A Life, Lived

Pesto-Crusted Racks of Lamb

Let me start off by saying up front that this may be the best lamb we have ever eaten. I did all the right things ... bought fresh lamb from a farmer who raised the critters as humanely as possible and then I selected this recipe. The recipe looks complicated and I almost turned to something else because of that but when you break it apart it isn't that complex at all - just 4 relatively simple steps.

The four-step method for roasting these lamb racks—a quick sear for color and flavor, a brief rest so the meat can relax, a coating of bright, lemony parsley pesto and cheesy breadcrumbs, and then a roast in a hot oven—yields lamb that’s tender, tasty, juicy, and beautiful, to boot.

This was the centre of our Christmas dinner and what a centrepiece it was!!!

Pesto-Crusted Racks of Lamb

For the crumb coating
2 cups 1-inch-cubed fresh baguette (with crust)
1-1/2 oz. (1/4 cup) pine nuts, toasted
1 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup using a rasp grater
1 tbs. finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pesto
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (from 1/2 small lemon)
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
Kosher salt

For the lamb
3 8- or 9-bone frenched lamb racks (about 1-3/4 lb. each)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Make the crumb coating

Pulse the bread cubes, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Make the pesto

Pulse the parsley, rosemary, oil, lemon zest, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt in the food processor until a coarse paste forms.

Sear the lamb

Heat a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Rub the lamb racks all over with the oil and then, working with one rack at a time, sear them, meat side down, until browned, about 4 minutes each. Pour off any accumulated fat, as necessary. Let rest on a cutting board for about 20 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Roast the racks

Rub one-third of the pesto over the meat side of each rack. Firmly press the crumb coating over the pesto. Arrange the racks bone side down in a large roasting pan (if the racks seem crowded, rest the bones on the edge of the pan). Roast until the crumbs are browned and a probe or instant-read thermometer inserted into the eye of the meat registers 135°F for medium rare, 25 to 30 minutes, or 145°F for medium, about 40 minutes.

Let the racks rest in the pan at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a carving board and carefully slice between the bones to make individual chops. Lightly sprinkle the cut sides of each chop with sea salt and serve with any crumb coating that fell off during carving.

Make Ahead Tips

You can make both the crumb coating and pesto up to 1 day ahead and keep them refrigerated in separate airtight containers.

Grilled Lamb Chops

If you google 'grilled lamb chops' this is the first recipe which comes up. I have no ideas what the metrics are that google uses to share results with us. In this case, the recipe was posted by the Food Network, so the cynic in me assumes money has changed hands and google promotes it as a result.

Nonetheless, I looked at the ingredients - rosemary, olive oil, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne for some zip and though 'YUM'.

Now that the weather has turned mild you'll likely be firing up the grill so if you're a fan of lamb as we are try this

We followed the recipe as printed. When we served the chops we served some yoghurt, garlic, herb dip on the side - as they often do with grilled meats in Greece. It was a great combination.

Grilled Lamb Chops

2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 lamb chops, about 3/4-inch thick

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until combined. Pour in olive oil and pulse into a paste. Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb chops and let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and allow the chops to come to room temperature; it will take about 20 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.

Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb

Recently I went to the grocery and spied leg of lamb at a crazy low price. In fact, it was so low a price that the butcher thought it was a mis-print. I didn't care, flyer in hand, I got my lamb for $ 5.99 a pound!

I had the butcher butterfly it for me since I hoped to grill it. Having it butterflied ensures that the lamb cooks uniformly on the grill and you don't end up with some very well done while other pieces are still raw.

Before we headed off to the Berkshires we had our friend Leslie over for dinner. She was hanging with the cats for the long weekend and this proved a good opportunity to show her the 'tricks' of keeping the guys happy. Leslie is a HUGE lamb fan so I thawed that leg out and prepared it for dinner.

I have a recipe that I have been making for years but decided it was time to do something a bit different. I found this recipe in an old Gourmet magazine that was hanging around the den (yes, when one has 6 year old magazines hanging around it IS time to clean the den out!) and decided to try it out.

I was glad that I had saved the recipe because this made for a brilliant grilled leg of lamb. The flavours of the herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil came together and reminded me of the lamb we enjoyed in Greece a few years ago.

