European Dishes

Lamb Shurpa Soup

Hearty and comforting Lamb Shurpa Soup takes me back to my Eastern European roots. Nothing better on a cold winters day! You can use beef if you prefer. This soup is easy to make and tastes even better the next day.

Lamb Shurpa Soup

sofiyababinov
Hearty and comforting Lamb Shurpa Soup takes me back to my Eastern European roots. Nothing better on a cold winters day! You can use beef if you prefer. This soup is easy to make and tastes even better the next day.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine European
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5-3 LB Lamb Chops washed, patted dry
  • 3 Carrots chopped into circles
  • 2 Green Bell Peppers cubed
  • 1 Onion finely chopped
  • 1 Large Tomato finely chopped
  • 2 LB Potatoes cubed
  • 1 6 oz. Can Tomato Paste
  • 1 TBS Salt
  • 1 tsp Onion & Garlic Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Mrs.Dash Seasoning or any salt-free seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp Cumin
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • Parsley optional, to taste
  • Dill optional, to taste
  • 8 oz. Pasta of choice optional

For frying lamb chops and vegetables:

  • Montreal Chicken Seasoning to taste
  • Onion & Garlic Seasoning to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 3-4 TBS Olive Oil

Instructions
 

  • Wash lamb chops and pat them dry. Set a large skillet with 2 TBS olive oil on medium heat. Add the lamb chops. Season lamb chops on both sides. I seasoned with salt and onion & garlic seasoning on one side and Montreal chicken seasoning on the other side.
  • Fry lamb chops until they are completely cooked through and seared.
  • Set a large pot with 17 cups water on high heat. Bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower to medium heat. Add in the lamb chops and let lamb chops cook for 30 minutes. Skim off impurities (foam) that rises to the top.
  • After 30 minutes add the salt, spices of choice and potatoes. Meanwhile move on to the next step.
  • Set a pan with 2 TBS olive oil on medium heat. Add in the carrots and bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes, then add in the onion and tomato. Season with salt and any seasoning of choice. Cook until veggies are a tender, about 10 minutes (they'll finish cooking in the soup).
  • Add 1 can of tomato paste to the skillet with veggies and let it cook a few minutes to thin out the tomato paste.
  • Add the cooked veggies/tomato paste into the pot of soup and cook until potatoes are cooked through.
  • If you want some pasta in the soup you can cook 8 oz. pasta of your choice in a small pot, according to package instructions and set it aside.
  • Once potatoes have cooked through and soup is done, turn off the burner and add 3 minced garlic cloves and optionally dill and parsley to taste. Add more salt or seasoning if needed!
  • To serve put pasta into bowls, ladle soup over pasta.

Notes

We cook the pasta for this soup in a separate pot so the pasta doesn’t get soggy and absorb all the soup broth.
Keyword easy, lamb, main course, soup

Homemade Lamb Deli Meat/Kielbasa

BACB1150-6BFD-4835-ABFB-833551D238CBThis homemade lamb deli meat is so savory and delicious! We like to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a quick appetizer, sandwich meat, charcuterie deli snack. This lamb deli meat is kind of like home made Spam so it stays fresh for a long time and can be eaten just like that (cut up in thin slices) or in many different ways (sandwiches, wraps, etc). This is a Bulgarian recipe. We first tried it at our friends house. We loved it and couldn’t get enough so we got the recipe and made it immediately! Recipe credit goes to our friend, Ivan. Recipe post and photo credit goes to my husband, Michael who made it and even took the pictures for me to share with you all! You can also use beef or Chicken but we love lamb for this recipe so that’s what we used (and that’s how our friend Ivan makes it too).

