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This was the main dish at our Yule feast yesterday. We had eight people, and just enough lamb left over to make a nice shepherd's pie later. (I'm still tinkering with the recipe for that one.) Egyptian Leg of Lamb Ingredients:
3-5 lb. boneless leg of lamb For marinade:
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch fennel seed
1/2 cup red wine vinegar For coating:
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions:
In a mortar and pestle, combine 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, and a pinch of fennel seed. Grind coarsely. Pour the combined spices into a gallon ziplock bag.
Add 1/2 cup red wine vinegar to the bag. Shake to distribute spices. Rinse the leg of lamb, then shake off excess water. Place the lamb inside the bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, then seal. Turn and squeeze the bag to distribute the marinade and spices evenly around the meat. Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator for 2-5 hours. Rotate it several times so that all parts of the lamb are evenly exposed to the marinade. Preheat oven to “rotisserie” setting (about 450ºF) for 10 minutes. Remove lamb from bag. Rinse briefly; don't worry about getting all the spices off. Set the lamb on a plate or cutting board. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin. Stir spices together. Sprinkle spice blend evenly over all surfaces of the lamb. Insert rotisserie rod through center of lamb. Fasten the rotisserie forks into the ends of the meat. Insert the rod into the oven. Place an oven rack in the lowest position with a shallow pan to catch the drippings. Set the oven to the “rotisserie” function and turn it on. Set the timer to allow 20-30 minutes per pound of meat. So for a 3 lb. leg of lamb, 60-90 minutes; for a 5-lb. leg, 100-150 minutes. (20 minutes per pound leaves the meat quite rare, 25 should leave it medium, and 30 leaves most of it well done with just a few pink spots.) Lamb should register at least 145ºF when done. Remove from oven. Remove rotisserie forks and rod. Set the lamb on a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil. Allow lamb to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.
Notes:
Lamb is a tender and delicate meat with a rich flavor. It benefits from rotisserie cooking, as this allows the fat to melt nicely into the meat and develop a tasty crust with the herbs. This recipe uses many traditional Egyptian spices, and lamb is a classic feast food in Egyptian culture. The flavor is quite different from the more common Greek recipes using leafy herbs. Ideally, the marinade should be made with all whole spices, freshly ground in a mortar and pestle. I used ground coriander because I couldn't find whole coriander seed. If you don't have sea salt, ordinary table salt will do. The vinegar needs to be robust in order to complement the flavor of the meat; if you can't find red wine vinegar, a dark apple cider vinegar will work. Don't use plain white vinegar. Tags: food, holiday, recipe
Current Mood:  accomplished
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I'm not a fan of throwing money at problems without making sure the solution actually works. So I'm really intrigued by this article about the White House seeking to identify social programs that show measurable improvements so that they can be funded and expanded. If you know of a local or regional program in your area that is working, consider tipping them to this.
White House Embraces Social Innovation We all know that our nation is currently struggling with serious social problems ranging from increasing homelessness, to worsening public health, to failing schools. However, there's tremendous hope in the capacity of social innovators to address these far-reaching problems. It's in this spirit that the White House just launched new regulations for the Social Innovation Fund, which aims to identify some of the most promising, results-oriented nonprofit programs and to expand their reach throughout the country. Policy strategist Tom Sheridan – the man that The Hill newspaper has dubbed "A powerbroker for those without a voice" - writes for Change.org this week that this Social Innovation Fund has the power to radically shift the way Washington addresses social problems. http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/white_house_embraces_social_innovation Rather than continuing to attempt to solve community problems in a top-down way from Washington, the Social Innovation Fund will invest in programs run by social innovators already showing measurable results on the ground in their communities. This makes the Social Innovation Fund one of the most promising new vehicles for scaling social change in the country, and one of the most important steps the Obama administration has taken thus far to support innovative nonprofit solutions to the problems Americans faces. It's also why we'll continue reporting on its progress at Change.org in the weeks and months ahead. As always, visit www.change.org for all the top stories across the world of Change. Tags: economics, news, politics
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We had fun with our Yule event yesterday. A lot of people arrived late, but we managed to juggle the schedule so that everything got done and we didn't run too much overtime. We sang holiday carols, exchanged gifts, and shared stories about holiday traditions. The feast included Egyptian leg of lamb, couscous, eggplant mousaka, rice pudding, pomegranate punch, and spice cake. We also had a couple of birds carved from apples -- very cute! The main ritual was done entirely by candlelight. We started out with a few altar candles and then lit many more candles around the room. This ritual had an Egyptian theme, working with Isis, Ma'at, and Horus. We even had some myrrh resin burning on charcoal. Today was the cookie exchange, and we just got home from that. I'm looking forward to sampling the results. Tags: holiday, paganism, personal
Current Mood: busy
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Apparently, Americans consider it more important to kill people and take their stuff than to save lives and give people what they need to survive. This is where our money goes. I'm disgusted by it. Jeremy Scahill | Stunning Statistics About the War Every American Should Know
Jeremy Scahill, Rebel Reports: "Contrary to popular belief, the US actually has 189,000 personnel on the ground in Afghanistan right now - and that number is quickly rising."
