07.01.09
Posted in Dinner, Dips & Spreads, Lamb, Meats, Pastas, Sides at 4:01 pm by julie
This was a really simple, flavorful way to cook lamb chops, and you know I am always looking for good lamb recipes. I used loin chops, did my usual pan-sear-and-finish-in-the-oven trick, and then tossed more compound butter with hot orzo, peas and some feta to accompany them, a nice alternative to the usual starch options.
Lamb Chops with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
1 garlic clove
1/4 C chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1/2 C walnuts
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
8 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick; 2 pounds)
Pulse salt, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, coriander, cayenne, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper until finely chopped. Blend in butter and lemon juice, then season with salt.
Preheat oven to 350F. Pat lamb chops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total), and heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil, and pan-sear the chops to a nice golden brown on both sides. Transfer to the oven for 5-10 minutes; I bring mine to about 150-155F because I like them closer to medium. Spread tomato butter over chops, and serve with orzo tossed with some extra compound butter, peas and crumbled feta.
Source: Epicurious
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06.08.09
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Lamb, Leftovers, Meats, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Pastas, Sides at 12:59 am by julie
It’s been almost two months since I last posted a lamb recipe, so you know I’ve got some waiting in the wings. Sometimes I think Jeremy can’t walk past the boneless legs of lamb at Costco without picking one up, but I get really tired of braising or roasting them after a while. This time I split my leg in half and grilled it over two nights—part butterflied, and part chunked up for kebabs.
For the butterflied portion, I went with a hoisin marinade. The ingredients all scream Asian, but as one reviewer pointed out, the end result is a flavor that could be nudged in a variety of directions. I went slightly Mediterranean with the addition of a little dried rosemary, and served it with a baked potato and Mark Bittman’s sauteed mushrooms. Yes, you heard that right—I sliced up some mushrooms and sauteed them with a little garlic and white wine, no attempts to cut them into tiny bits or mask their flavor with cream. I don’t think I will ever agree that the smell of cooking mushrooms is second only to bacon; on the contrary, the smell alone is almost enough to make me change my mind about making them. However, I am proud to say that I ate some of the finished product without making horrible faces, even though room temperature mushrooms are really not appealing to me.
But the real point is that the lamb was delicious, and I will definitely keep this marinade in my arsenal; I suspect it would also be delicious on beef or pork. We did have some leftover, so I sliced it thin and served it over Asian garlic noodles (read: Jaden’s garlic-scallion noodles made with carrots, mushrooms, onions, peas, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds).
Grilled Hoisin-Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb
1/3 C hoisin sauce
3 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 T soy sauce
2 T minced garlic
1/4 C minced scallions
1 T honey
1/2 tsp salt
a 2 to 2 1/2 pound piece of boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and butterflied
In a bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, minces scallion, honey, and salt. Trim as much remaining fat as possible from lamb and in a shallow dish large enough to hold lamb flat spread marinade over both sides of it. Marinate lamb, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Prepare grill. Bring lamb to room temperature and grill on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 12 to 15 minutes on each side, or until meat thermometer registers 140°F. for medium-rare meat. (Alternatively, lamb may be broiled under preheated broiler about 4 inches from heat for approximately the same time on each side as for grilling.) Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Holding a sharp knife at a 45° angle, cut lamb across grain into thin slices.
Source: Epicurious.
I still had half a leg of lamb in the fridge waiting to be used, so I decided to make that into kebabs. Ever since I first tasted the lamb brochettes at Marrakesh in Portland (which may, incidentally, have been my very first taste of lamb), I’ve been trying to duplicate that flavor at home, and I think I am getting closer. The meat was marinated in a simple spice blend, and threaded onto skewers with chunks of zucchini that I tossed with olive oil, lemon pepper and garlic. These went on the grill while I made pistachio-date couscous to serve under it.
Moroccan Lamb Kebabs with Zucchini and Pistachio-Date Couscous
2 lb piece of boneless leg of lamb, well-trimmed and cut into 1″ cubes
2 T ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground sweet paprika
1 T dried lemon zest
Kosher salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 large zucchini, cut into 1″ cubes
Lemon pepper
Garlic powder
1 C couscous
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C pistachios, shelled, roasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 C dates, chopped
For the lamb: Mix together the cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika and lemon zest with about 1/4 C olive oil in a large ziploc bag, add the lamb and toss to coat. Press out all the excess air and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to overnight. Remove from the fridge before cooking to allow meat to come up to room temperature.
