Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Category: lamb and goat (page 1 of 5)

Cordera con Achiote (Lamb with Achiote)

October 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This dish is a favorite both back on the Island, and for Nuyoricans on the mainland. The main ingredient is Achiote, or ground annatto seeds.  So, what the hell is Achiote? What’s this annatto business? Well, annatto seeds are small, brick red seeds from the tropical achiote tree used as a natural food coloring and flavoring in Caribbean, Mexican and Filipino cuisine. In our cooking, they impart a yellow to deep orange color and a mild, and peppery flavor to dishes like rice and meat. The seeds can also be ground into a powder or paste. We mixed it with olive oil to enhance food and give it color, as we did it with lamb in this recipe. Paired with rice, potatoes or pasta, or, as we did it, with couscous. it makes for a delicious and memorable meal. 

Nore that for this recipe, 4 lamb chops give you 2 servings. You can double the recipe for 4 servings if desired. Le me add that today achiote can be found in most supermarkets, or specialty stores, either in seeds or ground powder form.

CORDERA CON ACHIOTE
(Lamb with Achiote)

Ingredients:

4 lamb loin or rid chops (1-inch thick)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon achiote (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white wine (dry or sweet, your choice)

Instructions:

  1. Season chops thoroughly on both side with salt, pepper, oregano. garlic powder and achiote.
  2. Hest olive oil in a pan or skillet (we prefer cast iron) over moderate-high heat. Add chops and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  3.  Add butter and, as it melts, spoon it over each of the lamb chops for about 5 minutes.
  4.  Sprinkle wine over chops. Turn heat to high and sizzle chops with the wine until evaporated.
  5.  Remove chops from pan and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

INDIAN LAMB

October 9, 2025 / / 0 Comments

In our crowd, lamb has always been a favorite. So, I’m always on the lookout for good lamb dishes. Thias recipe, Indian Lamb, I got years ago. I can’t recall from whom, but it’s been a favorite in our repertoire ever since. It contains all the popular Indian spices we’ve come to know and love. We normally serve this dish with rice, as we did this time with parsley rice. Burt you can substitute couscous, quinoa or eben pasta such as orzo. No telling what you can pair with this dish. Or you can sreve it, as traditional done in India with pita bread and cucumber-yogurt salad. The possibilities are infinite. Enjoy this one.

Let me add that this dish is spicy, that’s how we like ity. But, if you want it less spicy, cut the curry powder to just one teaspoon.

INDIAN LAMB

Ingredients:

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 2 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 bay leaf
4 loin lamb chops (3 ounces or more, 1-inch thick) can substitute rib lamb chops
salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup water
½ cup raisins
1 teaspoon flour
1 cup chicken or beef broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Rinse chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  In a large deep skillet or frypan. heat olive over medium-high heat.
  3. Add onions and garlic and stir-fry until onion is soft, about 3-4 minutes.
  4.  Stir in ginger, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes.
  5. Add lamb, salt and prepper. Cook until brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  6.  Add water and raisins. Brin water to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about20 minutes.
  7.  While lamb is coming, in a small saucepan, whisk together flour and broth, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens.  Add to lamb along with the cream. Cook a couple of minutes more to serving temperature. Srev with your faborite side dish.
    Yield: $ servings.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC

April 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

In the old days, back in my old neighborhood (then known as Spanish Harlem), Easter dinner meant a lamb dish, usually leg of lamb. So, to honor that tradition, that is the recipe given today. It’s not your normal leg of lamb dish. This one is Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic. Yes, garlic, another ingredient that we love in Nuyorican cuisine. So, make that Easter meal memorable this time around. You won’t be disappointed. And, if you like garlic, you’re in luck. At least, it’ll keep the vampires away.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC

Ingredients:

1 (7-pound) leg of lamb
4 cloves garlic, each cut into 3 lengthwise pieces
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme
Salt and ground black pepper to atste
3 heads garlic, loose skin removed
1 cup vermouth

Instructions:

  1. With a small knife, make 6 incisions on each side of leg of lamb. Insert1 piece garlic in each. Rub lamb with oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
  2.  Place lamb in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered at 425 degrees F.  about 20 minutes or until meat is brown and crusty. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting 1 hour longer. Place 3 whole heads garlic around lamb and continue cooking 30 minutes for rare or 50 minutes for medium. When finished, remove lamb and garlic from roasting pan. Gently break up whole garlic into separate cloves. Cover both with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  3.  Place pan on top of stove over high heat. Bring pan juices to a boil so that drippings adhere to pan and separate from fat. Pour off fat. Add vermouth and swirl around pan to loosen brown bits.
  4.  Carve lamb and serve on individual plates with sauce ladled over slices and 2 or 3 garlic cloves on side.
    Yield: 6-8 servings.