Jo Comerford | $57,077.60 Surging by the Minute
Jo Comerford, TomDispatch.com: "$57,077.60. That's what we're paying per minute. Keep that in mind - just for a minute or so. After all, the surge is already on. By the end of December, the first 1,500 US troops will have landed in Afghanistan, a nation roughly the size of Texas, ranked by the United Nations as second worst in the world in terms of human development."
VIDEO | Keith Olbermann: Ruined Senate Bill Unsupportable
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC: "Finally, as promised, a Special Comment on the latest version of H-R 35-90, the Senate Health Care Reform bill. To again quote Churchill after Munich, as I did six nights ago on this program: 'I will begin by saying the most unpopular and most unwelcome thing: that we have sustained a total and unmitigated defeat, without a war.'" Tags: economics, news, politics
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Toddlers and infants need to be protected from dangerous things, because their common sense hasn't grown in yet. Once they're old enough to understand "No!" and "Don't!" however, they need to start learning how to handle dangerous things safely. This works best in gradual increments, as they start to play with toys such as blocks and trucks that can hurt if you hit someone (or yourself) with them. Then come safety scissors, which are blunt but can cut some things. When they're old enough to be careful, they get to use a sharp steak knife at the table instead of a dull case knife. One hopes that by the time they're old enough to use important things such as cars and condoms, they have learned to be careful enough not to hurt anyone. And then they're adults.
This process breaks down horribly if children are overprotected from everything that might be the least little bit dangerous. Not only do they fail to learn how to handle tools, they are woefully -- and sometimes fatally -- unprepared to deal with nature, which can never be made wholly safe. So here's a look at how the learning process should work, and some possible activities...
50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children DoGever Tulley , founder of something called the Tinkering School, a place where kids build things with power tools, has written a new book, 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do. (Number 46 is "Super Glue Your Fingers Together - Experience life without a thumb!") Here are the top five hazards that kids should be encouraged to explore. Tags: community, family skills, life lessons
Current Mood: busy
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Here is an article about high rates of post-partum depression in American mothers -- which is about 10-20% compared to 1% in Fiji. The difference? Women in Fiji, and some other cultures with low rates of PPD, have strong social support. American women get depressed more often because they are ignored by society and overburdened. This is something we can fix. We don't have to wait for anyone else "important" to make a plan, and we don't need expensive drugs. What we need is networking and the determination to repair this gap in the social fabric. The few women with solid biochemical imbalances will hopefully be handled by the health care system. The social system should be able to push those numbers to a biological minimum. This would not only save a lot of misery, it would save considerable money as well. It can be done, because other cultures are managing to do it quite well. Do you know a woman who is expecting? Talk with her and see if she would like some help after the baby arrives. Figure out where your skills could be useful -- are you good at doing laundry, cooking, watching older children, yardwork? If the expectant mother is a member of your family or very close circle of friends, push hard to arrange support for at least a month; longer is better. This is especially important for first-time mothers who will benefit from having an older female relative or friend with parenting experience. Some women may not want this, but common sense and cultural comparisons indicate that it's a really good idea we should be doing more often, for as many people as will do it. For that matter, social support for new fathers is probably a good idea too. Are you an employer, or do you have the ear of one? Encourage a family-friendly policy for parental leave. An employee strung out on lack of sleep and baby stress is not going to do your company much good. Make sure they have leave so they can return to work refreshed by the new life in their family. In a really big company, especially if it's one with a lot of female employees, you might talk about the interface between family and work, and how social networks can support both. Maybe if people hear the idea of social support for new mothers, they'll get together and plan something with each other. You could also have a little party when someone goes on parental leave, and make sure to welcome them back when they return. Customs differ in various places, so don't push too hard, but see what kind of things people are open to in your area. This sort of thing isn't easy. I can remember that it was going on in my area about 30 years ago, though, because my grandmother and her friends talked about making arrangements for new mothers. I've made a few attempts in that direction myself, with only minor success. It's not really my strong suit. But I can keep trying -- and I can put the word out. Tags: community, family skills
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I think there's a lot of truth in this article: Jean-Marc Vittori | The World Is a Village Without a MayorJean-Marc Vittori, Les Echos: "More and more, the world is a village. What happens at one end of the planet may directly influence the events that take place at the other end. Technology has turned the world upside down - giving humanity a power to act on nature that is beginning to be visible on a global scale, by making the circulation of people, goods, information and capital incredibly easy. But this village has no town council, much less a mayor, just neighborhood committees jealous of their independence.
This situation is untenable in the long term, but inevitable for now."
... and one reason it's a problem is that so many people have lost (or never learned) a lot of social skills for getting along with other folks. On the bright side, I think there is a slowly growing awareness of how interconnected nature is, and how interconnected humanity is becoming. People in America are starting to realize that being without community tends to suck, and taking steps to improve the situation. I'm seeing more people talking, and especially writing, about community. So there is some hope... Tags: community, news
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