on high heat or open flame about 4-6 minutes each side, on until desired wellness.
5. Sprinkle with sumac spice before serving.

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Kalamata Dill Leg of Lamb

Whenever I think about an herbed leg of lamb I immediately associate it with fresh rosemary, but I wanted to change the recipe around and experiment with different flavors. Marinated overnight in wine and lemon and roasted with lots of fresh garlic and olives, this dill leg of lamb is extra moist and flavorful.

I know that lamb is associated more with spring dishes. Although it is available all year round, lamb sales peak around Easter,  but the best time to buy it is around late spring to mid fall, this gives the lambs usually born around March enough time to reach their flavor peak. It is now early December and I definitely lucked out with this cut, not only because I was able to find a fresh and tender cut, but also because off-season is a lot more affordable.

For other meat recipes try my prime rib or  my deli-style roast beef

Marinade:

3 cups of red wine
1 tbsp of garlic powder
½ cup of lemon
2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 tbsp of dry oregano
2 tsp of salt

Lamb:

1 boneless leg of lamb (6-8 lbs)
½ tbsp of ground black pepper
1 cup of black olives
6-8 sprigs of fresh dill
¼ cup of beef tallow, lard or bacon fat
¼ cup of lemon juice
4 sliced garlic cloves
8-10 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp of lemon zest
Salt to taste

Preparation:

• In a large plastic bag place the lamb leg and all the ingredients for the marinade.
• Shake to combine all the ingredients and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• Drain and pat the meat dry, using a kitchen or paper towel.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Stuff the meat with ½ cup of olives, sliced garlic, and 3 or 4 sprigs of dill.
• Tie the meat together with a twine.
• Chop the remaining olives and dill.
• In a medium bowl combine the chopped olives, garlic, dill, and the rest of the ingredients until a paste is formed.
• Rub all sides of the meat with this paste.
• Place meat in a baking pan, fat side up.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Continue to bake for about an hour or until desired doneness.
• For medium rare remove the leg from the oven when a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cover with parchment paper and then foil paper and let stand for at least 15 minutes before carving
• Serve and enjoy.

Kalamata Dill Leg of Lamb

Author: Edible Harmony

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 90 mins

Total time: 1 hour 50 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Marinade:
• 3 cups of red wine
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• ½ cup of lemon
• 2 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp of dry oregano
• 2 tsp of salt
• Lamb:
• 1 boneless leg of lamb (6-8 lbs)
• ½ tbsp of ground black pepper
• 1 cup of black olives
• 6-8 sprigs of fresh dill
• ¼ cup of beef tallow, lard or bacon fat
• ¼ cup of lemon juice
• 4 sliced garlic cloves
• 8-10 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tsp of lemon zest
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a large plastic bag place the lamb leg and all the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Shake to combine all the ingredients and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
3. Drain and pat the meat dry, using a kitchen or paper towel.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Stuff the meat with ½ cup of olives, sliced garlic, and 3 or 4 sprigs of dill.
6. Tie the meat together with a twine.
7. Chop the remaining olives and dill.
8. In a medium bowl combine the chopped olives, garlic, dill, and the rest of the ingredients until a paste is formed.
9. Rub all sides of the meat with this paste.
10. Place meat in a baking pan, fat side up.
11. Bake for 30 minutes.
12. Reduce heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
13. Continue to bake for about an hour or until desired doneness.
14. For medium rare remove the leg from the oven when a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
15. Cover with parchment paper and then foil paper and let stand for at least 15 minutes before carving
16. Serve and enjoy.

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Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

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I wasn’t sure if I should name this recipe Paleo Shepherd’s Pie  or Cottage Pie. There is little difference between these two, except in the meat that is used. Cottage pie is made with ground beef while shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. I like to use both meats in it, but you can use just beef or just lamb.

The term “cottage” was used to refer to a modest house for rural workers. At the time when this dish became popular, the British started using potatoes as an affordable food for the poor. My version of a Paleo Shepherd’s pie is meant for kings and peasants. I removed starchy potatoes and replaced them with cauliflower, making this dish lower in carbohydrates and calories.

It’s labor day weekend and we are still  jet-lagged. However,  my refrigerator is fully stocked, I am all unpacked, laundry is almost done, and I am loving being back in my kitchen.  This Paleo shepherd’s pie is only the beginning of my weekend cooking affair.  I came back with a lot of recipe ideas.  Also, I have a few recipe request from friends. Among them are dishes with figs, zucchini baked goods, and turmeric dishes. Where do I start? Next in the Edible Harmony pipeline: an apple-fig crumble. Stay tuned!

For the filling:

1 lb of ground grass-fed beef
1 lb of ground lamb or more ground beef
5 thick slices of nitrate free bacon, sliced
1 tbsp of oil of preference
4 cups of diced vegetables (carrots, celery, zucchini, mushroom)
1 diced onion
1 tsp of ground black pepper
1 tsp of dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp of smoked paprika
1 tbsp of arrowroot powder (dissolved in the broth)
3/4 cup of broth
3/4 cup of red wine or more broth
Salt to taste

For the top:

2 cauliflower heads, steamed until very soft
2 tbsp of olive oil, butter or bacon fat
Salt to taste
1 tsp of garlic powder

Preparation:

• In a large saucepan brown the onion until tender with the oil and bacon.
• Add the meat and vegetables. Continue to cook until the meat is done.
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook uncovered over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally for about 20 minutes or until most of the broth has evaporated.
• Transfer meat filling to a 10 x 15 baking dish and using a large spoon flatten out to form an even layer.
• Using a blender, food processor, or electric mixer puree all the ingredients for the top layer and spread evenly over the meat.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley flakes. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

 

Works great as a make-ahead recipe.
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Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

Author: Edible Harmony

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 1 lb of ground grass-fed beef
• 1 lb of ground lamb or more ground beef
• 5 thick slices of nitrate free bacon, sliced
• 1 tbsp of oil of preference
• 4 cups of diced vegetables (carrots, celery, zucchini, mushroom)
• 1 diced onion
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 tsp of dried thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp of arrowroot powder (dissolved in the broth)
• 3/4 cup of broth
• 3/4 cup of red wine or more broth
• Salt to taste
• For the top:
• 2 cauliflower heads, steamed until very soft
• 2 tbsp of olive oil, butter or bacon fat
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp of garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan brown the onion until tender with the oil and bacon.
2. Add the meat and vegetables. Continue to cook until the meat is done.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook uncovered over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally for about 20 minutes or until most of the broth has evaporated.
4. Transfer meat filling to a 10 x 15 baking dish and using a large spoon flatten out to form an even layer.
5. Using a blender, food processor, or electric mixer puree all the ingredients for the top layer and spread evenly over the meat.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley flakes. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

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