CORDERO CON HABICHUELAS (Lamb with Beans)

November 20, 2024 / / 0 Comments

 

This dish is lamb and beans cooked Nuyorican style. In every recipe I’ve seen online, when making this dish the beans used are always white beans, either cannellini or great northern beans. We go against the grain and use red beans in this presentation. Nothing against white beans (which I love) but red beans, to my mind, gives the dish a whole different aspect, and consistency.

With this recipe, you can use canned beans, if desired, no problem there. Saves time and fuss. Since I’m a purist, I use dry red beans. Which means you have to soak them overnight and then cook. That’s the way my mother cooked beans, and its ingrained in family heritage. To me, dry beans render a better flavor and consistency. Maybe it’s all in my mind, I don’t know. Again, if you want to use canned beans, go right ahead.  It’s all an individual preference. Also, note that this dish calls for sofrito as one of the ingredients. Sofrito is an aromatic mix of herbs and spices that serves as abase for cooking countless Boricua (Native Puerto Rican) dishes. You can find a recipe for sofrito in this blog in a post on 08/11/10. Better yet, I have a video on making sofrito posted on 07/10/14. If you don’t have the time or inclination for making sofrito you can substitute a packet of Sazón, another flavoring popular in our culture. Goya makes as good version, and you can also get Sa-són Accent,  another equitable r brand

This time we served the lamb and beans with couscous; and it was a perfect pair. You can also serve it with  rice or farro. You can even pair it with pasta. The possibilities are endless.

If you’re a bean lover, and you like lamb, this dish is it. So, be adventurous. Try this one out, and impress everyone in your circle.

CORDERO CON HABICHUELAS
(Lamb with Beans)

 Ingredients:

1 ½ cup dry red cup beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound lamb (bone leg or shoulder) washed and cut into ½-inch cubes
Water
1 tablespoon sofrito (see above)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. Rinse beans under cold running water and place beans in a large saucepan or pot with water to cover by at least 2 inches and soak overnight.
  2. Next day, drain beans and put large pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 1½ hours. Once beans are tender, remove to a platter and set aside.
  3. In a heavy kettle (or same pot you used to cook beans) heat olive oil on medium-high heat and sauté onion until lightly browned.
  4. Add lamb and cook until browned on all sides.
  5. Add beans and again, water to cover by 2 inches, sofrito, bay leaf, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
  6. Add tomatoes and parsley and cook for another 30 minutes.
    Yield: 6 servings.

SAUCY BREADED LAMB CHOPS

September 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This recipe is simply breaded lamb chops cooked in a sauce, thus I call it Saucy Breaded Lamb Chops. Again, my own innovation. I had some lamb chops on hand and needed to invent a quick meal. Noting special here. Just lamb chops, flour for breading and eggs to coat the thing. The result was, well, marvelous. A delicious entrée or luncheon that goes well with your favorite grain, be it rice, couscous, millet or farro (as noted before, a type of ancient wheat grain popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine). With this dish, even pasta goes well with it.

Note that in this recipe I used bone round lamb chops. But you can use lamb rib chops, which is considered by many the most prized cut of lamb (and the most expensive). Or lamb loin chops, the equivalent of T-bone beef steak and very juicy. Most prefer lamb shoulder chops, Which are the most economical version. While not as tender as rib chops, if they are will seasoned (as we like it in Nuyorican cuisine) and slow cooked, they offer great taste and very good lamb flavor. You’re the boss, so pick what suits you best in terns of economics and preference.

Whichever cut of lamb you choose, with this dish you can’t go wrong.  It will impress family and friends. And leave them hankering for more.