For the zucchini: When you remove the lamb from the fridge to come up to temperature, cut the zucchini into chunks; toss with olive oil to coat, and season to taste with lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt.
Thread alternating chunks of lamb and zucchini onto your skewers while your grill heats up (I use an electric tabletop grill). Grill the skewers, turning as necessary, until they are nicely charred on all sides; the zucchini should be tender, and the lamb should be about medium rare.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to boiling in a medium saucepan; remove from the heat and stir in the couscous (if your dates are particularly dry, you can add them now as well). Allow to sit covered off the heat for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and stir in the pistachios and a drizzle of olive oil.
Source: Adapted from The Barbeque Hut and Everyday with Rachel Ray.
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04.13.09
Posted in Baby Food, Breakfast, Dinner, Lamb, Meats, Quick Breads, Sides, Veggies at 7:46 pm by julie
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter yesterday. Ours was pretty low-key, since the little man is not yet of an age to appreciate Easter egg hunts and jelly beans. Instead, I kept busy cooking while Jeremy watched a baseball game with Nolan.
First things first: I wanted to make some sort of Easter bread this year, but I decided to go the easy route and make a quick muffin version of hot cross buns rather than the yeasted sort. I chose the recipe from the King Arthur Flour Cookbook, and afterwards noticed that their website shows a different recipe for hot cross muffins that actually does incorporate yeast. It would be interesting to try that out sometime to compare and contrast. In any case, I made a few adjustments to the recipe I used, substituting blood orange juice for rum and dried cranberries and cherries in place of the more traditional golden raisins and candied citron; I also added about a tablespoon of blood orange zest to the batter, and used the juice instead of milk in my glaze, which gave it a lovely pink color. The muffins came out alright: Jeremy and Nolan seemed to think they were pretty good, but I found them to be kind of dense and dull, never mind my distaste for dried fruit in baked goods. I noticed the same quality in the doughnut muffins I made from the same cookbook, and after a number of other mixed results, this is definitely not my go-to baking book, much as I would like it to be.
For dinner, you know we had to have lamb. I’ve been braising most of our legs these past few months, so I mixed it up this time and did a roast. We get the boneless ones from Costco, so I smeared the inside with rosemary and garlic mixed with a little olive oil, tied it up, and slathered the outside with a mixture of softened butter (3 T), Dijon mustard (1 T), and rosemary (1 T); then it went in the oven at 450F for almost an hour and a half. Seems like our poor little oven always takes longer cooking big cuts of meat than the resources suggest. While it rested, I made a quick jus by deglazing the de-fatted pan drippings with white wine and a bit more Dijon, and threw on some potato pancakes to go with the meat. The idea was that the shredded potatoes were reminiscent of nests (or Easter grass, or whatever), in an abstract sort of way, at least. To save myself some dishewashing from another side dish, I sliced up and blanched a fistful of asparagus spears, chilled them in an ice bath, and mixed them into my potatoes. It worked out well, and the asparagus got nicely caramelized where it touched the cast iron. Next time, my only adjustment will be to slice the asparagus on a steeper bias, because the little chunks I cut sometimes escaped while shaping and flipping the pancakes. Nolan liked the lamb and loved the potato pancakes, last night and maybe even more today, as leftovers.
Potato-Asparagus Pancakes
2 eggs, beaten
4 medium russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled and shredded using the largest holes of a hand grater (yikes—or in the food processor!)
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C grated onion (pop it in the food processor with the potatoes)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
about 8-10 spears of asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut on the bias about 1/2″ wide
1/4 C olive oil
Boil a small pot of salted water and cook the asparagus just until they are tender when stabbed with a fork, 2-3 minutes. Remove to an ice bath, chill, and drain.
Combine the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper, stirring to blend. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the potatoes and onions. (You can just use your hands, or, as I do, load some shredded potato into your ricer with the smallest holes and squeeze. Once you’re done, you can poke at the potato starch that settles at the bottom of the liquid–entertaining!) Add the potatoes and cooled asparagus to the egg mixture, mixing well; hands work well here.
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat some of the oil over medium-high heat. Spoon the batter by quarter-cupfuls onto the hot skillet, flattening them with the back of the spoon. Fry until the bottom of the pancakes are nicely browned – between 3 and 5 minutes; flip the pancakes and cook for about 3 minutes longer. Repeat for the remaining pancakes, adding oil to the skillet as needed.