Homemade Lamb Deli Meat/Kielbasa

sofiyababinov
This homemade lamb deli meat is so savory and delicious! We like to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a quick appetizer, sandwich meat, charcuterie deli snack. This lamb deli meat is kind of like Spam so it stays fresh in the fridge for a long time and can be eaten just like that (cut up in thin slices) or in many different ways (sandwiches, wraps, etc).
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Resting time 2 hrs
Total Time 6 hrs 15 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine European
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 6.5 LB Lamb (or Beef) Meat with a good amount of fat
  • 1.5 Lamb (or Beef) Bone
  • 1 Jalapeño or Red Chili Pepper (Very finely chopped) very finely chopped
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash the lamb meat and bones, pat dry with paper towels. Cut up the meat into small, about 1/2 inch pieces.
  • Put lamb meat, lamb bones and 2 bay leaves into a large wok or pot on low heat. Cook on low, mixing every once in a while so the meat doesn’t burn, for 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and falling apart. There will be some water from the fat of the meat and that’s fine.
  • When the meat is tender and falling apart, discard the bones and bay leaves. Add the very finely chopped jalapeño or red chili pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook an additional 30 minutes until most of the water boils down.
  • Put the lamb meat mixture into a glass tray and evenly spread it out. Let it cool down an hour or two, then cover and refrigerate.
  • Best served chilled, after it has been refrigerated overnight or at least a few hours.
  • To serve cut into thin slices like deli meat. Yum!
Keyword appetizers, easy, lamb, meat, side dish

Chicken Potato Salad (Olivier Salad)

4FBC6F99-638D-4262-B795-EA5D7B5615FCThis is the classic Russian Olivier salad recipe, but with chicken instead of bologna as traditionally made. I got this Chicken Olivier salad recipe from my friend Inna. We tried it at her house once, it was the first time we tried it with chicken and we absolutely loved it this way! This is basically a fancy potato salad with chicken and it is served cold so it’s a great make ahead dish or potluck dish to bring. I also enjoy it served in a croissant for quick lunch/dinner sandwich!

Chicken Potato Salad (Olivier Salad)

This is the classic Russian Olivier salad recipe, but with chicken instead of bologna. This is basically a fancy potato salad with chicken in it and it is served cold so it’s a great make ahead dish or potluck dish. I also enjoy it served in a croissant for a quick lunch/dinner sandwich.
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Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Side Dish
Cuisine European
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 2-2.5 LB Chicken Breasts (4 large breasts) cooked, diced
  • 3 Potatoes cooked, peeled, diced
  • 4 Carrots cooked, peeled, diced
  • 8 Eggs hardboiled. peeled, diced
  • 1 710 mL Can kosher dill pickles
  • 1 Bunch Scallions
  • 1 Bunch Dill
  • 1 15 oz. Can Peas
  • 1 Small Onion peeled
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 6 Whole Peppercorns
  • 1.5 Cups Mayonnaise
  • Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. When the water comes to a boil, throw in 1 whole peeled onion, 6 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and chicken breasts. Cook on medium-high for 30 minutes. Then turn the burner off and let the pot stand on the burner for 10 minutes, afterwards take out the chicken breasts and put them on a plate to cool. Meanwhile move on to steps 2 and 3.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the washed carrots and potatoes. Cook until the carrots and potatoes are both tender when poked with a fork (about 25-30 minutes) but do not over cook. In another small pot, bring water to a boil and hard-boil the eggs.
  • When the chicken breasts have cooled down, cut them into small cubes. When the carrots and potatoes have cooled down, peel them and also cut them into small cubes. When the hard boiled eggs have cooled down, peel them thoroughly and cut them into small cubes.
  • Add the cut chicken, carrots, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs to a big mixing bowl. Drain out and discard liquid from the pickles and dice the pickles into cubes then add them to the bowl. Wash and finely chop the scallions (both green and white part) and add to the bowl.
  • Add the mayonnaise to the bowl according to taste and texture preferences. I added 1.5 cups mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste, I added about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix well to incorporate mayo.
  • Lastly add the (drained) can of peas and finely chopped dill to the bowl. Gently mix again. *I add the peas in last because they are very delicate, I don’t want to squash them by overmixing. You can add a can of (drained) corn instead if you don’t like peas.
  • Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours and enjoy! Great as a side dish, potluck dish and makes a great croissant sandwich too! Can be made the day before and tastes best if refrigerated overnight.

Notes

You can substitute cubed chicken breasts with cubed Bologna. You can substitute the can of peas with a can of corn if you don’t like peas. This dish tastes best if refrigerated overnight to let the flavors blend!
Keyword appetizers, European, salad, side dish