Turkish Style Lamb Stew with Tomatoes and Spinach

This is pretty quick and easy to assemble using ground lamb, but stew lamb would also be lovely if you have more time to let it simmer. Serve over rice with a generous drizzle of the yogurt sauce on top.

Yogurt sauce
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp finely minced garlic
Pinch of salt

Stew
Olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, minced (or small onion)
1 lb ground lamb
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups chopped tomatoes and their liquid (canned, or thawed if frozen)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Make the yogurt sauce first to let the flavors blend: combine the yogurt, garlic and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Set aside until ready to serve.

Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the garlic and shallot and saute over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the lamb and brown well. Stir in the cumin and tomatoes and add some salt and pepper, then simmer for a few minutes. Just before ready to serve, add the spinach and parsley and cook until wilted.

Serve the stew over rice. At the table, add a generous drizzle of the yogurt sauce to each serving.

Serves about 4.

Turkish Style Lamb and Vegetables with Pasta and Yogurt Sauce

This is totally different from any other pasta dish I've ever made, and it's fantastic. It hits a flavor profile that I normally associate only with food I eat in restaurants - but it's pretty easy to make at home. This is adapted from this recipe that was published the New York Times a couple years ago.

1 large eggplant, in 1/2 inch cubes
2 sweet red peppers, diced
Salt
Olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb stew lamb, well trimmed (or shoulder meat, cubed)
Black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tsp dried dill, or 1-2 Tbsp fresh, finely chopped
1 lb cut pasta (shells work well)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint (or dill or cilantro)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Toss the eggplant and peppers in a bowl with about 1/2 tsp salt and a drizzle of olive oil until well coated. Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a baking sheet (you may want to line it with foil or parchment) and roast for about 20 minutes, or until nicely brown. Remove from oven.

While the vegetables roast, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to a Dutch oven. Add the shallots and all but 1 tsp of the minced garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add the lamb and saute until well browned and cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste, red pepper flakes, and dill. Let this mixture continue to cook over very low heat until the vegetables are ready.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water. When it is cooked, drain and toss with a little olive oil.

When the eggplant and pepper are done roasting, add them to the Dutch oven with the lamb mixture. When the pasta is done, toss it with the lamb and vegetables until well combined.

Before serving combine the yogurt and mint in a bowl with the reserved 1 tsp of minced garlic. Add a dash of salt and stir well (it will thin somewhat).

Serve the pasta, with each diner topping his or her portion with some of the yogurt sauce at the table.

Serves 4-6.