risottoLamb mess is one of our favorite recipes. It’s a thing we decided to create one night in a fit of ‘I don’t know, what do you want to have for dinner’ nights. (These nights happen a lot around here). It turns up around once a month, when we can afford ground lamb (it’s a bit pricey here), and it’s a really easy and yummy dish.

I had a pound of ground lamb in the freezer, and a half bottle of Haymaker Meadery Calypso pineapple mead, and decided to whip up a mess of Mess.

(this pic is a sort of generic risotto image because I forgot to take a picture when I made it – I’ll update next time I make Mess)

Calypso Curried Lamb Mess

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Food with Mead, Lamb, Pasta
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 2 cups risotto (also known as Arborio rice)
  • 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
  • 1/4 cup Haymaker Mead Calypso pineapple melomel (you can use any semi-sweet mead that you like)
  • olive oil
  • 1/3 stick butter
  • 1 can sweet corn
  • Parmesan cheese
  • artisan or homemade bread
  • 1 medium onion minced
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garam masala or curry or your favorite middle eastern or mediterranean spices

Instructions
 

  • Saute the lamb in a non-stick or cast iron pan on medium heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat up a large saucepan on medium heat, put in a teaspoon or so of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the risotto and stir and toss until you see it go translucent and then solid again, and brown a bit on the tips, around a minute or so. Pour in the wine, and mix well, letting it soak into the risotto. Then follow the box directions for adding your broth until it is done and your risotto is slightly wet.
  • Alternatively, I use my Instant Pot (http://amzn.to/293xn14) to cook the risotto. In the pre-heated pressure cooker on medium heat add the oil, and onion. Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the rice and lightly toast it to release the starch. When you add the risotto to the onions, the rice will turn from solid white to translucent as it absorbs the oil and onion juice, then in about a minute back to white. Wait until just a couple of grains look golden and your rice is toasted! Add a swig of white wine and un-stick any grains from the bottom of the cooker with it and stir the rice until the wine has fully evaporated. Add the broth (or broth and veggie mixture), mix and close the top immediately. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 5-6 minutes at high pressure. For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 7 minutes pressure cooking time. When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure. For electric pressure cookers cook for a minute less (since the release takes longer) and remove the inner pot from the cooker immediately to keep the rice from over-cooking . The risotto should appear just slightly too wet. Stir, and the rice will continue to absorb the extra liquid in about 30 seconds. If the rice is still very wet, put the open pressure cooker back on a medium flame, without the lid, and finish cooking it this way - stirring often- until it reaches the right consistency.
  • Stir in the corn, drained lamb, and about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (or to taste). Salt, pepper and spice to taste. Mix well, and serve with a hunk of bread.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Vicky Rowe
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