SAUCY BREADED LAMB CHOPS

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops, preferably round bone, about 12 oz. each
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon dried chives
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup water
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dry wine (red or white)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse lamb chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Season them well with the salt, pepper, oregano and chives. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil
  3. Dip each chops into beaten eggs and then press them in the flour to coat.
  4. Heat the reaming 3 teaspoons olive oil in a large frypan or skillet. Add lamb chops and cook 3-4 minutes per side.
  5. Mix flour and water and add to skillet, along with the wine. Cover and cook 4 minutes more or until done. You can cook them a little longer if you wan them well done.
    Yield: 4 servings.

CURRIED LAMB CHOPS

March 27, 2024 / / 0 Comments

In 11/07/16 I posted a recipe on Lamb Curry. The recipe was mainly ground lamb in a curry sauce. Today’s dish follows in that  vein. I thought, if it can work for ground lamb, why not try it with lamb chops? Well, I happened to have some lamb chops and hand, and the result was fantastic. Let me add that the recipe can work with pork chops or even a good steak.  This time I served the lamb with Spanish yellow rice but any good grain will do; or you can pair it with the old stand-by, potatoes; or even serve it over pasta. Apart from being delicious, curried lamb chops is also a very flexible dish.

CURRIED LAMB CHOPS

Ingredients:

8 lamb chops or lamb loin chops, about 2 pounds (½-inch thick)
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup water

Instructions:

  1.  Wash lamb chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat oil in a large frypan or skillet.
  3.  Add onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent.
  4.  Add garlic, curry powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, both and lamb chops. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, lower heat to medium-low and cook slowly 30 minutes.
  5.  Mix flour and water. Stir into lamb mixture to thicken. Serve curry with rice or favorite accompaniment.
    Yield: 4 servings.

CROQUETAS DE CARNE (Meat Croquettes)

February 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Back on the block, this was a singular dish, mainly for a celebratory occasion. It’s Croquetas de Carne  (Meat Croquettes). Usually, the  recipe is made with beef; but you can substitute ground pork, lamb , turkey or chicken. Any good grade of meat will do. In Nuyorican cuisine we serve the  dish with parsley potatoes or rice.  But whatever accompaniment you want with it, it’ll be a marvelous  and inexpensive banquet.

Note that the recipe calls for deep frying. Any good quality oil will do, be it canola, safflower or sunflower oil. In the old days, th  folks would use lard.  Also, I’ll say it front: this recipe takes time and patience. You have to cook the meat, chill it thoroughly, dip it in bread crumbs, chill again, and then deep fry. Yet the results will be splendid. That’s why, back in Spanish Harlem, it was a special dish.

CROUETAS DE CARNE   t    (Meat Croquettes)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
2 cups finely ground cooked beef
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dry bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten and mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

  1.  Melt the butter in a large frypan or skillet. Add milk and cook over medium heat until very thick, stirring constantly. Add beef, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley and oregano. Place in refrigerator and chill for 2 hours.
  2.  Remove from fridge and form into cylinders, pyramids or patties. While forming the croquettes it’s advisable to keep hands slightly wet. Dip into bread crumbs and then beaten egg. Dip into bread crumbs again. Place back in fridge and chill for 2 hours.
  3.  Fill a large skillet or fry pan with oil (by at least 1½-inches). Heat until very hot (385 degrees F.) and deep fry croquettes until brown.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

 

GLAZED LEG OF LAMB

December 25, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This glazed leg of lamb recipe was what I prepared for our Christmas dinner. We just couldn’t see having turkey again so soon after Thanksgiving. Lamb seemed a good compromise, and the result was fabulous.

The recipe is easy enough to prepare. The trick is to cook the lamb in a slow over. So, you need patience for this one. Once its done, you’ll sing it’s praises.  We served the lamb with rice and   pigeon peas (see post of 12/01/14).but smashed potatoes and any other good vegetable will do. We garnished the lamb with carrots and quartered onions baked and drizzle with butter during the last 30 minutes of roasting the lamb. Anyway you do it, it’s gonna be a special dish for a special occasion, or whenever you want to impress friends and family.

