Foodie Fridays: Greek Lamb Pilaf

When I travel for business, the best parts of the trips are always the meals. I've become a more adventurous eater over the past few years, and have tried such interesting dishes as roasted springbok in South Africa, salted fish in Russia, and some fried animal part in Mexico that my friend refused to give me details on (smart - I probably wouldn't have eaten it, otherwise!).

Going forward, Fridays will be dedicated to recipes from around the world that I (or Wandering Albatross and Voyageuse) have either tried or want to try. For those of us lacking in culinary skills, it will be a chance to put something other than pizza on the table on a Friday night, and serve as a reminder of a tasty meal had on vacation or as inspiration for our next trip.

I subscribe to Cooking Light magazine, and tried this yummy recipe for Greek lamb pilaf from the June issue. I'm not much of a cook, but it's a very easy one-pot dish that tasted nearly as good as leftovers the next day. My local grocery store was all out of ground lamb, so I substituted lean ground beef instead.

2 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)

3/4 cup chopped carrot (about 1 carrot)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 pound lean ground lamb

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 1 tomato)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add first 4 ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble lamb. Stir in rice and cinnamon; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in chopped tomato, 3 tablespoons parsley, mint, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Enjoy!