If you spy lamb on sale (heck, even if it is full-price) buy some and give this a try - you'll be a happy carnivore!

Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Greek), crumbled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb) butterflied boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat

Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in sealable plastic bag. Add lamb and seal bag, pressing out air. Turn bag to coat lamb, then put bag in a shallow baking pan and marinate, chilled, turning bag over occasionally, at least 8 hours.

Bring lamb to room temperature, about 1 hour, before grilling.

Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Remove lamb from marinade (discard marinade) and run 3 or 4 skewers lengthwise through lamb about 2 inches apart. Grill on a lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using gas grill, turning over occasionally and, if necessary, moving around on grill to avoid flare-ups, until thermometer registers 125 to 128°F, 8 to 14 minutes total for medium-rare.

Transfer lamb to a cutting board and remove skewers. Let lamb stand, loosely covered with foil, 20 minutes. (Internal temperature will rise to 135°F while meat stands.) Cut across the grain into slices.

Lamb Kofta

Yesterday I shared the amazing tzatziki that we made for dinner the other night. We made it especially to serve on lamb kofta which we were doing on the grilll. Today I share another amazing recipe with you from that meal!

Kofta is a classic Turkish dish consisting of minced meat (generally lamb), mixed with herbs and spices, rolled into balls or ovals. These are then threaded onto a skewer and grilled. This recipe calls for the finished kofta to be wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf but you can tuck them into a pita instead or eat them as they are.

These were easy to pull together and tasted great!

Lamb Kofta

1 lb ground lamb
1 medium onion, grated
2 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
3/4 tsp ground pepper
8 romaine lettuce leaves

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Shape into 20 balls or ovals (you may need to wet your hands with water to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands). Thread the kofta onto skewers.

Brush the cooking grates to a gas grill clean. Grill the kofta over direct-medium heat for about six minutes. You want them to be nicely charred but still slightly pink inside.

Remove from the grill.

Slide the kofta onto a lettuce leaf. Top with tzatiki.

Photo Hunt - Yellow

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'yellow'.

Here are two shots from Italian markets

 

Rome

 

Torino

Only 2 weeks and we'll be back for more!

Moroccan Shepherd's Pie

Poor Paul. I go away for eight days, come home and throw myself into work. I was so exhausted at the end of each day that he had to cook dinner. He ended up cooking dinner four times - a huge difference from his usual once a week.

He outdid himself on Saturday. I had found a recipe in the March Cooking Light Magazine that sounded interesting - Shepherd's Pie with a Moroccan twist. Shepherd's Pie is one of Paul's all-time comfort foods - something his grandmother made for him with love. We both love the interesting mix of flavours - salty, sweet, and spicy - that is so characteristic of Moroccan foods. Combining the two sounded like an interesting proposition.

In the end we worked together on this - it came together easily - surprisingly so given the long list of ingredients. Normally a recipe like this would overwhelm Paul just a wee bit. Yet he was fine (well, except for forgetting the addition of peas right at the end). There was something odd about the sweet potatoes - I'm used to sweet potatoes with a yellow/orange flesh . . . these were red skinned and had a white flesh inside. I know from google that these are in fact sweet potatoes, they tasted like sweet potatoes, but I confess that I missed the orange coloured-topping that I was expecting.

Other than that these were truly brilliant - different from your usual Shepherd's Pie recipe with nary a dollop of creamed corn, frozen carrot cubes, ground beef, or mashed potatoes in sight. If you like a full flavoured dish of comfort that these are for you!

Moroccan Shepherd's Pie

1  tablespoon  olive oil
1  pound  bone-in lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1  teaspoon  ground cumin, divided
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
4  garlic cloves, minced
1  tablespoon  tomato paste
1 1/2  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2  cup  water
1/3  cup  sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/3  cup  raisins
2  tablespoons  honey
1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1/4  teaspoon  ground turmeric
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon, divided
1  cup  frozen green peas
4  cups  chopped peeled sweet potato
1  large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Sprinkle lamb evenly with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add lamb to pan, and sauté for 4 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove lamb from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste, and sauté 30 seconds, stirring frequently.

Add chicken broth and 1/2 cup water to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return lamb to pan. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, olives, raisins, honey, ground red pepper, and ground turmeric. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in peas.

