Amuse Bouche

Grilled Butterflied Lamb Leg

Whole Foods market has had these very small almost fat and gristle free Butterflied Lamb Legs lately. We bought two on Saturday and I marinated them and grilled them last night and had them with spring peas and aioli for me and mint sauce for him on a bed of oven roasted leeks.

2 butterflied lamb legs
extra virgin olive oil
red wine
3 - 4 sprigs of rosemary, chopped or snipped with scissors
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, minced
Preserved lemons (if available) or lemon slices
salt and pepper

Marinate 1 to 2 days ahead.

Into a ziploc or sealable plastic bag which I place inside another one as extra spill precaution add ingredients 2 through 6. I leave the actual measurements of olive oil and wine up to you. I'd say about 1/2 cup of olive oil and between 1 to 2 cups of wine is about what I used. Seal up bag removing as much air as possible.

Prepare charcoal grill (or if you must gas) with coals piled up on one side. Remove the lamb from the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling to come to room temp, remove from marinade. You can't really see it in this photo, but the lamb will be purple from the wine, don't worry it won't be purple after grilling. Place marinade in saute pan and heat until boiling for 1 to 2 minutes. When ash white, place them over the coals to sear for a few minutes and then move back from the hottest part and cover the grill (vents open). Cook for approx. 8 - 10 minutes. Flip and place over hottest part again sear for 2 - 3 minutes. Brush with heated marinade.
Pull back to cooler section and cover again. Grill for 8 - 10. Again, no exact times as the heat of your grill and size of your lamb legs shall dictate this. Some prefer their lamb pinkish in the center, husband, being a Brit, likes it a scary colour of gray.
Pull of and let rest for 5 - 8 minutes. Slice and lay over a bed of oven roasted leeks.

Leg of Lamb

We will not make any comments about the name of my site's home and the fact that I am having Lamb for dinner tonight. Nope, we're not going there. In a great need to rush any sign of Spring along we decided at Costco yesterday to pick a boneless leg for supper tonight. We are also feeling incredibly decadent because we have not had a potato pass our lips since December but decided that Spring lamb is just NOT the same with out new potatoes in chive butter. New potatoes have far less starch and are lower on the glycemic index scale than say a baking potato. Yea, I know what ever I need to say to justify it eh? Shhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone.

Anyway, this is what is marinating right now in my fridge.

5 pound leg of lamb split in half (froze other half)
1 lemon sliced thin
4 - 5 sprigs rosemary
6 - 8 cloves of garlic smashed, skin on
a few glugs of red wine, maybe 1 cup?
good olive oil
pepper
salt

All of this was poured into a large ziploc. Insert meat, slosh around put everything in ANOTHER ziploc just to be sure.
It has been sitting for about 24 hours now.

We are going to roast this lamb, serve with teeny tiny new potatoes with skin on and butter that has been melted with LOTS of fresh snipped chive. The asparagus was looking good, but husband wanted Brussel Sprouts so I have defered to his request.
We also recently went to Newburyport for a stroll and found some Coleman's mint sauce in the British goods shop so that will be served alongside.

Quite looking forward to this actually.

If it goes well, I'll amend this tomorrow with time's and temps etc.

wish me luck.

Shrimp and chorizo

This is one of those staples that we keep in rotation. The important thing here is to buy shrimp in their shells. The flavour will not be as good if you use peeled shrimp.

Shrimp (or prawns) and Chorizo

1 pd. 21 - 35 count shrimp or prawns
3 - 4TBS. olive oil
4 - 5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 - 5 cloves garlic
2 - 3 TBS tomato puree (either tube or tin)
1/2 - 2 cups good chicken stock
5 TBS cognac
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 large Spanish onion or 2 regular yellow1 pd. chorizo sausage (or andouille)
Old Bay seasoning (this ingredient can be omitted if you wish)

The sauce:
Peel shrimp and retain shells. Put shrimp in refrigerator until later.
In a large saute pan, add 2 TBS olive oil and over medium heat add shrimp shells. Saute shells until pink and then add tomato puree, cognac, and chicken stock. Slam the garlic with the side of a knife to crush, but don't worry about peeling as this will all be strained later. Add garlic and thyme sprigs. Simmer, uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until stock has reduced somewhat.
Pour contents into a sieve, chinois or fine mesh colander pressing on the solids to extract all the juice.
Put liquid in a saucepan and discard the solids. Don't bother to wash the saute pan, you will use it again below. On a medium-low heat bring stock to a simmer and then add cream. Keep this simmering gently until reduced by approx 1/3. You are just looking to concentrate the flavours here. If you taste it think it is fine, then stop. Don't worry about the quantity of liquid you end up with.

