Page 4C
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
Saturday, June 11, 2016
GRILLED GROUND LAMB KEBABS
AP Photo/Sara Moulton
Lamb koftas.
Lamb kebabs is a dish inspired
by New York City street food
By SARA MOULTON
Associated Press
One of the great things about living
in New York City is its wealth of street
food, which provides us with easy
access to dishes from the four corners
of the earth.
One of my all-time faves — a
favorite in the Middle East and Far
East — goes by many names, the most
common of which is kofta kebab.
It is heavily spiced ground meat —
usually lamb or beef or a combination
of the two — that’s been molded
into sausage-like oblongs, grilled on
skewers, and served with a garlicky
tahini/yogurt sauce in a pita pocket
or latbread. So good! It’s no wonder
that, with minor variations, kofta is a
staple of Middle Eastern cuisine from
Afghanistan to Turkey.
Happily, it’s quick and easy. One of
the dish’s two key elements is texture.
The meat should be irm, not to say
springy. If you buy your meat at a
supermarket, just follow the instructions
in the recipe and pulse it in a food
processor until smooth and almost
paste-like. If you buy your meat from a
butcher, ask him or her to grind it extra
ine. Then, after adding all the spices,
knead the meat on the counter (yes, like
dough) until it’s smooth and sticky. This
will take 5 to 10 minutes. (It’ll also do
wonders to tone up your forearms.)
The second of the recipe’s key
elements is its spices. Different cultures
call for different spices, so I chose the
mix that most appealed to me: cumin,
paprika, allspice, pepper and fresh
parsley. Onions and garlic are universal,
but they’re always added in raw form.
I opted instead to sauté the onions and
garlic to maximize their lavor and
sweetness before adding them to the
meat mixture.
Once the meat has been seasoned,
it needs to be chilled. This irms up the
meat so that it holds its shape on the
skewers when grilled. It also gives the
seasonings time to permeate the meat.
Three hours of chilling is good; 24
hours is better. One tip about shaping
the meat on the skewers: The meat will
be easier to mold if you keep wetting
your hands with cold water.
———
Sara Moulton is the host of public
television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.”
She was executive chef at Gourmet
magazine for nearly 25 years and spent
a decade hosting several Food Network
shows, including “Cooking Live.” Her
latest cookbook is “Home Cooking
101.”
This recipe calls for a succulent mix of lamb and
beef, but you’re welcome to go all one way or the
other.
Start to inish: 35 minutes plus 3 to 24 hours for
chilling
Servings: 4
For the kofta:
• ½ cup inely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for
brushing on the meat
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ pound ground beef
• ½ pound ground lamb
• 1½ teaspoons paprika, preferably hot smoked
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup minced parsley
For the sauce:
• 1/3 cup tahini, stirred well
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• Four 6-inch pitas with pockets, ¼ of the top cut off
to form pocket
• Shredded romaine lettuce for garnish
• Hot sauce for garnish
Make the kofta:
In a medium skillet, cook the onion in the oil over
medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is
golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic
and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mixture
to a small bowl and chill until it comes to room
temperature.
In a food processor, combine the cooled onion
mixture, the beef, lamb, paprika, cumin, salt, allspice
and pepper and pulse the mixture until it forms a paste
and is tacky to the touch. Transfer the mixture to a
bowl and stir in the parsley.
Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions and
shape each portion into a log around a skewer, about
5 inches long and 1 inch wide. Cover and chill the
skewered meat for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
Meanwhile, make the sauce:
In a medium bowl whisk together the tahini, yogurt,
lemon juice, garlic and 3 tablespoons water, adding
additional water if necessary to achieve a pourable
consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the grill to medium. Lightly oil the meat on
both sides and grill it, turning often for about 6 minutes
or until it is irm to the touch and cooked through. Pull
the meat off the skewers and transfer two logs to each
of 4 pitas. Top the meat with one fourth of the sauce
and some shredded lettuce and serve with the hot sauce
on the side.