Cook potato in a large saucepan of boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Cool for 5 minutes. Place potato in a bowl. Sprinkle potato with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Beat potato with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add egg, and beat until combined. Spoon the lamb mixture into 4 (10-ounce) ramekins; spread potato mixture evenly over lamb mixture. Place ramekins on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Grilled Lamb and Red Onion Tacos With Tomato-Mint Salsa

A few years ago we were lucky enough to eat at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, while we were in New York. We loved everything we tried and wished that we had time to go back again but there are so many restaurants in NY to try and only so many hours in the day! ARGH

Flay is known for sophisticated twists on south-western foods. On his food network shows and in his cookbooks he works tirelessly to challenge the way Americans view and taste food – making it bold, zesty and always fun. A Flay recipe often seems complex ont eh surface but when you bite into the fresh full-flavoured dish you won't regret the effort. no, not at all.

I picked up his first cook book 'Boy Meets Grill' last year but hadn't made anything from it. Last week Paul decided that it was time for this lamb taco recipe. Who was I to deny him - especially since I got to eat the results?

These tacos were incredible. No, they were freaking amazing. Everything about this recipe worked and while the recipe looked complex on paper (it runs for three pages in the cook book) it was easy to maneuver. In fact, I napped while Paul worked away in the kitchen and he had nary a question.

Luckily it makes enough for 8 tacos - guess who gets leftovers tonight? MMMMMMMM

Grilled Lamb and Red Onion Tacos With Tomato-Mint Salsa

Grilled Lamb

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
3 chipotle chiles, chopped
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Two lamb tenderloins (2 pounds each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tacos

2 grilled lamb tenderloins, sliced thinly
8 flour tortillas
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large red onion, sliced and grilled
1/4 cup fresh mint chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Tomato-Mint Salsa, for serving

Tomato-Mint Salsa

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh mint chiffonade
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

MAKE THE SALSA: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature.

MARINATE AND GRILL THE LAMB: Combine the ancho powder, onion, garlic, chipotles and orange juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Place the lamb in a shallow baking dish, cover with the marinade and let marinate for 1 hour. Heat the grill. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and grill for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

MAKE THE TACOS: For each taco, lay four slices of lamb over 1/2 of the tortilla, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons each of the Jack and cheddar cheeses and 1 tablespoon of the feta cheese. Top with grilled onion and mint. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Fold over the tortilla and brush with olive oil. Grill for 3 minutes on each side or until crispy and the cheese has melted. Serve with the Tomato-Mint salsa

Lamb, Feta Sliders with Garlic Mint Sauce

Mini burgers have started to answer the call of diners looking for a quick, fun bite that packs good burger flavour. Known as sliders, these bite-sized treats have been popping up on restaurant menus and in cookbooks regularly.

Paul first made sliders about three years ago. At the time we had to make our own buns from scratch because it was impossible to find mini-hamburger buns. When I was doing the grocery shopping on Friday I found mini-burger buns - clearly a sign that the slider has gone main-stream.

At another store I spied some wonderful, fresh-ground lamb . . . there was feta in the fridge to eat up. I recalled a wonderful lamb burger Paul made in the summer of 2007 (I don't remember when our anniversary is but I can recall a burger he made 3 years ago . . . how messed up am I?) and decided to try and duplicate them but as sliders.

I whipped these up last night after a busy day of chores, hiking, and napping! The recipe made wonderful sliders - in fact I think that I liked them better as mini-burgers for some reason. Anyway, if you're looking for a great way to impress family and friends give these a try!

Lamb, Feta Sliders with Garlic Mint Sauce

4 oz English Cucumber
2 tsp minced garlic
8 tablespoons finely chopped mint, divided
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp kosher salt
few drops Tabasco sauce

Sauce Directions:

Peel, grate, and seed the cucumber. Drain in a sieve while preparing the rest of the ingredients. In a small bowel, stir together the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the mint, the drained cucumber, and the remaining sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2 pounds ground lamb
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup minced onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

18 slider rolls
18 thin slices of ripe tomato

Slider Directions

In a large bowl, gently mix the slider ingredients, including the remaining 6 tablespoons of mint. The shape the meat into 18 mini-patties of equal size, about 2 cm thick. Refrigerate about 15 minutes before grilling.