Drain on paper towels, salt while hot, and serve immediately.
Source: Adapted from Bette’s Oceanview Diner.
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08.23.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Sides, Veggies at 11:57 am by julie
I haven’t had much inclination to cook anything interesting for a while—or the energy to write about it when some free time presents itself. We’re trying to transition Nolan from co-sleeping in our bedroom to sleeping in his very own crib in his very own room. That has been upsetting everyone’s sleep patterns, so I feel zombie-fied half the day, and am getting behind even in finishing off posts that were already photographed and half-written. I’m tired of seeing them in the Draft queue, though, so that’s my goal for the week.
To start things off, here is a quick recipe for lamb chops. I chose it to use up the last of my apricot preserves from last month’s filbert gateau, but it was so easy and flavorful that I think I’m going to go buy more preserves, especially since I have an inkling that the glaze would also beautifully suit pork chops or even a larger loin roast or leg of lamb. Heck, even using chicken might work. I served these chops with Jaden’s saffron rice and some green beans on a day that topped 101F degrees, and it didn’t even overheat the kitchen too much.
The original recipe called for 1/2 C of apricot preserves, but I had just over 1/4 C in the jar and wasn’t about to go buy more. The finished chops were certainly sweet and fruity enough, so I would caution against using the full 1/2 C unless you really love apricots. I’m not huge on the whole meat-fruit pairing, and I thought my version was just about right. I also cooked the lamb in a large cast-iron skillet. Because I was concerned about the apricot glaze burning and ruining the pan’s seasoning, I warmed it in the microwave separately and brushed it on both sides of the chops after they were done cooking—then promptly got paranoid about having undercooked the chops and put them right back in the hot skillet (with the burner off) for another minute or two. The skillet survived to fry another day. 
Apricot Lamb Chops
1/4 C apricot preserves
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 (4-ounce) lamb loin chops, trimmed
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Combine salt, cinnamon, and pepper, and sprinkle over both sides of lamb. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add lamb to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove skillet from heat; add apricot mixture, turning lamb to coat. Place 2 chops on each of 4 dinner plates; spoon remaining apricot mixture evenly over chops.
Source: Slightly adapted from Cooking Light
Zesty White Wine Green Beans
I just use this recipe as a guideline. I generally use frozen green beans for this because I have stopped buying canned ones; I thaw them in some hot water first. For two servings, I use closer to 1/3 C of wine, and I let it reduce almost entirely.
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 (14.5 ounce) cans French-style green beans, drained
1 C white wine
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat; brown the garlic in the oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Pour the white wine over the green beans; simmer until the wine reduces in volume by half, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Source: Allrecipes.
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08.05.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 11:02 pm by julie
Jeremy’s parents were here recently to visit us for the first time since they moved across the country in 2004. They wanted to meet their new grandson or something—go figure. Anyway, they were only here for a few days, but I wanted to make sure to cook them at least one nice meal, because I haven’t had the opportunity to do so since long before I knew my way around the kitchen.
I was already planning to make my July Daring Bakers challenge for them, but asked for Jeremy’s input as to what they might like for dinner, and his response was lamb. His response is almost always lamb, parents or no parents, so I’m always on the lookout for a new recipe. I decided to try out the grilled stuffed leg of lamb in the August Bon Appetit, which is served with caramelized lemon jus, and Jeremy brought home an appropriately boneless hunk of meat for me to pound into oblivion. After stuffing and trussing the lamb, I gave it an hour or so to marinate in lemon juice and olive oil while making the lemon jus. Jeremy’s mom was good enough to entertain Nolan while I worked, and then watched over the grilling lamb when I had to go pump.
It took longer to cook on our cast iron grill pan than I anticipated, despite my efforts to keep the stuffed lamb on the flat side. I had more than enough time to prep some rainbow chard for a side, blanching the leaves separately from the stems. The recipe didn’t mention whether or not to strain the jus, so I went ahead with it. I think my decision to make the jus in advance and keep it warm on a back burner contributed to a bitter overtone, as it contains whole grilled lemon slices, pith and all. A pinch of extra sugar tweaked its flavor just enough to offset the bitterness, though, and the acidity of the jus paired up nicely with both the meat and the simply sauteed chard.
