Race to the Table: Recipe

Really, I'm not sure I could have made dinner any faster than I did tonight unless I had brought it home from the Golden Arches. Okay, maybe I'm stretching the truth just a touch but to be honest, tonight's dinner was on the table in about 15 minutes and lately that seems to be the boiling point (pardon the pun) for my family's impatience level. Maybe it's me - maybe it's because when I come home I am starving, still tense from the day, and anxious about what kind of project I'll discover in the kids' backpacks! So it's me who wants to sit quickly and eat but I don't want fast food.

We ate lamb chops this evening. I have mentioned in previous posts that I try to shop for food with a plan in mind - i.e., I don't like to freeze meat, so I buy meats I'll cook within the following few days.  Last night we had a roasted chicken with sweet potato "cupcakes," pearled couscous and a cold cucumber salad. I had time to cook and really enjoyed making the meal. Tonight, I had 15 minutes or less - it felt a bit like a game show but sadly I only competed...I didn't seem to win anything!

I'll admit that the secret here is that I had made, at one time or another, a dish using a few fresh basil leaves and had a large bunch left over so I did what any self-respecting mom would do...I made pesto sauce and froze it - for a later date. Well, today was that "later" date. If you don't have the time to make pesto - or don't happen to have some in the freezer - purchase a container from the store. There are some very good alternatives to homemade in the grocery stores and pesto can be used on fish, lamb, chicken, pasta - or on some good crusty bread as a dip.

Broiled Lamb Chops with Pesto Sauce
4 shoulder lamb chops, each about 1/2 lb. and 1" thick
1/3 cup prepared pesto sauce
Kosher salt
Pepper

Prepare broiler pan and set oven to broil.  Place four chops on the broiler rack and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the pan in the broiler on top rack for about 6 - 7 minutes per side - 6 minutes for medium rare.  Remove chops and allow them to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with a dollop of pesto sauce.

A Rare Find: Recipe

There is a very important lesson to learn in cooking - find a butcher and make friends.  Grocery stores are terrific but there is nothing like a hometown butcher - someone who can help you find the right cut of meat for your recipe or someone who can educate you on cooking times, textures, etc. And (to me) most importantly, someone who sells so many varieties of meat that I can always find what I'm looking for!

The other day I came across a recipe that I wanted to play with but I knew the grocery store would not have lamb shanks in stock so I ventured to the butcher and sure enough - there were plenty! And oh my gosh - these were incredible - meat fell off the bone with just a gentle prod with a fork. The flavors were rich yet not overly complex. A real winner!

Lamb Shanks with Wine and Vegetables
4 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb. lamb shanks
1/2 cup flour
salt/pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 large carrots, coarsely chopped
3 large celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine (ex. Sauvignon Blanc)
6 fresh parsley sprigs
3 small fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large fresh rosemary sprigs
2 dried bay leaves

Pour flour, salt and pepper into a large plastic bag. Place the shanks into the bag and shake well to fully coat all the shanks with flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Place the shanks into the pot - (be sure to do this in batches so you don't crowd the meat) and brown on all sides - about 10 minutes per batch. Remove the shanks to a plate and saute the onion, carrots and celery over medium heat until soft; about 10 minutes.

Next add the garlic and stir, then add the wine and the stock as well as the paste and oregano and stir well. Add back the shanks so they all fit snugly and add the parsley, rosemary and bay leaves. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Next lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for about 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Remove the meat from the pot, remove the bay leaves and remaining herb sprigs and spoon off the accumulated fat. Turn up the heat and boil the remaining liquid for about 5 minutes - spoon some liquid over the shanks and top with the vegetables from the pot.

Learning to Juggle: Food Musings

As my three month maternity leave comes to an end, I want to tip my hat off to all the stay-at-home moms (and dads!). It is not easy to juggle the lives of several children, a household and all the chores that go along with it, and such insignificant things as, well...proper eating and bathroom breaks! Really, for anyone that doesn't have children, you must understand how challenging it is to deal with things like homework, dinner, a crying baby, and of course one's own sense of self which needs attention. So again...kudos to all those who stay home regularly.

I am heading back to work soon and I know that while my life will become a blur of daily activities, I still have it just a bit easier (in my opinion, of course) as I'll be able to eat when I want, take a walk when I want, go to the bathroom when it's needed, and make a phone call without the concern that the moment the person picks up my little sleeping angel will wake with wailing so loud that I'd be forced to simply hang up.