Nutrition information per serving: 482 calories;
255 calories from fat; 28 g fat (7 g saturated fat; 1 g
trans fat); 74 mg cholesterol; 722 mg sodium; 25 g
carbohydrate; 3 g iber; 3 g sugar; 32 g protein.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO
Not just a winter playground
By JOHN LUMPKIN
Associated Press
AP Photo/Melissa d’Arabian
Lemon pesto chicken salad.
Zingy salad makes for a
fast, healthy picnic lunch
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
Associated Press
In our small hometown,
Sunday evening’s concert
in the park is more than just
a gathering of locals and
tourists. It’s how we mark the
passage of time between May
and September.
Over the years, we’ve
become picnicking experts.
My top two pieces of advice
on picnic-planning are keep it
simple and keep it lavorful.
Because the getting ready
— packing up a tablecloth
or blanket and all the dishes
— takes time, I’ve learned to
make the menu extra-simple.
But extra simple doesn’t
mean sacriicing on lavor.
My solution is to turn
to a trusted supermarket
shortcut, the rotisserie
chicken, as a starting point
for a deceptively simple, yet
unbelievably complex-tasting,
chicken salad. A very distant
cousin to the over-creamy
chicken salad grandma used
to make, this dish gets its
garlicky-herbaceous lavor
from pre-made pesto. A
generous helping of lemon
zest adds depth and balance.
But the secret of this dish is
capers added, with the juice.
Pack a thermal container
of this chicken salad along
with whole wheat pita halves,
a head of lettuce for lettuce
wraps, raw vegetables and a
big bunch of grapes, and you
have a strong picnic game for
Sunday, or anytime.
LEMON-PESTO CHICKEN SALAD
Start to Finish: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
For the dressing:
• 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
• 3 tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons capers, brine included (do not drain)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
• ½ rotisserie chicken, cubed (about 2 ½ cups)
• ½ cup inely chopped celery
• 1 cup cherry tomato halves
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Lemon wedges and parsley for garnish (optional)
To make the dressing, mix all the dressing ingredients
in a small bowl with a spoon. In a large bowl, place
the chicken, celery, tomato, and green onion. Spoon
the dressing on top and stir to coat. Chill until serving.
Serve with lettuce wraps, pita, or tortillas.
Nutrition information per serving: 243 calories;
107 calories from fat; 12 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g
trans fats); 80 mg cholesterol; 296 mg sodium; 5 g
carbohydrate; 1 g iber; 3 g sugar; 28 g protein.
S T E A M B O AT
SPRINGS, Colo. — Skiers
thrive during winter on Steam-
boat Springs’ trademarked
dry “Champagne powder”
snow, but outdoor pursuits on
mild summer days can rival
those mountain experiences.
Call it a back-to-the-future
effect because travelers in the
early 1900s irst came here
for seasonal hunting, ishing
and the open-air hot springs.
On the Yampa River, you
will ind tubers loating under
downtown bridges, some-
times joined by kayakers.
Runners pace each other
through shade and open
meadow on multi-purpose
trails lining the river’s banks.
Hikers and mountain bikers
can explore the surrounding
mountain slopes.
And on the porch of the
Haymaker Golf clubhouse,
it’s not unusual to see bicy-
cles with golf clubs stored
vertically in the saddlebags
as an alternative to motorized
golf carts.
“People that play them
really enjoy them,” said Tom
Taylor, head professional at
Haymaker. He introduced
the golf cycles in 2015
and ordered more for this
summer. Walkers and golf
cyclists outnumber the
players who ride in carts,
consistent with other physical
activity that deines summer
in this resort town.
The
backdrop
for
Haymaker’s irst hole is
stunning: the western side of
a high Rocky Mountain pass
called Rabbit Ears, elevation
9,426 feet. You also take in
dramatic views of the pass on
the drive to Steamboat from
Denver, a 3.5-hour trip via
I-70, then north to U.S. 40
from the Silverthorne exit.
