The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (25 page)
Authors: Alan Kistler
Tags: #recipes, #cookbook, #Game of Thrones
Serves 4
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, peeled and sliced
1 pound lean ground lamb
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cinnamon
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground cloves
1
⁄
4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground allspice
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt to taste
1
⁄
2
cup dry red wine
1 (15-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
3 cups low-fat milk
1
⁄
2
cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
2 large eggs
1 cup (4 ounces) Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
- Use the oil to grease the crock of a slow cooker. Arrange the potato slices over the bottom of the slow cooker, and arrange the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes.
- Sauté the ground lamb, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until the meat is browned and the onions are tender. Skim off any fat rendered from the meat and discard. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, allspice, cayenne pepper, and salt, breaking apart the meat as you do so. Stir in the wine and tomatoes; reduce the heat and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 10 minutes or until much of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until the potatoes are cooked through. Meat should reach 160°F to be fully cooked.
- In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, whisk together
1
⁄
2
cup of the milk and the flour to make a paste. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk. Stirring constantly, cook for 10 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg. Whisk the eggs and some of the thickened milk together in a bowl, and then whisk the egg mixture back into the thickened milk sauce. Stir in the cheese. - Pour the cheese and milk mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until the topping is firm. Turn off the slow cooker and let the dish rest for 30 minutes before serving.
A Word of Wisdom
An alternative way to make this dish is to start with a third of the cooked meat in the bottom of the slow cooker, add a layer of potato (or use only eggplant, doubling the amount called for and using half of it here), top that with another third of the meat, add the eggplant layer, and top that with the remaining meat.
Winterfell Mutton Chops in Honey and Cloves
Presiding over the harvest feast in the Great Hall of Winterfell, Bran sends a plate of these mutton chops to Meera and Jojen Reed of Greywater Watch. His assumption that the crannogmen don’t keep herds of sheep and cattle may be correct; how could herds possibly follow Howland Reed’s elusive, floating fortress through swamps, bogs, and quicksand? Sauced with spices that make the meat dance with flavor, this recipe would make anyone feel like he’s tasting mutton chops for the very first time. (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 16 — Bran)
Serves 4
4 thick loin mutton chops, about 6 ounces each
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Remove the fat from the chops. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, then rub the mixture into the chops on all sides. Let the rub permeate the chops for 1–2 hours.
- Heat the grill to high heat, about 425°F. Grill the chops fast and hot until brown, but do not burn — about 5 minutes per side. Chops should reach 145°F to be fully cooked.
- Place the chops on a platter to rest for 6 minutes before serving.
A Word of Wisdom
Using fresh and freshly ground spices always gives a dish a little something extra. Substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs for every teaspoon of dried herbs in a recipe. If you prefer using a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle to crush larger, already dried spices like whole cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla, go easy on the seasoning. Freshly ground dried herbs are always more potent than their prepackaged cousins!
Battle of Blackwater Mutton Roast
Like a lamb before the slaughter, Sansa’s innocence seems to lead her into Cersei’s clutches at every turn. Sitting captive in Maegor’s Holdfast, Sansa waits for news of the Battle of Blackwater along with Cersei’s other “guests” — who must stay put or face beheading by Ser Ilyn Payne. To keep up the ruse, Cersei feeds them all as well as ever, this time serving a traditional mutton roast. Few are so careful about their appearances and courtesies as the Queen … (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 57 — Sansa)
Serves 6
2 large yellow onions
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
1
⁄
2
bulb garlic
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons olive oil
6 mutton shanks
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1
⁄
4
cup crushed tomatoes
1
⁄
2
cup dry red wine
1
1
⁄
2
quarts
Redwyne Brown Stock
, made with lamb or mutton
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs rosemary, needles only
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Dice the onions and celery. Peel and dice the carrots. Mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat. Season the shanks with pepper, then sear on all sides.
- Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic 1 ingredient at a time, sautéing each for 1 minute before adding next; cook until ingredients are golden and onions are nearly transparent. Then add the wine and let reduce by half.
- Add the stock, bay leaf, and rosemary; bring to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Cover and place in oven to braise for approximately 1
1
⁄
4
to 1
1
⁄
2
hours, or until internal temperature of mutton reaches 145°F.
A Word of Wisdom
A lamb and mutton base for the
Redwyne Brown Stock
will give this an unmistakable flavor that may not translate for every recipe. Freeze what you don’t immediately use for this roast for your next lamb recipe.
Bran’s Auroch Joints Roasted with Leeks
Even in the absence of most of the Stark family, Winterfell honors the long summer’s last harvest with a feast of epic proportions — with grand servings of meat to match. Spiced and honeyed to perfection, this auroch joint recipe celebrates the hefty cut of cattle. With such an overtly large roast, however, the feast begins to feel like a contrived diversion from Bran’s physical disability — rather than a symbol of the house’s famed strength. (
A Clash of Kings
, Chapter 16 — Bran)
Serves 8–10
1 (5- to 7-pound) auroch or beef round roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and seasoned pepper to taste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef consommé
1 bay leaf
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1 cup (1 ear) fresh corn kernels
3 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt
1
⁄
2
tablespoon sugar
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub roast with oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place a Dutch oven over high heat and brown the meat on all sides. Add the wine, beef consommé, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Transfer to the oven, cover, and bake for about 2
1
⁄
2
hours until meat registers 145°F to 150°F, basting several times. - Combine tomatoes, olives, and corn in a bowl.
- In a jar, combine vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, and sugar. Cover with lid and shake to combine. Pour over vegetables and let sit while roast is cooking.
- When roast has rested for about 10 minutes, cut
1
⁄
2
-inch slices about three-quarters of the way through the roast. Spoon vegetable mixture in between slices. Place a piece of foil around the roast to hold the meat and vegetable mixture together. Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Serve a slice with vegetables per person.
A Word of Wisdom
Bigger animals don’t mean tougher meat! Auroch, buffalo, and other cattle actually have the same muscle groups, so the same cuts of meat across different domesticated cattle species will have a similar tenderness.