However, going back to work will require a new commitment to order, routine, and stated expectations...and dinners that are far less messy! There just isn't enough time in the evening before bed to clean up crusty pots and pans.  So I have just a few more weeks left to wreak havoc on my kitchen...and I've been having fun doing it!

Here's what I've been up to lately -

Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon with Corn and Pepper Salsa

Herb Roast Beef with Rosemary-Beet Barley

Lamb Stew with White Beans, Cranberries and Sweet Potato

Chili Rubbed Steaks with Pineapple-Peach Slushi

Easter Sunday: Menu

I know that Easter and Christmas are religious holidays but for me there is nothing better than preparing a festive meal - for the mere sake of actually eating it with friends and family you love. You know I'd say that (and have said it) about Passover or Yom Kippur, as well, don't you?


Truth be told, this year has been a tough one for our family and this holiday has sort of crept up on me. Realizing I needed to prepare and plan, I set the menu while waiting for my daughter to finish her dance class. Once home, I tweaked it a bit and the finishing touches won't actually be complete until Sunday, of course. I tried to pit fancy against tried and true so that I could ensure an "easy" time of it. So here is the plan.

* A note about the lamb: I'm making this one up as I go along so I'll be sure to give a full report on the other side of Sunday. For now, I can tell you I've put a great deal of thought into this dish and I am super excited about it, thus far.


A Very-Spring Easter Sunday Menu

Hors D'Ouevres
* Clam Dip http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2009/04/baked-clam-dip-recipe.html
* Assorted Cheeses, Crackers and Fruit
* Kir Royale

First Course
* Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced Tomato and Fresh Basil with Olive Tapenade Olive Tapenade
* Shrimp Cocktail
* Proscuitto wrapped Melon Melon Wrapped with Proscuitto
* Stuffed, Baked, Zucchini Boats

Second Course
Penne alla Vodka http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/12/sauces-recipe.html

Salad Course
Field Greens with Red Pear, Walnuts and Gorgonzola with Lime Vinaigrette

Main Course
* Drunken-Roast Lamb Stuffed with Sundried Tomato, Spinach and Feta Cheese Drunken Roast Lamb
* Salad of Cold Petite Peas and Roasted Pepper Cold Peas
* Yukon Gold and Yam Mashed Potatoes
* Sweet Sautéed Carrots with Honey and Thyme Sweet Carrots

Dessert
* Assorted Fruit
* Giant Easter Basket
* Old Fashioned Coconut Cake Coconut Cake
* Red Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cake
* Ice Cream
* Pastry

Drunken Lamb: Recipe

Lamb is a natural for Easter, right? Spring, re-birth, renew = a little lamb...yikes! That sounds morbid!

Okay, let's start that again...I love lamb! And Easter seems like a perfect time for it. This year, I wanted to do something I've not done before - a stuffed leg of lamb. I went to the butcher - highly recommended - and I asked the man for a butterflied leg of lamb. I told him I was having 13 people and told him I'd like to please keep the bones. (I have NO CLUE what to do with them but I'm sure I'll figure out something!)

What is butterflied, exactly? Well, it's simple, really. If you take a whole leg of lamb and slice it along the top with a very sharp knife and remove the bones and slice it a bit deeper, you can then open up the piece of meat - almost like a book - and it will resemble a butterfly. Preparing the meat this way will reduce cooking time, if grilled, and it will allow a marinade to penetrate the meat, more so than if you had the entire leg in tact. Quite frankly, holding up this giant piece of meat it occured to me that it looked like a pair of pants! It was funny, really.

The night before I was ready to serve this, I made the stuffing and put the whole thing together. Thank the Lord for my husband - I should really say that he put the whole thing together! And it was a comedy routine between the two of us.  I would urge you to ask for some help - folding and trussing a piece of meat this large by yourself if bound to be both frustrating and more frustrating.

So...WOW! This was a huge hit and it was delicious. I was really pleased. I think it would have been good if I had made it in the oven but the fact that I we made it on the barbecue and that my husband did as great a job on it as he did made this all the more incredible. I've added some "notes" below for your information.

Drunken Roast Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach and Feta
11 lbs. butterflied leg of lamb (no bone)
5 heaping Tbls. Dijon Mustard
1 cup Sauvignon Blanc - from New Zealand
2/3 cup olive oil
10 garlic cloves
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt

In a food processor, combine the mustard, oil, garlic, thyme, oregano and salt. Mix well - until all the garlic is completely minced. Into the shoot, pour the wine and continue to mix it in while motor is running.

