Dinner with friends

Saturday night we had some friends of ours over for dinner.  We knew that they had adventurous palates and really like lamb (come on, their Irish and Scottish – I think its mandatory to like lamb) – so we had a Moroccan themed dinner party.  The menu consisted of goat cheese with pistachios and honey appetizer (there is seriously nothing better than warm goat cheese); followed by Lamb meatballs, Saffron couscous and a warm chickpea, red pepper salad.  It was very exotic and very good.  I’m not a huge fan of lamb, but these meatballs were good, and super easy. I did have some troubles finding the two Moroccan spices the recipes called for – so I wikipedia’ed them and made me own concoction.

A great night with good food and great friends.  (and no need to mention dessert – because I cheated and let Costco do the work with their yummy Berry Blossoms).

Goat Cheese with Honey and Pistachios

• 11  to 12 oz. fresh chèvre (goat cheese), at room temperature
• 2  tablespoons  half-and-half
• 3  tablespoons  honey
• 1/3  cup  coarsely chopped salted roasted pistachios
• Sesame crackers or flatbread (Trader Joes has tasty sesame crackers and yummy Flax and Honey flatbread)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, whisk goat cheese and half-and-half until smooth. Spoon into a small, shallow gratin dish, spreading level. Bake until cheese is hot in center and beginning to firm up at edges, about 15 minutes.

2. Drizzle cheese with honey and sprinkle with pistachios. Serve with crackers.

Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Dipping sauce

• 1 1/2  cups  (14 oz.) low-fat Greek yogurt
• Finely shredded zest of 1 lemon
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  finely grated or minced garlic

Meatballs

• 2  tablespoons  finely grated or minced fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  finely grated or minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  ras el hanout*
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  pounds  ground lamb
• 1/2  pound  ground beef chuck
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil or canola oil
• Mint sprigs

1. Make sauce: In a small bowl, stir yogurt with lemon zest, mint, olive oil, salt, and garlic. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

2. Make meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ginger, garlic, ras el hanout, salt, and pepper. Add lamb and beef and gently mix just until seasonings are distributed.

3. In your palms, gently roll meat to form 1 1/2-in. balls; set on a rimmed baking pan.

4. Preheat oven to 200°, line another rimmed baking pan with paper towels, and put it and a heatproof serving bowl in the oven to keep warm. Heat a 12-in. frying pan over medium heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Brown meatballs in 2 batches on all sides, turning as needed, 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer meatballs to the paper towel–lined pan.

5. Transfer meatballs to the warm serving bowl, garnish with mint sprigs, and serve with yogurt sauce.

*Buy at well-stocked supermarkets – which apparetly aren’t any of the ones in Snoqualmie or Issaquah. :-)

Make ahead: Shape, wrap, and chill meatballs up to 1 day (their texture will be a little softer than if just made).

 

Warm Chickpea and Red Pepper Salad

Vinaigrette

• 1  tablespoon  sherry vinegar
• 1/2  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  to 4 tsp. harissa*
• 3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

• 1  medium red bell pepper
• 1  medium yellow bell pepper
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 1  can (15 oz). chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained
• About 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• About 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1  bag (6 oz.) baby spinach
• 12  large fresh mint leaves, stacked and cut crosswise into thin ribbons
• 1/3  cup  minced red onion, rinsed and drained

1. Make vinaigrette: Whisk vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and 2 tsp. harissa in a bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Taste; add more harissa if you'd like a hotter dressing. Set aside.

2. Salad: heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add eggplant and peppers - cook, stirring often, until softened and eggplant beginning to color, about 12 minutes. Add chickpeas, 2 tbsp. water, and 3/4 tsp. each salt and pepper; cook, stirring, to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until vegetables are warm but not hot.

4. In a large bowl, toss spinach, mint, and red onion with half the vinaigrette. Add chickpea mixture, drizzle with additional dressing, and toss again to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Saffron Couscous

• 1  tablespoon  plus 1/2 tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  teaspoon  saffron threads
• About 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2  cups  couscous
• 1/3  cup  shredded carrot
• 1/4  cup  toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, bring broth, 1 tbsp. butter, the saffron, and 1/4 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover tightly, and let stand 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt remaining 1/2 tbsp. butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in a few places, being careful not to burn carrot, 4 to 6 minutes.

3. Stir carrot and almonds into couscous, fluffing with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

(All recipes and photos compliments of Sunset magazine. But I swear, mine looked nearly the same!  :-)