Daughter recently went to Orlando for the weekend; this time she and a friend went to Animal Kingdom. We’d gone there together when she was in high school. It seems light years ago. That meant I could do another spicy meal complete with cumin as well.

For a while I’ve been reading koshercowboy’s blog (https://koshercowboy.com). His mother was Moroccan, my husband lived in Morocco. This might mean we have some degrees of separation. No?

Not too long ago his recipe for merguez, a Moroccan sausage, ambled across on my screen (https://koshercowboy.com/meats/merguez-sausage/). The weekend without Daughter seemed to be the perfect time to try it. And, I had ground lamb in the freezer waiting for the perfect recipe.

Merguez. Start with ½ teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, and fennel powder. Toast them gently in a skillet over a medium-low heat. I learned this step when I was in Peace Corps. Friends who had served in Nepal learned it there. It really brings out the essence of each spice.

Next mix together 1 pound ground lamb (or beef), 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp paprika, and ½ tsp cayenne pepper (long neglected on  my shelf!. Form the mixture into 5 inch long cigars.* Chill for up to five days or cook immediately.

Please don’t compare my bumpy “cigars” to his smooth, regularly shaped cylinders.

Brush sausages with oil and grill or broil til browned and cooked through. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top before serving. Serve with Harissa, I used it all for the harissa shrimp (see 3 July post).

I’m back to work at the theater. Sundays are a challenge as I work from 3:30 til 8 p.m. This was the perfect meal to have ready for when Constant Companion was ready for dinner. Well, I came home and he’s eaten some. Slowly by Monday evening they were gone! Another keeper recipe. Thank you kosher cowboy.

I must have seen this trick on some cooking show or other. Invert a glass mixing bowl over your plate of leftovers. Voila …