One of William’s favorite weeknight meals is spicy lamb orzo (originally from epicurious.com)—a one-pot pilaf with protein and lots of flavor. Usually, I make the dish with ground lamb, but last week I used the remnants of a beautiful, orange-spiked leg of lamb. In addition to the leftover meat, I used the lamb bone, along with carrot and onion, to make a simple lamb broth to replace the usual beef variety. And, guilty, I subbed rendered lamb fat for olive oil. My balcony’s tomato plants also were generous enough to supply perfect cherry tomatoes. No grocery store Romas necessary.
All these subtle upgrades yielded oodles of lamby flavor my finest pot of spicy lamb orzo yet.
Spicy Lamb Orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil (or lamb fat!)
1 pound lamb, ground or leftover roasted, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced or 1 1/2 teaspoons jalapeno chutney
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
8 ounces orzo
2 cups lamb or beef broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Accompaniments
Yogurt
Chutney
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a medium pot. If you’re using ground lamb, add lamb to pot, and brown. Remove lamb, and drain on a paper towel. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno to pot, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetable begin to soften. Stir in coriander and curry powder, and cook 1 minute more. Add orzo, and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Pour in broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in salt, cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 to 18 minutes. Orzo should be tender, and a small amount of liquid should remain. If you’re using leftover roasted lamb, stir it in now, and warm through—about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in tomatoes and cilantro.
Serve with chutney and yogurt.
Serves 4