Basil Vinaigrette

Small garlic clove
1 cup packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 oz. fresh pamesan

Puree in blender until well mixed.

My recipe for Lamb Curry

I am a big one for working with several recipes to create one that I like. Hence how this recipe came to be. I suggest you also play with the ingredients, adding more of what you like and lessening that which you don't. I wouldn't suggest adding more curry, however, as it has a tendency to make the dish a tad bitter, especially since its heated and when you heat spices, it releases the oils which makes them more powerful. Bon appetit!

Ground Lamb Curry with Vegetables

8-16 oz. ground lamb
2 large potatoes (peeled and diced into small cubes)
1 green pepper (diced or sliced thin)
1 red pepper (diced or sliced thin)
2 large carrots (sliced thin or diced small)
1 small onion, diced (Vidalia)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 small cooking onion
2 large cloves garlic
2 Tbl. pickled ginger or ginger root

Combine the following dry ingredients:
1 tsp turmeric
1 Tbl. Curry
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbl. brown sugar

½ cup vegetable broth (or more if necessary)
1 cup orange juice (or pineapple)
1 can of canned coconut milk (light preferred)
1 Tbl. oil (canola)

This is a two part process.

Part One: The curry sauce
1) Puree ginger, onion and garlic in food processor until liquid
2) Sauté mixture in heated oil in a large sauté pan or quart sized pot for about 3 minutes
3) Lower heat to medium and add the dry powdered mixture and the vegetable broth.
4) Stir and heat until bubbling.
5) Lower heat to simmer. Add the juice and coconut milk.
6) Bring to simmer for a minute or two until thickened to a soupy consistency.
7) Turn off heat.

Part Two: The meat and vegetables

1) Saute the ground lamb until half way cooked
2) Add carrots, potatoes and onions and let cook with meat until starting to soften.
3) Add peas and peppers. Let simmer until heated through.
A few minutes before you eat, heat the sauce and add the meat and vegetable mixture. Stir well and heat all the way through. Serve hot over rice (jasmine preferred). You can accompany this dish with sides of raisins, Spanish peanuts, coconut and chutney that can be sprinkled on top of the curry.