Easy Lamb Curry

This easy lamb curry has a rich gravy and is full of flavor. Using a store-bought curry paste instead of a long list of spices makes it so easy! 

My spice cupboard is full of all the spices I need to cook a full blown, made from scratch curry but sometimes I’m just too lazy to toast and grind them. That’s when a store-bought curry paste comes in handy. 

And in that same spirit of laziness, this post doesn’t have my typical process photos, just one of the well-seared lamb and onions! But truly, I don’t think they are necessary. This really lives up to its name, easy lamb curry.

Easy Lamb Curry

I am a fan of stock cubes so if you don’t have chicken broth or lamb stock, by all means use a cube here to make some. Depending on the saltiness of your broth or stock, you may not need any salt added at the end. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 lb or 450g cubed boneless lamb

¼ cup or 60g hot or mild Indian curry paste (such as Patak's)

1 cup or 240ml chicken broth or lamb stock

1 can (14.5 oz or 411g) chopped tomatoes and juice

6 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup or 120g frozen peas, thawed 235g/2

Fine sea salt, to taste

To serve: cooked rice

Optional: chutney (homemade or store-bought)

To garnish: cilantro leaves

Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Remove from the pan.

Add the lamb and fry till seared on all sides. Transfer to the plate and mix with the onions.

Add curry paste to the pan and stir for one minute.

Add the broth/stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil. 

Return the lamb and onion to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Add cubed potatoes and simmer, covered, until the lamb and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in the thawed peas and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with cooked rice and chutney on the side for those who would like a dollop.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday FunDay and I am hosting! I chose lamb as our theme/ingredient since it's spring. Check out the links below.

• Cheesy Mutton Curry from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Lamb Curry from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Lamb Meatballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Rosemary Lamb Skewers from Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Smothered Potatoes with Sausage

Take some flavorful smoked sausage, a bunch of potatoes, a generous helping of thinly sliced onions and cook them all down till the potatoes are on the verge of crumbling and the onions practically disappear.  Add a few peas for color and you’ve got smothered potatoes with sausage, one of the easiest one pan meals your whole family will love. 

When I was growing up, this dish made an appearance on our family dinner table with great regularity. It was so easy that my sister and I could even make it on our own. When our mother went back to work, the two of us took turns cooking dinner each night.  I’m not talking gourmet meals. We ate a lot of Hamburger Helper. And Tuna Helper. We were pretty good at spaghetti sauce too and even learned how to smother round steak with onions. But smothered potatoes with sausage was my personal favorite. 

We used either red potatoes, which didn’t need peeling or larger potatoes that did. Either way, the best part was smashing the potatoes into flavorful juices at the bottom of the pan and trying to make sure the bites of sausage came out even with the bites of potato in my bowl. So good! 

Of course, once I had a family of my own, I continued making this great dish but I started adding the peas for color. And because we love peas. Did you know that the average British person only eats about 9,000 peas per year? No idea how many the average American eats but we figure it’s far below the British average. We have made it a personal family goal to try and up the numbers, throwing peas in everything from pasta carbonara to beef stew. I suggest you do the same. 

Smothered Potatoes with Sausage

A little less sausage or a couple more potatoes really won't make a difference in this tasty dish. I give my amounts as a guideline only. 

Ingredients

1 lb 8 oz or 675g smoked sausage

Olive oil

2.2 lbs or 1 kg potatoes, whole small ones or peeled, quartered

larger ones

2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2⁄3 cup or 100g frozen garden peas, thawed (We like the little ones called petits pois.)

To serve, optional: crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes

Method

Cut your sausage into pieces. 

Put the sausage and a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet large enough to eventually hold all of your ingredients. You will need a skillet with a good fitting lid.

Heat over a medium flame and cook for a few minutes until the sausage starts to brown and caramelize.

Add in the potatoes with a cup or 240ml water. Stir to mix any tasty sticky bits from the pot into the water.

Pile the sliced onions on the top and close the lid. 

Turn the flame down to medium low and cook for about 40­-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the onions have practically melted into an oniony gravy. 

Check from time to time and add more water, if necessary. If you are using peeled cut potatoes, they will probably take a shorter time to cook and will need more water, as they soak up what's in there.

When the potatoes are tender, add in the peas. Cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper but keep in mind that smoked sausage can be salty so do check before just adding both. Serve, if desired, with crushed red pepper to sprinkle on.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with potatoes. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. Check out the potato dishes below. 

• Cheesy Crockpot Tater Tots by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Flying Saucer - Toaster Sandwich /Jaffle by Sneha's Recipe
• Gnocchi and Team Gorgonzola Cream by Culinary Cam
• Matar Bateta Nu Shaak by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Potato Smiles |by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Smothered Potatoes and Sausage by Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Creamy Shrimp Risotto - Instant Pot

Quick to cook but bursting with fabulous flavor, this creamy shrimp risotto is made in an Instant Pot, with garlic herb Boursin added for extra richness.

