RECIPE
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground lamb or ground beef
2 onions
2 cans tomatoes (regular size)
1 small can tomato puree
2 cans tomato paste
2 lbs. fresh green beans or fresh yellow beans
1.tsp. cinnamon
garlic salt, salt, pepper
Add onions to meat and brown.
Add garlic salt and drain off and drain off meat juices.
Add tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper, cinnamon, tomato paste and water (fill tomato paste can twice) to mixture.
Wash and snap beans, and add to mixture. Stir, cover pan and let simmer until the beans are tender.
Serve over portions of minute rice.
Especially delicious if served with a tossed salad and Syrian bread.
Among all the entries in the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates cookbook, the one from John Lamb stands out for several reasons.
First off, John who? Lamb spent parts of only three seasons on the Pirates' major league roster as a relief pitcher. His career numbers are 66.1 innings pitched over 47 games, all in relief. Zero wins, two losses, and a 4.07 ERA with five saves. Sadly, he didn't stick around long enough for Topps to deem him worthy of a baseball card in 1971.
Much more amusing is the fact that Lamb's recipe is for lamb.
Best of all, he dishes out an exotic middle eastern stew that stands out from most of the mid-century dinner table fare that can be found in the surrounding pages.
Luby is an Anglicized take on Lubiyeh, which is Arabic for green beans. In this recipe, the beans are added to a thick, tomatoey lamb stew.
This is an easy one-pot recipe that basically asks you to keep adding ingredients until you run out of ingredients, then cover and simmer everything until it is thick and delicious. As recommended, it went well with rice. It freezes well, giving you something to look forward to when you need a break from the kitchen. Simply thaw, reheat and enjoy.
John Lamb! They may have left you off the '71 World Series roster, but you just might have served up the best dish in this cookbook. Let this expiate!