Grilled Leg of Lamb with Caramelized Lemon Jus
1 well-trimmed 4 to 4-1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb with shank end removed
4 large garlic cloves; 3 chopped, 1 sliced
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
20 fresh sage leaves (about), divided
4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)
3 T fresh lemon juice
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
Open lamb, boned side up, like book. Trim most sinew and fat, being careful not to cut any holes in meat. Make one 3/4- to 1-inch-deep full-length cut in each thick portion of lamb (do not cut through to work surface). Cover lamb with sheet of plastic wrap. Using rolling pin, pound to even 1- to 1 1/2-inch thickness (lamb will be about 8×19 inches).
Peel off plastic wrap. Sprinkle lamb evenly with salt and pepper, chopped garlic, and lemon peel. Top with 15 sage leaves, spaced evenly apart. Cover with pancetta. Starting at 1 long side, fold lamb in half. Tie lamb tightly at 2-inch intervals into long roll. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Whisk lemon juice and oil in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Brush mixture all over lamb and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place lamb on grill and sear on all sides. Continue to grill until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 130°F for rare, turning and brushing occasionally with lemon juice mixture, about 45 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with Caramelized Lemon Jus.
Caramelized Lemon Jus
1 large lemon, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
10 large fresh sage leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 T sugar
2/3 C dry white wine
2 C beef broth
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill lemon slices until charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; chop coarsely.
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sage leaves, garlic, and grilled lemon pieces with any juices, then sugar. Cook until shallots start to color, about 5 minutes. Add wine, and simmer until liquid has mostly reduced. Add beef broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until jus is reduced to 3 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Source: Bon Appetit, August 2008
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06.14.08
Posted in Dinner, Fish, Lamb, Meats, Seafood at 9:11 am by julie
I’ve had an exceptionally busy week—which I’ll tell you about sometime soon over garlic scape pesto—so I fell behind in my posts this week. These two was my response to a huge fillet of farmed Atlantic salmon Jeremy brought home last week: two meals that punched up the somewhat lackluster flavor of the fish while requiring very little prep time. The first was salmon baked with a pastrami spice rub. The chunk of salmon I dedicated to this was somewhat smaller than called for, but I used the whole recipe of spice rub and it was pretty darn strong. I ended up scraping a bit of it off the cooked fish and still found it a little much for myself, but Jeremy liked it a lot. It’s worth making again, just with a slightly lighter hand on the rub.
Pastrami-Style Salmon
1 T dark brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 (1 1/2-pound) center-cut salmon fillet
1/2 tsp olive oil
Combine first 7 ingredients. Place salmon fillet, skin side down, on a cutting board or work surface; brush evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over salmon; gently rub mixture into fish. Cover lightly with plastic wrap, and chill 15 minutes.
Place fish, skin side down, on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (Or bake at 400F for 12 minutes.)
Source: Cooking Light
For the next night’s dinner, I marinated my remaining salmon in a soy-dijon marinade from Simply Ming
. If you aren’t familiar with the book, it employs large master recipes for spice blends, marinades, sauces and the like to make a variety of meals. I cut the marinade recipe I used in half and still had enough of it for three separate meals; it keeps nicely in the fridge for up to two weeks. The salmon itself had an hour-long bath in the marinade, then went in the oven with a simple crumb crust. It was really fantastic and will definitely go in our rotation—the most time-consuming part of the whole thing was mincing garlic, which could be avoided by purchasing a prepared jar.
Soy-Dijon Salmon
Marinade:
1 T coarsely ground pepper
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 C red wine
1/4 C soy sauce
3/4 C Dijon mustard
1 T dried thyme
1/4 C minced garlic
1 1/4 C canola oil
Put the pepper in a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it becomes fragrant and just begins to smoke. Place it in a medium bowl and add salt, wine, soy sauce, Dijon, thyme, and garlic; whisk until thoroughly blended. In a slow steady stream, whisk in the canola oil until the marinade is emulsified. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks if not using right away. Makes 3 cups.
Salmon:
1 lb salmon fillet
1 C soy-dijon marinade
1/2 C coarse bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the salmon in a ziploc bag and add the marinade; gently massage to coat the salmon and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 400F. Remove the fillet from the marinade and place in a roasting pan or casserole of an appropriate size; discard marinade. Press bread crumbs on surface of fish; season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve over rice.
Source: Adapted from Simply Ming, by Ming Tsai
Update 6/7/08: I include this photo because I also used the soy-dijon marinade overnight on some lamb loin chops, and then grilled them up until the largest ones temped out at medium rare for Jeremy and the smaller ones were closer to my preference of medium. The last of the marinade will go on pork chops or chicken breasts.