I love eating risotto of any kind. It’s always a welcome bowl of comfort food, especially as the weather starts to turn chilly. 

Some days I love standing next to the warm stove, ladling in stock and stirring until the arborio rice releases its starch and turns into creamy wonderfulness worthy of the time and effort. 

And some days I don’t! That is when I turn to my handy Instant Pot which makes an equally lovely bowl of risotto, comparatively speaking, in mere minutes. It’s creamy even without the Boursin but don’t skip that ingredient! It adds herbs and a subtle cheesiness that makes each spoonful so very good. 

Creamy Shrimp Risotto - Instant Pot

The weight of the shrimp is AFTER peeling and deveining. I buy the already deveined easy-to-peel ones without heads. I used Knorr shrimp cubes to make the stock. This recipe is adapted from one on Food Network.

Ingredients

1 shallot

5 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups or 300g arborio rice

1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine

3 1/2 cups or 840ml seafood stock

1 lb or 450g peeled and deveined large shrimp

3/4 cup or 85g frozen peas, thawed

1 Boursin cheese, 5.2 oz or 150g, at room temperature (see photo below)

Zest 1 lemon, divided

Optional to serve: grated Parmesan

Method

Mince the shallot and garlic. 

Set an Instant Pot to sauté on the medium setting. When the pot is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter, then add the shallot, garlic and a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. 

Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is toasted, about 3 minutes. 

Stir in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot, and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Turn off the sauté function. 

[As you can imagine, photos of that step were nothing but steamy blurs!]

Stir the seafood stock into the pot. 

Close the lid and turn the steam valve to the sealing position. Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. 

While the rice is cooking, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. 

When the time is up, turn the valve to the venting position and release the steam completely. Be careful of any remaining steam and unlock the lid.

Add the seasoned shrimp in a single layer on top to the pot along with the peas. 

Turn the Instant Pot to “warm” mode. Close the lid and let the shrimp cook for 5 minutes. (Set a timer as the Instant Pot will count up but, at least on mine, there’s no way to set it to go off warm at a certain time.) 

Stir the shrimp into the rice, close the lid and leave on warm for 5 more minutes. (Set another timer!)

Add in the Boursin, lemon zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the risotto.

Stir until the cheese and butter are melted. 

Divide among bowls. Top with lemon zest. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing our favorite risotto recipes. Check out the links below. 

• Creamy Shrimp Risotto - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love
• Just in Time for Halloween: Spooky Risotto from Culinary Cam
• Risotto ai Funghi from Our Good Life
• Risotto with Chicken and Cranberries from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Shrimp Risotto from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Risotto from Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken

Tangy and tasty, this spicy vinegar braised chicken is made with balsamic and red wine vinegars and lots of garlic. It’s delicious! 

Back in the day, it was quite common, at least in the southern United States to save rendered bacon grease for frying other ingredients. In fact, I have my grandmother’s can on my stove today but I must confess that it now contains just the regulators for my pressure cooker.  

Not because I don’t save my bacon grease – bite your tongue! - but because I keep my bacon grease in a Mason jar in the refrigerator. It lasts for ages like that and I just keep adding to it whenever I fry bacon.

I guess in the old days, refrigeration wasn’t common. My mom remembered when an ice box was actually an ice box and a man would deliver a big block of ice each week to put in the bottom drawer to keep everything up top cool. 

All of that to say, this recipe calls for bacon grease! It adds a lot of flavor but if you don’t save yours – why not? - please substitute olive oil or canola. 

Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 

We like food spicy so I use a whole teaspoon crushed red pepper here. Use less if spicy isn’t your thing. This recipe is adapted from one on New York Times Cooking. 

Ingredients

2.2 lbs or 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs

Fine sea salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons bacon grease (or substitute olive or canola oil) 

6 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and lightly chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ cup or 120ml good quality balsamic vinegar

½ cup or 120ml good quality red wine vinegar

5 1/2 oz or 155g baby roma tomatoes, halved

For garnish and added flavor:

Small bunch cilantro, hard stems discarded, chopped

Method

Season chicken well on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the bacon grease over medium heat. Panfry the chicken, skin side down first, making sure not to crowd the pan. We want to get some good color on the skin and if the chicken is packed too tightly, it will steam instead of fry. 

Turn the chicken once the skin is browned and panfry till golden on the other side as well. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate deep enough to contain any juices that form. 

Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it starts to become fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. 

Add in the crushed red pepper and fry for another 30 seconds or so. Pour in the vinegars and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to medium low and put the chicken and any accumulated juices back in the pan. 