But park the car once you
arrive and walk or rent bikes
if you’re staying in Steam-
boat’s center. That’s what
my wife and I did during our
stay in a 1,700-square-foot
condo with a wrap-around
balcony, outdoor grill and
views of Mount Werner.
The $450 nightly cost, split
among friends, seemed like a
John Lumpkin via AP
In this Aug. 18, 2015 photo, visitors to Fish Creek Falls
are perched on log near the base of the falls in Steam-
boat Springs, Colo.
bargain.
Galleries, restaurants, ly
ishing and the colors and
calming beauty of Yampa
River Botanic Park’s trails,
ponds and gardens are all
within walking distance. The
historic F.M. Light & Sons,
a Western store heralded by
ubiquitous highway signs
since 1928, is a short stroll
along the town’s main artery,
Lincoln Avenue, as is Natural
Grocers, where we bought
tender grass-fed steaks and
organic greens for a “stay-in”
dinner on our balcony.
Around the corner was
Winona’s, which deserved
repeat trips for lunches of
“Sunshine Salad” — curried
chicken, sunlower seeds,
grapes and berries — or
traditional hoagies and gyros.
The new Salt & Lime
restaurant has taken over the
long-running Rio Grande
Grill’s location, offering
open-air
second-loor
seating, specialty tequilas
and funky entrees like bison
tacos. When I inquired with
the Chamber of Commerce
about Salt & Lime’s emer-
gence, the receptionist said,
“There’s already a crowd
there on the roof.”
Steamboat is home to
Texas emigre Verne Lund-
quist, the nationally known
CBS sportscaster. “There is
no celebrity factor, an element
that deines some of the other
resorts in Colorado,” he said,
adding, “The best part of a
Steamboat summer is the
diversity of opportunities.
On a Saturday night, you’ll
ind the rodeo arena illed to
capacity, while two blocks
away, a rock and roll group or
a country band or a hip-hop
star will perform a free
concert in front of 2,000 at the
base of Howelsen Hill, where
the ski jumps are located.”
Strawberry Park Hot
Springs, which lured long-ago
visitors, remain open year-
round with shuttle service and
104-degree mineral water.
Four miles from down-
town Steamboat is Fish
Creek Falls, so take a car or,
if you have the stamina, a
bike. A spellbinding 280-foot
drop, the falls are accessed
by descending a quarter-mile
from the parking lot (altitude
7,440) to its base. Beer
aicionados may perceive
something familiar; the fall’s
image irst appeared on
Coors Banquet bottles and
cans in 1937 and remains on
those products today.
Our irst night’s dinner
was just across the street from
the condo at E3 Chophouse,
owned by the LaRoche family
of professional baseball
players. Why the name E3?
Adam LaRoche won Major
League Baseball’s Gold
Glove Award for best ielder
at irst base while playing for
the Washington Nationals.
“E” is the abbreviation for
“error” in a scoring chart and
“3” is irst baseman, so “E3”
means “error on the irst
baseman,” LaRoche’s nod
to humility. (LaRoche made
national news this year when
he quit baseball, giving up a
$13 million salary after team
management said his son was
no longer welcome in the
clubhouse of his then-current
team, the Chicago White
Sox.)
Brother Andy, a former
major leaguer, plays for the
minor-league Sugar Land,
Texas, Skeeters, and Jeff
LaRoche is on the scene in
Steamboat, making sure the
steaks are lash-cooked in
his 1,800-degree over-ired
broiler to seal juices. The
beef comes from their ranch
in Kansas.
“Hey, we had a ranch.
The steakhouse would be a
great opportunity to get rid
of our beef,” quipped Jeff.
After baseball, he moved to
Vail, but didn’t like Interstate
70 “in my backyard.” On to
Steamboat Springs, because
“you have to want to get here.
There’s nothing past us.”