Update 9/15/08: I halved the marinade recipe as shown and used it on a large wild salmon fillet with fresh big-boy breadcrumbs to great effect. Drizzled the crumbs with olive oil before baking, and the size of the fillet required extra baking time, so the crumb crust got nice and crunchy. Jeremy commented several times on how good it was, and since I made the marinade in advance, very quick and easy too. Served with pea-laced couscous.
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05.10.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats, Soups at 8:14 am by julie
Big surprise, right? I had a boneless leg of lamb to cook last week and didn’t feel like doing a big roast or braise, so I broke down the huge cut of meat and made two separate recipes from it: Moroccan-spiced lamb kebabs and Irish lamb stew. The kebabs were first, and I marinated them in a mixture of garlic, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and pomegranate molasses. Nolan was still napping, so I decided to be daring and make Elise’s version of scalloped potatoes, a dish I had never yet made successfully. The Cuisinart helped cut down my prep time significantly, however, as I used it to slice potatoes and onions, and grate Gruyere and Parmesan cheese. I parboiled the potatoes to cut down the baking time, but it still required longer than I had expected. A little extra marinating time didn’t hurt the lamb, though, and grilling the kebabs was the work of just a few minutes. When all was said and done, the lamb kebabs were tasty, but the scalloped potatoes were a hit: They didn’t look remotely pretty, but the flavor was outstanding, and they reheated well as a side for some quickly-seared chicken paillards the next night.
For the lamb stew several nights later, I again turned to Elise, but made some adaptations: using chunks rather than chops; leaving out the turnips and using baby carrots for speed; using tweaked chicken broth in place of water or lamb stock; and making a little white wine slurry at the end for thickening purposes. It was delicious and very filling, and since the weather here is finally starting to improve, I think I made it just in the nick of time too!
Irish Lamb Stew
2 lb leg of lamb, trimmed and cubed
Olive oil
1 T bacon grease
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C water
1 bag baby carrots
5 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 qt chicken broth
1 tsp beef Better Than Bouillion
2 T pearl barley
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1/4 C white wine
2 T AP flour
Heat the bacon grease and a glug of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the lamb cubes all over; remove to a plate. In the same pot, saute the onion and garlic until softened, then deglaze with the water. Return the meat to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients carrots through thyme. Simmer over low heat for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Whisk together the white wine and flour, and stir into the stew. Continue simmering until slightly thickened, then taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes.
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02.26.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 11:35 am by julie
This is one of those recipes that I was skeptical about. Its blend of spices didn’t exactly sound appealing to me, and Jeremy has commented before that he doesn’t understand the combination of lamb with mint. But I wanted something easy and pantry-friendly, and it had enough rave reviews on Epicurious that I gave it a shot despite my reservations. I’m very glad I did, because I’ve since made it several times, and I think it is safe to say that, in a slightly adapted form, it is now my go-to recipe for lamb chops when I’m stumped for other inspiration.
The original recipe calls for broiling the chops. My oven’s broiler is very sketchy, so I adapted it to what works best for us. I don’t currently have fresh mint on hand (it didn’t survive the winter or the energetic shepherd pup in our backyard), but I substitute in dried mint to good effect. Finally, I’ve made these with and without the cayenne, and I have to say that we find the heat very distracting in this particular application. If you want to use the cayenne, I would recommend not letting the rub stand on the meat for more than a few minutes.
Savory Mint Lamb Chops
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C chopped fresh mint (or 2 T dried mint flakes)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 (1- to 1 1/2-inch-thick) lamb loin chops (about 5 ounces each), trimmed
Place olive oil, chopped mint, minced garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper (if using), and black pepper in small bowl; mix well. Spread herb mixture over both sides of lamb chops. Transfer chops to broiler pan. Let stand 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F. Heat some oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, and sear chops until well-browned on each side. Arrange chops on platter, garnish with fresh mint sprigs, and serve. Place the skillet in the oven and continue to cook the chops until their internal temperature reaches 155F or to desired doneness. (I am still quite squeamish about underdone meat, by which I mean anything less cooked than medium—and even medium is a stretch for me sometimes. Usually the chops vary a bit in size, so I just pick out the smaller ones for myself, and let Jeremy have the big fat ones that didn’t cook through as much.)
Source: Adapted from Epicurious.