Cover and cook for 15 minutes, basting the chicken occasionally with the sauce. The chicken will let out juice so for a while you’ll have more sauce but just keep cooking. 

Remove the lid and continue cooking and basting until the sauce is almost completely gone and the chicken is fully cooked inside. (You can check by cutting into one of the thighs. There shouldn’t be any pink left near the bone.)

Add in the tomato halves and pop the lid back on for a minute or two, so they warm through. Baste again so that the tomatoes are covered with sauces.

Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 22th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter V. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the V recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Vanilla Mug Cake 
• Culinary Cam: Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Veggies Mixed Dal Khichdi 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: No Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream 
• Blogghetti: Homemade Vanilla Latte 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Vegetable Cutlets 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Vietnamese Chicken Stirfry 
• A Messy Kitchen: Tropical Vols Au Vents 
• Food Lust People Love: Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 
• Magical Ingredients: Val Dal Veggie Paratha 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sweet & Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Deviled Eggs

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 

U. Spicy Urad Dal -

V. Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken - this post!

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Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Pollo en Jocón is a traditional chicken dish from Guatemala, with a flavorful bright green sauce made from tomatillos, cilantro, green pepper and jalapeños. It is properly served over white rice topped with fresh avocado slices.

I know what you are thinking, or at least I know what I was thinking when I first saw the name of this delicious stew from the Mayan culture. Pollo means chicken so jocón must be their word for tomatillo. Nope. 

According to New York Times Cooking, the name jocón comes from jok’, meaning to grind or mash in Mayan K’iche’.  Although the dish’s origins are indeed Mayan, some of its ingredients today, like sesame seeds and chicken, were likely introduced by Spanish colonizers.

Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Depending on how spicy you like your food, the jalapeños can be eliminated altogether or you can remove the seeds and membranes before mincing. If you can't find fresh tomatillos, canned are fine. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs or 672g boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lb or 450g fresh tomatillos, husked

5 cups or 1.2L chicken stock

1⁄4 cup or 35g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 tablespoons or 14g white sesame seeds

2 corn tortillas

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves

1 large green pepper

1 medium white onion

1-2 fresh jalapeños

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Place the chicken and tomatillos in a large pot with the chicken stock. 

Bring to a gentle boil then cover the pot and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. 

In a dry non-stick pan over medium toast the pumpkin seeds, moving them constantly for three to five minutes. Add the sesame seeds and continue tossing for 2 more minutes until they are very lightly browned. 

Remove from heat immediately so they don’t continue browning.

Put the toasted pumpkin seeds and toasted sesame seeds into a blender (or clean coffee grinder) and pulse for 5 or 10 seconds, until they are ground. (You may need to stir a bit between pulses) Scrape into a small bowl or cup, and set aside. 

Peel and chop your garlic and onion. Remove the seeds and ribs from the green pepper and chop it roughly. Chop the jalapeños, if using. (See note above the ingredient list.)

Add the olive oil to a large pan. Sauté the garlic, green pepper, onion and jalapeños, stirring frequently, until the onion and peppers are soft. Remove from heat.

With a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, use forks to shred the chicken. 

Remove tomatillos from the broth and put them in the blender. 

Rip the tortillas into pieces and put them in a small heatproof bowl. Pour about 1 cup or 240ml of the chicken broth from the pot over the tortillas and set them aside to soak till softened. 

Pinch any hard stems off of the cilantro and discard them along with any brown leaves. 

Add the cilantro, 1 1/2 cups or 360ml of the chicken broth, all of the bell pepper and onion mixture and the soaked tortillas (with their broth) to the tomatillos in the blender. 

Purée until smooth. Pour that gorgeous green sauce back into a pan. Use a little more of the stock to rinse the blender to make sure you get all of the sauce into the pan. (You can use the remaining broth to make the rice or save it for another recipe.) 

Add the ground toasted seeds to the pan. 

Bring the contents of the pan to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. 

Add the shredded chicken to the thickened sauce.

Simmer gently for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through again. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Serve the tomatillo chicken stew over white rice with some cilantro for garnish and a few slices of avocado. This dish is so flavorful and the avocado is the perfect topping to complement its spicy freshness. No wonder it's traditional. 

Enjoy!  

If you are a fan of tomatillos, you might also enjoy my Chicken Chili Verde made in an Instant Pot with white beans and the special little tomatillos from Melissa’s Produce called tomatillos milperos

 

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with avocados. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe. 

• Avocado Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Green Salad With Avocado Dressing by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Keto Bacon Wrapped Avocado Fries by Sneha's Recipe
• Papas con Salsa de Aguacate by Culinary Cam
• Smooth Guacamole by Amy's Cooking Adventures 
• Spicy Avocado Coriander Chutney by Cook with Renu
• Pollo en Jocón - Tomatillo Chicken Stew by Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Tomatillo Chicken Stew!

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