GLAZED LEG OF LAMB

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb
3 cloves garlic, cut into small slivers
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Olive oil
½ cup apple jelly
½ teaspoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon  juice

Instructions:

  1. Day before cooking wash lamb and pat dry with paper towels. Make slits on the lamb and insert with garlic slivers. Brush with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight.
  2. Next day, Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  3. Season lamb thoroughly with salt, pepper and oregano. Pace in rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 to 35 minutes per pound  or until meat thermometer resisters 175 degrees for medium-done,
  4. Meanwhile, combine jelly, rosemary and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until jelly melts. Brush on lamb last during hour of roasting time.
    Yield: 6 or more servings.

CORDERO AL SARTÉN (Skillet Lamb)

November 29, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is a delicious and easy lamb recipe that was, and is, a family favorite. Cordéro al Sartén simply translates as Skillet Lamb. The meat is cooked in a skillet or frypan, along with herbs and spices, and that’s. You just let the lamb simmer. Then you top with cheese slices (optional), let it melt under the broiler, and it’s done. For the cheese you can use whatever you have on hand, be it American Cheese, Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, etc.

Back on the block in Spanish Harlem, the  dish was serve with rice, either white rice or yellow Spanish rice.  But you can pair it with you favorite grain or even pasta. This time around we serve it with baked potatoes.  Your choice as to the accompaniment. You can even have it with a crusty loaf of bread. Think of this meal as a beggar’s banquet (although lamb may be pricey in some areas, this dish is still a winner).

CORDERO AL SARTÉN
(Skillet Lamb)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into thin rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 pounds ground lamb
½ cup bread crumbs
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Juice of ½ lemon
1 packet sasôn (either Sasón Accent or Goya brand)
Cheese slices (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a 10-inch skillet or frypan (we prefer cast iron), heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
  2.  Add onion and garlic. Stir fry until onion is soft and translucent.
  3.  Add lamb and cook, stirring constantly, until meat is browned.
  4.  Stir in bread crumbs. Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Stir to combine. Add lemon juice and sasôn. Mix well. Cover, lower heat to simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
  5.  Top with cheese slices. Place under pre-heated broiler and broil until cheese has melted (2-3 minutes). Serve immediately.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

KOFTA CURRY

August 8, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I call this dish ‘Italian Meatballs,’ although the recipe is known as Kofta Curry. Think of meatballs in a tomato-curry sauce and served over rice. In this case, Turmeric Rice. The dish does have a genuine Indian flavor with the spices utilized; yet it’s an easy enough dish to prepare. For the record, this recipe comes from a cookbook I’ve had for years, The Color Book of Indian Cooking, edited by Eileen Turner (Octopus Books Limited). The Turmeric Rice dish recipe is my own. Enjoy.

KOFTA CURRY

1 lb. (2 cups) minced (ground) beef or lamb                                                           Sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped                                                                                                     1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder                                                                                              3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 teaspoon salt                                                                                                                       2 tablespoons (3T) curry powder
Pinch of pepper                                                                                                                     1 tablespoon flour
1 egg, beaten                                                                                                                           ¼ pint (2/3 cup) beef stock
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh mint to garnish

Mixed together the minced meat, onion, curry powder, salt and pepper and bind the mixture with beaten egg. Divide the mixture into 16 portions, shaping each one into a ball with floured hands. Heat sufficient oil to cover the base of a large frying pan (skillet) and fry the meat balls, turning occasionally, until they are brown all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep hot.

In the same pan, fry the onion and tomatoes for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and flour and cook gently for 2 minutes.  Blend in the stock and seasoning. Bring the liquid to the boil and add the meat balls. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Sprinkle with chopped mint to garish. Serve with rice and a selection of side dishes, including parathas.
Serves 4

TURMERIC RICE

2 cups long-grain rice (can substitute jasmine rice)
Salt to taste
Water to cover rice by about 1-inch
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

 

Wash the rice in cold running water until the water is clear of starch. Drain thoroughly.

Place rice in a pot or pan with water to cover. Add salt and turmeric and bring to boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer, and cook until water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. If the rice is not as tender as you want, you can add more water. The grains should be separate and fluffy
Serves 4 to 6.

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