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01.03.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 11:47 am by julie
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We had a leisurely New Year’s at home, just the way we like it, with the Twilight Zone marathon on the television and a leg of lamb in the oven. I tried out a new recipe for a boneless leg of lamb, rubbed with cardamom and allspice and garlic, and roasted over a spice-infused lake of ruby port. It gave me a chance to try out my shiny new All Clad roasting pan and use up the last of a bottle of port. However, the combination of the so-called baking spices with meat is always a source of suspicion for my tastebuds, so I was leery of whether I’d be willing to eat the outcome.
The smell from the oven was fantastic, just the thing to cap off the holiday feast season: sweet and spicy and savory all at once. My oven runs cold, so it took longer than called for in the recipe to cook; I ended up having to increase the heat and give the lamb a foil cap partway through. Our patience was ultimately rewarded with a succulent meal that I didn’t find to be too overwhelmingly seasoned or underdone (the latter being my main issue with large chunks of lamb, as I generally prefer meat more well-done than is appropriate for lamb). And now we have several pounds of leftovers which should keep Jeremy in lamb-heaven all week—not a bad way to start the year!
PS: Apologies for the poor picture… by the time the lamb temped out, it was getting late and our priority was not artistic photography.
Roasted Leg of Lamb with Port
1 (6-lb) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and trussed
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 T vegetable oil
1 C port wine
2 C water
1 T cider vinegar
6 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 T whole cloves
1 T flour
Small roasting pan with a removable rack
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut slits evenly over lamb roast; insert garlic into slits. Combine salt, pepper, cardamom and allspice; rub over roast.
Sear roast in hot oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove roast to a plate; add wine and water to the roasting pan and stir to deglaze. Add vinegar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to liquid; insert rack and return lamb to roasting pan.
Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of roast registers 145°. If the top of the meat becomes too dark during cooking, cover with aluminum foil. Let stand 10 minutes, covered, before slicing. Reserve pan drippings and strain into a small saucepan.
Skim fat from pan drippings, reserving about a tablespoon; stir this together with the flour to make a paste. Bring pan drippings to a simmer over medium-high heat and whisk in flour paste; cook at a boil, whisking constantly, for 7 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over sliced roast before serving.
Source: Adapted from Southern Living.
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12.01.07
Posted in British, Cuisines, Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 2:36 pm by julie
The weekend before Thanksgiving, when we went to Whole Foods to buy a turkey and pumpkins and Brussels sprouts and such, we stopped by the meat counter to pick up an item or two for meals before the big feast. Naturally, while I was considering quick cooking items like ground meat and veal scalloppine, Jeremy the perpetual lamb fiend pointed out the leg and shoulder roasts. I wasn’t about to cook a big roast three days before Thanksgiving, and counter-offered with lamb stew. Eventually, we settled on getting a shoulder roast to make shepherd’s pie.
Even though shepherd’s pie is frequently made from leftover lamb roasts or stews, we decided to make it fresh, thanks to Gordon Ramsay. (The previous week’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares showed Gordon making his own “family recipe” for shepherd’s pie as the new signature dish of a failing restaurant.) So I ended up tracking down a Gordon Ramsay recipe for shepherd’s pie to use myself.
Of course, for over a week, the plan was put aside, because Jeremy came down with stomach flu and was barely to eat anything but chicken noodle soup for several days before Thanksgiving. The lamb shoulder went in the freezer and stayed there until our leftovers dwindled a week later.
This recipe turned out to be a rather time-consuming one, but that was my fault in part, because I decided to mince the lamb by hand, instead of using my grinder. It was a fatty cut of meat, and there was quite a bit of additional chopping, sauteeing, reducing, mashing and mincing. I was at least able to use up the last of the leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving as a portion of the topping. All in all, it was at least two hours in the making, and while certainly a tasty shepherd’s pie, I have to admit I like the ones I make from leftovers just as well. Of course that would mean doing a braise or roast the day before, so it was going to be a bit of a project either way.
Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie
2 lbs (900 g) lean ground or minced lamb
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T tomato paste
Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 C red wine
1 ¼ C chicken stock
2 lbs boiled potatoes
2 ounces butter
Olive oil or milk, if needed
Parmesan, for grating
2 egg yolks
Fresh ground white pepper
Salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince, then the garlic. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce becomes thick and glossy. Check for seasoning.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer, then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan and seasoning with salt and white pepper.
Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, pile the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, and spread out gently, starting from the middle and working your way to the edges. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season; fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Place in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown in color. Serve with pan-roasted carrots.
Source: Slightly adapted from Gordon Ramsay.
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