Category: Yom Hatzmaut

Two Variations of Roasted Spring Lamb with Orange and Herbs

Holidays Lamb Main Course Passover Pesach Yom Hatzmaut Baroness Tapuzina

Hollyhocks

Spring has sprung all over Israel and after a rather sad period in my life, I am basking in the beauty of nature’s bounty. Over the past few weeks, Mr BT and  I have travelled to the north and south of the country visiting dairies, wineries, open markets, flower shows and renewed my spirits and zest for life. I think my father would be a bit annoyed with me for taking so long to post, but I just wasn’t ready until now.

Before Pesach, I bought two 1/4 lambs (shoulder and ribs) which I didn’t have a chance to cook during the holiday, but I found two great opportunities to roast them: the Shabbat after Pesach and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day). Over the years, I have made some very interesting lamb dishes: some of them from recipes I found and some inventions of my own. These recipes are a collaborative effort between Mr BT and me. Oranges go beautifully with lamb, because they cut the fattiness of the meat, so the first lamb shoulder was marinated in wild and farmed oranges, rosemary, garlic and mustard and the second one was marinated in za’atar, rosemary, garlic, anchovy, and mustard.

I used wild oranges for the first recipe that we collected from trees near where we live. These trees are a natural hybrid that grow wild by the side of the road leading to our village and are sourer than regular oranges, in fact too sour to eat as they are or to drink the juice.

Lamb Shoulder with Oranges, Rosemary and Garlic

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Slow Roasted Lamb with Wild Oranges, Rosemary and Garlic
Ingredients
  • 1 quarter lamb shoulder and ribs, approximately 6-7 kilos (13 - 15 lbs)
  • 2 medium farmed oranges quartered
  • 3 medium wild oranges or 3 large lemons quartered
  • 1 head of fresh garlic if available or regular garlic
  • 2 heaping tablespoons seedless Dijon mustard
  • 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary leaves only
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is still slightly chunky. Do not puree.
  2. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and marinate it for 2 hours, turning it over after one hour.
  3. Cover the lamb with aluminum foil and put in a preheated 150C (300F) oven for approximately 6 hours or until the meat is fork-tender.

On Yom Hatzmaut, we brought the second lamb dish to our friends Cassia and Massimo’s house. Massimo is a Florentine who is also an avid cook and wine lover in true Italian and Florentine fashion. He makes delicious jams, the best limoncello I have every had, and his pasta dishes would make all Italians cry with joy. I will post more about this dinner in my next post. Mr BT and I always enjoy travelling around Israel with them looking for interesting food places to visit and just hanging out.

Slow-Roasted Lamb with Wild Oranges, Za'aatar and Anchovies

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Slow-Roasted Lamb with Orange, Za'aatar and Anchovies
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Baroness Tapuzina
Ingredients
  • 1 quarter lamb shoulder and ribs, approximately 6-7 kilos (13 - 15 lbs)
  • 1-/12 heads of fresh garlic if available or regular garlic
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh za'atar or fresh oregano
  • 1 small jar anchovy fillets in olive oil
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 heaping tablespoons seedless Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 large sprigs fresh rosemary leaves only
  • Juice of 3 medium oranges
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is still slightly chunky. Do not puree.
  2. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and marinate it for 4hours, turning it over after 2 hours.
  3. Cover the lamb with aluminum foil and put in a preheated 150C (300F) oven for approximately 1-1/2 hours and then 120C for 6 hours (I cooked it overnight) or until the meat is fork-tender.

Red and White Sangria – The Perfect Yom Ha’Atzmaut Refreshment

European Fruit Holidays Spanish Yom Hatzmaut Baroness Tapuzina

Sangria Fruit

Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, is on Monday. The whole country will be turning on their grills and the flavors of grilled lamb, beef short ribs, kebabs,  steaks, chicken, and fish will fill the air. I like to start the celebration with a big pitcher of sangria.

For some, Sangria is typically a Mediterranean drink served at Spanish restaurants in beautiful pottery jugs, made from red wine and fruit. However, sangria doesn’t originate from Spain. Legend has it that the British East India Company travelled to India and tried a drink known as Pac that contained five ingredients referred to in its name- eau de vie, sugar, lemon, water and tea.

The British took this recipe back from the East Indies and the name of the drink evolved into punch. The word punch became ponche in Spanish, used to describe sangria which is, in essence, a fruit punch. Even the French claim to have created this drink that they call sang-gris. Truth be told, the Greeks, Romans, and Ancient Israelites all had various drinks that they made from a base of red wine, fruit juices, and honey because the water was not fit to drink since it was used to bathe in and also used for various other unclean reasons.

No matter where it originates, it is a refreshing spring and summer drink that is perfect as a cocktail served by the pool or  with a light summer meal on the terrace. If you search, you will find hundreds of variations of sangria, some even adding ginger ale or Sprite! I prefer to make mine with the minimum of ingredients: wine, fruit, a cinnamon stick or ginger syrup, and a splash of Cointreau or brandy.

Red and White Sangria

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Red Sangria
Ingredients
  • 2 orange sliced thinly
  • 1/2 apple cut into cubes
  • 2 small red plums nectarines or other stone fruit, cut into cubes
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 bottle red wine such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or other dry red
  • 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons Cointreau or brandy
Instructions
  1. Put all of the fruit and cinnamon stick in a large pitcher. Add the red wine, orange juice and Cointreau. Stir well and chill for 3-4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve over ice.
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White Sangria
Ingredients
For the sangria:
  • 1 orange sliced thinly
  • 1 lemon sliced thinly
  • 1/2 apple cut into cubes
  • 1 bottle white wine such as Emerald Riesling or Chardonnay
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tablespoon ginger syrup
  • 3 tablespoons Cointreau or brandy
For the Ginger Syrup:
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh ginger peeled and sliced thinly
Instructions
For the ginger syrup:
  1. Place the water and sugar in a small pan, and bring to a boil. Add the ginger slices and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and place in a glass jar. Keep refrigerated.
For the sangria:
  1. Put all of the fruit in a large pitcher. Add the white wine, orange juice, ginger syrup and Cointreau. Stir well and chill for 3-4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve over ice.