Crisp Lamb Lettuce Wraps

I knew this dish would not go over easy in this house. I imagine if I made a patty out of the ground lamb, it would go down easier, but if I put that patty between two pieces of bread it would slide down, right nice.

Humid parts of the world don't bake lots of bread, or if they do it's flat bread, and just enough for their meal. It would mold in 8 hours otherwise.

Could not be any more humid here on the NE then it has been this summer and since I do not believe that bread belongs in a refrigerator, I lean towards salads vs. sandwiches on those no-cook 100° days. Problem with that is you can get tired of salads every night, so when I saw this recipe that was not Asian inspired but Mediterranean-style, I put it on the menu. It peaked my interest.

Now I had to sell it to The Nudge.
If you hang in here, you will see how I do.

At first glance this recipe looked not spiced enough, but it ended up being not moist enough.

I do suggest, after sauteing the lamb, you drain the meat before adding it to the cucumber/tomato mixture. I measured over 1/4 cup of fat. I suppose that's why my meat was dry. To add moistness back into the lamb without any saturated fat, grab your tube of tomato paste (or a small can), some white wine, and a bit of olive oil.

The recipe below is as written. My adjustments are in red.

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine - August 2012
Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons canola oil
* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 ounces lean ground lamb
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1/4 cup white wine
* Drizzle of good olive oil

* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 cup chopped tomato
* 1/2 cup chopped cucumber

* 1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
* 1/4 cup red pepper hummus (such as Tribe)(My homemade recipe here)
* 8 Boston lettuce leaves
* 2 tablespoons torn mint leaves
* 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Preparation
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through lamb) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lamb is done.
2. Drain fat from meat and return to pan. With heat on, add tomato paste and mix in, then wine. Stir until mixture bubbles and wine is almost evaporated.
Remove pan and drizzle in olive oil.
Combine parsley, tomato, and cucumber in a medium bowl. Stir in lamb mixture.
3. Combine yogurt and hummus in a small bowl. Place about 1/4 cup lamb mixture in each lettuce leaf. Top each wrap with 1 tablespoon hummus mixture. Divide mint and pine nuts evenly among wraps.

This was not one of my favorite dishes, I know The Nudge was being nice when he said it was good, but this will not make an appearance at our table again. The only good thing was the Red Pepper Hummus, that is something I will make often. I think the next time I use lettuce for a wrap it will be around an Asian filling.