Place the meat into a large throw-away roasting tin and lightly score the meat all over. Pour mixture over the meat and using a spoon and a fork, ensure all meat is well covered. Cover pan with foil and refrigerate for 3 nights.

Stuffing
1 very packed cup sundried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 10-oz. pkg. chopped, frozen, spinach - thawed and squeezed of any excess water
8 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, oil, and garlic until a smooth paste is formed. Combine it with the cheese and spinach in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Assembly
* Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and with a pastry brush, clear away a good amount of the marinade from the meat - do not discard
* Place the meat - bone side up - on a clean work surface (I placed it onto the foil that was used to cover the meat) with the two "pant legs" closest to you
* Overlap the two "pant legs" slightly so the entire piece looks like a rectangle
* Spoon the stuffing mixture onto the lamb - leaving a two inch border around the outside
* Cut yourself a very, very long piece of trussing string
* Fold and roll one long side of the meat toward the center at a time - both sides will be folded in toward each other, trying to keep the stuffing inside
* VERY tightly, tie a knot around the very end of one side and repeat with a second piece of string on the other side
* Next take the long string and tie knots every 2 inches - working your way from one end to the other and securing all the way
* Reserve the marinade and place into a bowl - cover and refrigerate
* Place the meat back into the tin tray and recover and refrigerate overnight

Cooking
* Set up the grill by placing an 8 or 9 inch tin pan in the center of the bottom of the grill. Spread the charcoal around the pan - in a circle and allow the fire to get super hot - we planned to put the meat on the grill at 2 p.m. and we started the grill at 1:15 p.m.
* Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking - to reduce cooking time and to allow the meat to get a crisp outside before continuing to cook over indirect heat. I left it out for 2 hours - in the same tin foil tray it was in and with the cover on it.
* Sear the meat: place it on the grill for 20 minutes - about 10 minutes each side. Do not cover the grill but rather leave it open to ensure a crisp outside.
* Baste the meat regularly - about 15-20 minutes - with the left over marinade. Each time you baste, turn the meat over to ensure even cooking and no burning or charring
* Be sure to add a few more coals to the grill as needed - over the course of about 2 hours we added coals about 3 times
* Cook the meat - (if using this many pounds) about 1 hour 40 minutes and allow it to rest on your serving platter, covered lightly with foil, for another 20 minutes before slicing
* Slice the meat on the serving platter it's already on - don't think you can move the meat with the stuffing...you can't!

And the Main Course: Recipe

To many, the question of "what would Easter be without lamb" is easy to answer...incomplete. That's what I say! This recipe comes largely from a Bon Appetit magazine recipe but I added some little tweaks to ensure it was my own creation. The lamb got rave reviews - it was tender, it was incredibly flavorful, and it was beautiful. It was actually easier to make than I was expecting it to be - meaning, it took less time than I had imagined. It was not at all difficult!

I very much enjoy rack of lamb so these were enjoyable to make. The breading added an extra dimension to an already delicious food. I highly recommend this...just do yourself a favor and remove the smoke detectors from the house first - with heat at 400 degrees, the house will surely get hot and ours set off all three alarms.

** Be sure to begin this one day ahead of time...

Pecan Crusted Rack of Lamb
8 racks of lamb with 8 chops - about 1 1/2 lb. each (frenched)
1/2 cup kosher salt
3.5 oz. rosemary
3.5 oz. mint
1/2 cup olive oil
3 large shallots
2 large garlic cloves
1 cup dijon mustard

20 oz. potato bread, crusts removed, and torn into pieces
1 large garlic clove
2/3 cup parsley
1 1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup olive oil

Rub each rack of lab with a good, large, pinch of salt - both sides. In a food processor, combine the shallots, garlic, rosemary and mint until well chopped. Then add in the olive oil in the stream tube. With your hands, rub each side of the rack with a good large handful of the herb mixture. Place two racks in large ziplock bags and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

In the food processor, combine the bread, parsley, pecans, and garlic until little crumbs form. I actually made the bread "crumbs" first before adding the parsley, garlic and pecans. Next add in the oil in the stream tube until moist clumps form.

In a large frying pan (I used two at a time), over high heat, sear each rack about 5 minutes total - until they are well browned. You will be taking the racks from the zip bag directly into the frying pan but I recommend bringing the racks out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you sear them. Place each rack onto a hefty cookie sheet. Allow the racks to rest 15 minutes before moving ahead.

