1.  Middle Eastern marinade
    
    Crush 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of a bowl; add the
    juice of 2 lemons and meat and mix until the meat is
    coated.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to a
    day, turning occasionally.  Good for chops, shoulder or 
    round steak, or shish kebobs.   Grill or broil.

2.  Soy marinade

    Crush 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of a bowl; add 2-3 T.
    soy sauce, meat and quartered onion (optional).  Mix 
    until meat is coated.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours
    or up to a day.  Grill or broil.

When grilling or broiling lamb it is important to not overcook
the meat.  Cook only until medium rare (pink inside).

3.  Kaftas Lebanese Style

    1 lb. ground lamb
    1 large onion, chopped fine
    salt and pepper to taste
    1/4 t. each :
    ground allspice 
    ground cloves 
    plus 1/2 t. cinnamon
    1/2 bunch finely chopped parsley

    Mix all ingredients together well.  Roll into cigar 
    shapes or make burgers.  Grill or broil.
    Serve with yogurt for dipping the kaftas.

4.  Lamburgers on the grill

    1 lb. Ground lamb
    1 onion (medium size), grated or very finely diced
    salt and pepper to taste

    Mix all ingredients well.  
    Form into hamburger sized patties and grill until done.



5. Lamb Spaghetti

     1 lb. Lean Ground lamb	1 qt. Canned tomatoes
     4-8 cloves of garlic	1 6 oz. Can tomato paste
     1 - 1 ½ onions		red wine, water, salt and pepper
 
     Combine 1 lb. Ground lamb with 4-5 cloves chopped garlic, salt and pepper.  Mix ingredients well.      
     Form into small meatballs. Set aside.  Chop onion and remaining garlic.  Heat pan to medium high.  
     Add  3 T. olive oil  and then add the meatballs.  
     Cook until all of the meatballs are well browned.  Then add chopped onion and garlic and cook until onions are clear. 
     Add 1 qt. Canned tomatoes plus tomato paste.  Mix well. Then add ½ C. dry red wine plus ¼ C. water. 
     Bring to boil then turn down to simmer and cook about 1 hour.  Season with salt and pepper. 
     Serve over cooked spaghetti.  Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.   
     (Note:  this dish can also be made using lamb ribets instead of meatballs.)

6.  Lamb in a pot

    Brown cubed shoulder or leg steak.  Add 2 large
    chopped onions and at least 3 large cloves of garlic, 
    chopped.  Saute until onions are clear.  Add one 6 oz.
    can tomato paste and 1-15 oz. can of tomato sauce.
    Fill paste can once with water and once with dry red wine,
    like burgundy, and add to mixture.  Season with salt and
    pepper.  Cook until sauce is thickened and meat tender
    (about one hour).  Then add peas or green beans and cook
    until vegetables are done.  Serve over rice or pasta.


7.  Lamb Curry

    1/4 C. butter
    4 onions, chopped
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, chopped
    1 C. yogurt
    2 T. curry powder or add the following:

    1 t. ground ginger
    2 t. ground coriander
    1/4 t. cinnamon          
    1/2 t. cardamom
    1/4 t. ground cloves

    In heavy pan, melt butter.  Add onions and garlic
    and saute until onions transparent.  Add curry powder
    or ground spices and saute a couple of minutes, being careful
    not to burn spices.  (Add a little water if necessary to 
    keep from burning.)  Add meat and brown.  Reduce heat and
    add yogurt.  Simmer for about 30 mins. or until meat is
    tender.  If curry gets too thick it may be thinned with 
    water or more yogurt may be added.  Serve over rice.


8.  Lemon Yogurt Grilled Leg of Lamb

  1 whole boned leg, butterflied (remove the long bone inside the leg)
  1 1/2 C. yogurt
  juice 2-3 lemons, or 1-2 limes, 2/3 C. total
  2 onions, sliced
  2 t. cumin
  2 t. cinnamon
  2 t. ground cloves

   Mix marinade ingredients together.  Pour over lamb and marinade at room
   temp.   4-8 hours or overnight in refrigerator.  Be sure to turn the meat 
   several times during the marinading. Remove marinade and wipe the meat dry.
   Grill until done to preference, but it is best if the lamb is still pink inside.  

9. Syrian bread or Lebanese flat bread (large pita)

6 C. unbleached white flour (you can use whole wheat but it will not rise as well)
1 T. salt
4 T. oil
2 C. warm water with 1 t. honey added to activate yeast
2 T. yeast         
                       
     Combine warm water and honey.  Add yeast and let set until well risen. 
     Knead with flour mixture for 10 minutes.  Shape into 12 individual loaves and
     place on greased cookie sheet to let rise 1-2 hrs.  Preheat oven to 500.  Roll 
     loaves out into a circle.  Bake on cookie sheet or a baking stone that has heated 
     with the oven.  Bake approximately 4 minutes the first side, until the bread
     bubbles up or puffs up, then flip over and bake on other side 2-3 minutes. 
     To flip the flat loaves of bread in the oven, use a pizza paddle.  
     After removing from the oven place the loaf on a towel and cover with a warm, 
     wet towel.  Cover each new loaf removed with the towel.  After all the bread is done,
     put into a plastic bag with the moist towel for about 5-10 mins., and then
     remove the towel.  This will keep the bread moist. 

     Traditional middle eastern people eat the entire meal using only the Syrian bread 
     without using any utensils . Etiquette and  good manners dictates that no part of 
     the hands or fingers will touch the food; only the bread.