Perrin Davis - Lamb 101: Master Cooking Lamb with 101 Great Recipes

Agate Surrey Books wants to help everyone, but especially kitchen beginners, learn how to explore different kinds of food and cooking and all sorts of ingredients. We are proud to introduce the 101 series, which aims to provide rewarding, successful, and fun cooking experiences for everyone, from novices to more experienced cooks.

Lamb 101: 101 Great Ways to Make Lamb offers readers not only delicious recipes but also useful information about shopping for equipment, ingredients, kitchen essentials, and seasonings. Figuring out what to do with that lamb sitting in your fridge might be a little intimidating, but well give you lots of simple options. So whether youve only recently acquired a taste for lamb or have been a lifelong fan, Lamb 101 is a great place to find a repertoire of go-to recipes for a variety of different cuts.

Most of the recipes in these 101 series books come from a wide range of Agate Surrey authors and editors. Contributors to Lamb 101 include Sue Spitler, editor of the 1,001 series that includes such titles as 1,001 Best Low-Fat Recipes ; Viktorija Todorovska, author of The Puglian Cookbook ; and Dave DeWitt, author of 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes .

Lamb 101 recipes were selected to provide a starting point for anyone beginning their cooking journey. The collection includes a variety of cuisines (Italian, Greek, Cuban, Indian, and Middle Eastern, to name a few)be sure to check out the chapter to see them all! Most of the recipes in Lamb 101 are simple, but a handful of them are more advanced; youll find that all are easy to follow.

This book contains lots of fantastic main-dish options. Dont miss great dinner-party options like are a big favorite in Perrins house.

In the .

But before you get started cooking some of these great recipes, make sure youre up to speed on some cooking basics, and that your kitchen and pantry are ready to go!

Making your own recipes from fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients is always the best option. The recipes in this book are, generally speaking, very simple, but involve few processed ingredients. With the obvious exception of the slow-cooker dishes, youll be able to prepare a hot, fresh meal that will delight your whole group in no time flat!

Many of the recipes in this book are specifically for the grill, as lamb is particularly well suited for it. The same goes for the slow cooker ... weve included several recipes that are tailored just for the slow cooker, but a number of them also have conventional recipe equivalents earlier in the book.

If you are a new cook, or its been a while since youve spent time in the kitchen, here is some helpful information that will make it easy to jump into Lamb 101 recipes. If you have the following equipment, you will be prepared to make almost any recipe in this book.

Were sure you know this already, but your kitchen should include the following standard set of appliances.

• Refrigerator/freezer (set to about 34F to 38F [1C to 3C], or as cold as you can get it without freezing vegetables or drinks)
• Freezer (if yours is not frost-free, youll periodically need to unplug it to defrost your snow-filled box)
• Stove/oven (make sure to keep the oven very clean, as burnt foods and other odors can affect the taste of your food)
• Microwave (again, make sure its clean and ready for use), because its great for defrosting
• Blender (and not just for beverages and soupsyou can use it in place of a food processor or an immersion blender in some instances)
• Hand mixer (well, you can always stir by hand, but sometimes, the hand mixer is indispensable)
• Slow cooker (mandatory at least for some of the recipes in this book!)
• Grill (same here ... but you can always use a stovetop griddle to grill indoors)

• Food processor
• Stand mixer

The following are useful basic equipment for any kitchen.

• Stockpot (8 to 10 quarts [7.6 to 9.5 L])
• Dutch oven (5 to 6 quarts [4.7 to 5.7 L])
• Pancake griddle
• Large stockpot with lid (6 to 8 quarts [5.7 to 7.6 L])
• Large skillet with lid (10 to 12 inches in diameter [25 to 30 cm])
• Medium skillet with lid (7 to 8 inches in diameter [17.5 to 20 cm])
• Medium or large saucepan with lid (2 or 3 quarts [1.9 to 2.8 L])
• Small saucepan with lid (1 quart [.95 L])
• Glass casserole dish (2 quart [1.9 L])
• Square cake pan (8 or 9 inches [20 to 22.5 cm])
• Rectangular cake pan (13 by 9 inches [32.5 by 22.5 cm])
• 2 loaf pans (8 inches [20 cm] long)
• Muffin pan (12 muffins)
• Pie pan (9 inches in diameter [22.5 cm])
• 2 baking sheets

These are recommended basics for any kitchen.

• Knives: Chefs knife, serrated knife, and paring knife
• Measuring cups for both dry and liquid measures
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls (two or three, ranging from 1 or 2 quarts to 5 or 6 quarts [.95 or 1.9 L to 4.7 or 5.7 L])
• Wooden spoons, slotted spoon, rubber or silicone spatula, ladle, whisk, tongs, and a large metal flipper for hamburgers and similar foods
• Colander
• Cheese grater
• Citrus zester
• Salt and pepper mills
• Kitchen scissors
• Vegetable peeler
• Can opener
• Cooling rack
• Kitchen timer
• Cutting boards
• Pot holders
• Kitchen towels

Either in a handy drawer or on a shelf, make sure you have all of these items within easy reach.

• Plastic or glass storage containers (5 to 10, varying sizes)
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper
• Small baggies
• Large baggies

This section includes the basics that you should have on hand, but this is by no means a comprehensive list for every recipe in this book. If you have these ingredients as a starting point, however, youll be in great shape to tackle almost any of the Lamb 101 recipes!

• Kosher salt
• Bay leaves
• Cayenne pepper
• Chili powder
• Curry powder
• Ground cumin
• Dry mustard
• Garlic powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• Ground nutmeg
• Red pepper flakes