Thursday, September 10, 2009

Four-Ingredient Lamb and Pear Casserole

Just four ingredients to this delightful main dish.
Yes, four. Unless you count the salt. Then five.


This recipe comes from The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking, a 797-page book my grandma gave me years ago that's simply filled with color photographs. Don't you love to see pictures of what you're thinking about making?
The pears break down as they cook, and, combined with the ground ginger, make a lovely gingersnappish sauce.
The hardest part about this recipe is cutting the fat off the meat, so if you have a butcher who will cut the meat for you, I say go for it.

LAMB AND PEAR CASSEROLE
2 pounds stewing lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into pieces
2 t. ground ginger
6 medium-sized cooking pears, peeled, quartered, and cored (I'm sure canned pears would work fine)
2 T. white wine

Put meat into lightly greased large pan that has a tight-fitting lid. (I use the same one I cook spaghetti in.). Brown in its own fat. Sprinkle ginger over meat. Add pears and a little salt if desired. Add wine. (The book notes, "Juice from pears should provide sufficient liquid, but if it begins to dry, add a little more white wine.") Cover tightly and cook on low for 1 1/4 hours.

Note that I served this over baked potatoes. But it would be lovely on its own, or served with rice or noodles.

Also, my conscience demands that I tell you the official recipe calls for a package of frozen string beans to be added at the same time as the pears. But all residents of this castle would painstakingly pick out each green bean and oh-so-uncomplainingly nudge it to the side of their plate. So alas, no green beans here. If your castle dwellers are more amenable to green bits, feel free to add them.

Do you have any four-ingredient dishes you lunge for when prep time is limited?

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11 Comments:

Blogger theUngourmet said...

Yes, I do love cookbooks with photos so much more!

Nice recipe! I love when pears are in season!

September 10, 2009 at 4:18 PM  
Blogger The Queen of Clearance said...

that sounds so yummy.

September 10, 2009 at 7:01 PM  
Blogger Jean said...

Mmmm. Sounds delcious AND simple to make.

I'm so glad you found my blog, and that now I've found yours!

I've been cooking for 40+ years and still enjoy trying new recipes.

4 ingreients? How about 2?

My family loves corn fritters and they are so simple to make.

I combine a small box (or package) of sweet corn bread mix with 1/2 of a 16 oz. can of creamed corn. The mixture should be really thick.

Preheat 3-4" of vegetable oil (corn oil, saflower oil, NOT olive oil which cannot take the high temperatures) to @375.

Drop the batter into the hot oil by tablespoons. Don't try to put too many fritters in the oil at one time. As each fritter browns around the edges flip it over with a slotted spoon. They take 1-2 minutes to cook.

Drain them on paper towels and serve hot. My family enjoys these so much they will eat these babies for dessert.

Blessings,
Jean
http://www.jeanmatthewhall.blogspot.com

September 11, 2009 at 5:29 AM  
Blogger Lynn said...

Jean, your fritters sound wonderful! If you're serving them for dessert, I wonder how they'd be with powdered sugar on them?

September 11, 2009 at 8:03 AM  
Blogger The Bumbles said...

As you know, I do not know how to use the stove - so any cookbook with pictures is a must for me - how else will I know if I made it correctly?!?!?!

I was reading a cooking related discussion on a book forum the other day and your mention of removing the fat reminded me of it - although it is about duck, not lamb. But thought it was interesting and knew that someone who cooks salmon in their dishwasher could appreciate another use for the common hair dryer:

"First you boil a big pot of water, and put the duck in it, and leave it there for about 5-7 minutes after it returns to the boil.

"Then you take the duck out and pat it dry. Get out a hairdryer and some paper towels. Turn on the hairdryer and put the nozzle about an inch or two from the skin of the duck, and watch the fat melt off it. You'll need the paper towels to pat the melted fat off.

"It is astonishing how much fat can come out."

September 11, 2009 at 10:15 AM  
Blogger Lynn said...

Oh, the Bumbles, this hair dryer wisdom is SUCH good knowledge. Thank you for sharing. Must find myself a duck.

My latest experiment is dehydrating tomatoes on the dashboard of the car. Let's just say Try #1 did not go so well.

September 11, 2009 at 10:22 AM  
Blogger The Bumbles said...

Hahahaha! That does not sound like a good idea Lynn. We are wrapping ours in newspaper like you told us to do though a while back.

Let me know if that duck trick works. Susanna @ http://susannag.livejournal.com/ was the person who posted that tip on a Goodreads discussion.

September 11, 2009 at 11:02 AM  
Blogger Pam said...

I would never have thought to put lamb and pear together - it sounds delicious.

September 11, 2009 at 11:16 AM  
Blogger Jean said...

Jean again...

Powdered sugar sprinkled on them sounds yummy.

September 11, 2009 at 12:34 PM  
Anonymous Faith said...

I love vintage cookbooks! My mom has a few that she got from her mom and I love looking at them for inspiration. It's interesting to see how food trends (like fashion) make a comeback.

September 11, 2009 at 2:04 PM  
Blogger Katy ~ said...

A unique combination. Would love to try a sample of this.

September 16, 2009 at 5:17 PM  

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