Asian Lamb with Hot & Sour Shredded Salad

LAMB:

2 onions
1 (2-inch) piece fresh gingerroot
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 T vegetable oil
1 cup Chinese cooking wine, or dry sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed, dark brown sugar
2 quart beef broth
2 T oyster sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2# lamb, cut into cubes
SALAD:
3 carrots
4 scallions
1 long red chile
1 long green chile
Small bunch cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon superfine sugar

For thelamb: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Quarter and peel the onions, and peel and roughly slice the ginger and put into the processor with the peeled garlic cloves and coriander. Blitz until finely chopped, then heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and fry this mixture gently, until soft and beginning to catch in the pan; this should take about 10 minutes, over medium heat and with regular stirring.

Pour in the Chinese wine (or sherry) and let it bubble up. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, broth, oyster sauce and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then drop in the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Add the pieces oflamb and let everything come up to a bubble again, then clamp on a lid and put into the oven for 2 hours.

Take the Dutch oven carefully out of the oven and, using a perforated spoon, remove the lamb to an ovenproof dish, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in the oven, while you vigorously boil the sauce in the Dutch oven on the stove, without a lid, until it has reduced by about half.

For the salad: Peel the carrots, cut into long slices, and then julienne them (i.e. cut into matchstick-like strips). Trim and halve the scallions and then julienne as well. Seed the chillies and also cut into juliennes, and finely chop the cilantro. Combine all the julienned vegetables and the chopped cilantro in a bowl. In another bowl mix the lime juice, fish sauce and superfine sugar, and dress the vegetables with this.

For serving: Arrange the lamb on a serving platter and pour over the reduced sauce over the meat, then dress the top with the hot and sour shredded salad.

New Stuff

My new ride - no more Exploder for me!   I absolutely LOVE this SUV. 
Its a 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser.

And Chuck's new ride.  Replaces a 60 year old Ford Jubilee.

Gourmet Rabbit Pizza

1# rabbit cooked rabbit pieces

1 (10 ounce)  refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a pizza pan or medium baking sheet.

Unroll dough, and press into the prepared pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake crust for 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
Spread ranch dressing over partially baked crust. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes, green onion, and rabbit on top of mozzarella cheese, then top with Cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Xcite and his harem

That's Xcite in the center, surrounded by 8 admiring young ladies.

Update on Ginger Hill's kits

Aren't they getting SO CUTE!  They are chestnut and chocolate agoutis, and are 3 weeks old.
I love the color and clarity on this photo.
Don't you just want to pick them up and give them bunny smooches?

Lamb chops with red wine sauce

6-8 lamb chops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish
6 T cold unsalted butter
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c tomato paste
2 1/2 c dry red wine

 Prepare the grill or barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle the chop with salt and pepper and drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the chops to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes.

 Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add the garlic and oregano and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the wine. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Strain the sauce into a small bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer and return the sauce to the saucepan and bring back to a slow simmer. Cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into small 1/2-inch chunks and whisk in the sauce a little at a time. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the sauce over the chops, drizzle a little more extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Italian Style Rabbit Casserole

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup rabbit meat cut into cubes
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 T butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

 Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the rabbit and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the rabbit is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the rabbit mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Newest Satin Angora litter

Born 11-1-12, Ginger Hill's litter by Silverado.  There is a possibility they could
be chinchillas, as Ginger could carry it recessively.  They are all agouti pattern,
with 4 black and 4 chocolate.  I am trying not to get too excited yet..... 

June-bug at 7 months

Ladue's Silverado

Ladue's Silverado.
Chinchilla Satin Angora buck.

Somerhill Fargo

Cream French Angora doe, bred to Somerhill Hemlock
for 11-8-12 kindling.   Looking for black, chocolate, blue,
lilac, chestnut, chocolate agouti, opal, lynx, REW, cream,
fawn, and all four colors of tort. 

Indian Style Meatballs

1 lb ground lamb 

1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp haldi powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup chickpeas
2 bunches coriander leaves
¼ cup coconut
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Grind the red chili powder, haldi powder, coriander leaves, coriander powder, garam masala, coconut and the chickpeas in a mixer to make a fine paste.
To this mixture add the meat and mix it well.
On medium heat, add the meatballs in a non stick pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cook till all the water is absorbed.
Add oil, and fry the meat balls at medium heat till they turn golden brown.