Grill the sliders over direct heat until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

During the last 30 seconds, toast the buns, cut side down.

Serve the sliders on the toasted buns with the tomato slices and cucumber sauce.

Sunday Small Bites - Mushrooms

 
The cooks on the slowtravel community forums have a new challenge - instead of each of us preparing the same recipe each week, we are preparing our own appetizer - or Small Bite - that uses a specific main ingredient. So far we have tackled shrimp, crab, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese, smoked salmon, pecans, pumpkin, and olives. This week we moved on and gave mushrooms a try - courtesy of Candi.

For our small bite we went with another recipe from the 2008 Better Homes and Gardens Appetizer Recipe Magazine - Saffron-Scented Lamb Mushroom Pastry Puffs. We decided on this one because we liked the sound of the middle eastern flavours + it would allow us to use up some ground lamb that was in the freezer (we're trying to clean out the freezers before the holiday crush).

The result was delicious! It was one of those things that tasted and looked very impressive - yet the amount of work involved in putting them on the table wasn't crazy. Whenever I use puff pastry I always wonder why I don't use it more often - you get such a brilliant result with little effort.

Saffron-Scented Lamb and Mushroom Pastry Puffs

8 oz ground lamb
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, snipped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 hard-cooked egg, peeled, finely chopped
dash saffron threads, (I used about 1/4 tsp) crushed (I  crushed the threads in my hands)
1 package of frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large frying pan cook the lamb and onion over medium heat until the meat is brown. Drain the fat from the pan. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook 5 - 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped hard boiled eggs and crushed saffron threads. Remove from heat. Cool for about 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll it into a 14 inch x 10 inch rectangle. Cut it into rectangles - each about 2 inches x 3 inches.

Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling onto each pastry rectangle. The filling should be in the centre of the rectangle - lengthwise. Be sure to leave a small amount of the pastry uncovered at the ends.

In a bowl combine the egg and water. Brush the edges of the pastry rectangles with the egg wash. Roll the rectangles lengthwise in a cigar shape. Press the edges together to seal.

Place on prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops with the egg wash.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed up and golden brown.

Let stand for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Makes about 35 puffs.

Note: I baked one tray. The other tray went into the freezer. Today I'll remove the frozen puffs from the tray and store them in a zip lock freezer container with the baking directions taped to the underside of the lid. This will allow me to bake them later when I need some sort of small bite without doing a whole lot of work!

Lamb Meatballs with Chopped Salad and Minted Yoghurt

One of my birthday gifts was the new grilling book by Weber: Weber's Way to Grill. I have two other grilling books by Weber and they are both wonderful so I was happy to receive this new one. As I flipped through it there was recipe after recipe that I felt the urge to make - at this rate I shall be grilling twice a day well into the new year!

The first one I tried was this Greek sounding recipe for grilled lamb meatballs. The meatballs are infused with the delicious taste of garlic and ground herbs. They contrast nicely with the fresh chopped salad and simple mint yogurt sauce.

I looked at the suggested cooking/prep time and then the list of ingredients and thought 'you've got to be kidding me . . . there is no way this will be ready in under an hour'. Of course it was and we were quickly sitting down to a meal that was, as Jamie Oliver might say, bloody amazing!

Enjoy!

Lamb Meatballs with Chopped Salad and Minted Yoghurt

For the Salad:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t finely grated lemon zest
1 t minced garlic
3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 chopped Italian parsley
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs:

1 1/2 lb ground lamb
1 T minced garlic
2 t ground cumin
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups plain Greek style yoghurt
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 t salt

4 - 6 Greek pita (without the pocket)

Extra-virgin olive oil

In a large, non-reactive bowl wisk the oil, vinegar, lemon zest, and garlic. Add in the rest of the salad ingredients and gently toss with the dressing.

In a medium bowl, gently mix the meatball ingredients with your hands. Do not overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Form into 24 meatballs. Thread 4 meatballs onto each skewer. Lightly brush with olive oil.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat

In a small bowl mix the sauce ingredients.

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the meatballs over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they have browned but are still slightly pink in the centre (4 - 6 minutes), turning occasionally. During the last 30 seconds of the grilling time heat the pita bread over direct heat.

Place 4 meatballs down the centre of each pita. Top with a generous spoonful of sauce and some of the salad.