Preheat the oven to 400. Again with your hands, spread a hefty spoonful of the mustard onto each rack - just the tops, not the underside - and then coat the rack with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until desired temp - 28 minutes for medium rare. Remove and allow them to rest for 15 minutes under lose foil tent. Slice and serve.

Lamb is Not Just for Spring: Recipe

One of the foods I love most is lamb; particularly, I love lamb chops - done properly they are supple and delicious. When I go to a restaurant, lamb is usually one of the top choices for me for a main course so it comes as no surprise that I love to cook them at home, as well.

Saturday I slathered about 3/4 cup of pesto sauce (you can use this one, which features rosemary, an excellent pairing with lamb: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/09/more-from-garden-recipe.html) onto a rack of lamb chops - eight of them - and I let them marinate until tonight. They were wonderfully flavorful!

Rack of Lamb with Pesto Crust with Mango-Tomato Salad
3/4 cup pesto sauce + 1/4 cup
1 rack of lamb (french cut, 8 chops)

Smear all sides of the rack of lamb with 3/4 cup of pesto sauce and place in a plastic bag and refrigerate, at least overnight and at most 48 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place rack on a broiler pan and cook about 15 minutes and baste with 1/4 cup pesto. Place rack back into the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Allow the rack to rest about 7 minutes and slice.


Mango-Tomato Salad
2 small, very ripe, tomatoes, quartered
1 ripe mango, sliced
1/4 cucumber, seeded and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. fresh mint and fresh basil, sliced

Combine all ingredients and mix well

Weekly Line-Up: Recipe

These are all relatively easy and each one is packed with flavor -

Mediterranean Chicken

1 Pkg. Perdu Perfect Portions chicken cutlets
3 Tbls. Olive Oil + 1 Tbls.
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup pitted (no pits) Kalamata Olives, sliced or halved
1/4 cup parsley, washed and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup white wine

In a large frying pan, warm oil over med-high heat, about 1 minute. Slip in as many cutlets as will fit without overlapping (about 3). Spring with salt and pepper. Saute about 1 - 1/2 minutes each side or until slightly browned. When you turn the cutlets, sprinkle with salt and pepper, again. Remove from pan and place on a plate, lightly cover with foil. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

In the same pan, add remaining oil and warm - scrape up any bits, if possible. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds to a minute. Add wine and turn up the heat to high, scrape up all bits in the pan and allow wine to boil about 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients at high heat and saute about 2 minutes or until tomatoes have softened. Remove foil from the cutlets and pour into the pan any accumulated juices, allow to boil another 30 seconds.

Place chicken on a serving dish and pour sauce over chicken reserving some to serve.

Serve with frozen veggie and packaged couscous.


Grilled Cocoa-Chili Rib Eyes

3 Lbs. Rib Eye Steaks (about 1 lbs., each)
4 Tbls. Cocoa-Chili powder, by McCormick
2/3 cup BBQ Sauce
3 Tbls. Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbls. Brown Sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together all incredients (except steak) until well blended. Score each steak twice on each side and place in a plastic bag. Pour sauce over steaks and let marinate for up to three days.

Set BBQ on high and put steaks in direct fire for about 3 minutes on each side. Baste each side with left-over marinade before turning. Move them to indirect heat and continue to cook another 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Allow steaks to sit 3 minutes before serving.




Mashed Red Fingerling Potatoes

1 small pkg. Ruby Red Fingerling Potatoes (about 8-10 oz)
4 Tbls. unsalted butter, softened
1 rosemary sprig
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt

In a large pot of boiling water, add potatoes and rosemary. Boil about 25 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to pot. Discard rosemary.

Add softened butter, cream, and salt. Mash all together - with skins on - about 2 minutes till creamy.


Linguine with Fresh Plum Tomato Sauce



2 Lbs. very ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil
1 small onion, minced
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb. of pasta, linguine or angel hair is best

Drop tomatoes into boiling water for about 1 minute. Remove and when cool enough, peel off skin, squeeze out seeds, and chop coarsely. Put into a large mixing bowl. Add: onion, basil, garlic, oil, salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Add cheese, mix, and serve over hot pasta.


Cilantro-Mint Lamb Chops

In a Cuisinart, mix 1 cup of cilantro (washed well) and 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves (washed well) along with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 garlic cloves and 3 Tbls. Kosher salt. Pulse till well incorporated. Place 4 shoulder lamb chops (scored lightly) into a plastic bag and toss well with mixture. Refrigerate up to four days.

Grill chops about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with Peach Salsa.