The rest:
While the sauce is simmering. Chop bell peppers into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Chop onion into regular sized dice. There are a few schools on the sausage. Some remove the casing and chop sausage into 1/2 chunks. Some leave the casings on. I guess it all depends on how fresh your sausage are or your personal preferance.
Return the saute pan to the stove and over medium-high heat add 2 TBS olive oil. When hot add the shrimp and saute til just pink. Remove shrimp to a bowl. To pan add onions and chorizo. Saute until onions are softening (not brown) and then add peppers. Once the peppers start to soften add the shrimp back and pour in the sauce. Check for salt and pepper now. I don't add it earlier because of all the reduction and the chorizo is usually a bit salty as well.
If you like Old bay seasoning and want an authentic taste, add the Old Bay. If you don't like it, leave it out.
Simmer this about 5 more minutes and then it is ready.

You can serve this over rice or with a loaf of bread on the side or all on its lonesome.

Hungarian Gulyas (Goulash)

This recipe is at the behest of a kitchen in brabant. I hope I'm not preaching to the converted, but I'll include some of the history that is included in the recipe. This comes from a cookbook my grandmother handed down to me. It is called 'The Cuisine of Hungary' by George Lang.

Gulyas: (There should be an accent over the a) The origins of the soup can be traced to the ninth century - shepherds cut their meat into cubes, cooked it with onion in a heavy iron kettle (bogracs) and slowly stewed the dish until all the liquid evaporated. They dried the remnants in the sun (probably on their sheepskin capes), and then put the dried food in a bag made of sheep's stomach. Whenever they wanted food, they took out a piece of dried meat, added some water and reheated it. With a lot of liquid, it became gulyas soup (gulyasleves); if less liquid was added, it became gulyas meat (gulyashus). Even today this distinction exists, probably to mystify foreigners and foreign cookbook writers.

The more parts of beef and beef inards are used, the better the gulyas will be. Of course, lard and bacon (either one or both) and chopped onion are absolute musts.
Never use and flour, Never use any other spice besides caraway, Never Frenchify it with wine, Never Germanize it with brown sauce. Never put in any other garniture besides diced potatoes or galuska (dumplings).

There are three other dishes around this base of Gulyas. The first is called Porkolt (umlaut over both o's) which means 'singed'. The closest translation would be 'dry-stewed'. I had to include this quote because it made me laugh. The Hungarian writer Julius Krudy, who was especially fond of Porkolt, mused: "Onion, the apple of the earth, is able to emit such scents as women meeting lovers do. Hot bacon drippings, the lover of the onion, keeps asking sizingly from the top of the stove: why was I born?--The onion then passionately explains everything...."
One is called Paprikas (again accent over the a) :The chief difference between Porkolt and Paprikas is that Paprikas is finished with sour cream, sometimes mixed with a little flour, but always stirred before serving.
His quotes and not mine "You may never use cream of any kind for Gulyas or Porkolt".
Finally there is Tokany (accent over the a). The word comes form the Romanian toscana, meaning ragout.
It carries on with a page or so of variations for Tokany.

Here is the recipe for Kettle Gulyas Bogracsgulyas
2 medium sized onions
2 TBS lard
2.5 pds beef chuck or round , cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 pd beef heart (optional), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 garlic clove (I'll admit to adding more)
Pinch of Caraway seeds
Salt
2 TBS "Noble Rose paprika (They are very specific about the type of paprka saying all others are merely colourants)
1 medium-sized ripe tomatoe
2 green frying or Italian peppers
1 pd. potatoes

Little dumplings (to follow)

1. Peel onions and chop into course pieces. Melt lard in a heavy 6 to 8 quart dutch oven. Saute onions in lard. Heat should be low in order not to brown the onions.
2. When the onions become glossy, add beef and beef heart. Stir so that during this process, which should last for 10 minutes, the meat will be sauted with the onions.
3. Meanwhile chop and crush the garlic with the caraway seeds and a little salt; use the flat side of a heavy knife.
4. Take kettle from heat. Stir in paprika and the garlic mixture. Stir rapidly with a wooden spoon. Immediately after paprika is absorbed, add 2.5 quarts warm water. (Cold water toughens meat if you add it while the meat is frying).
5. Replace covered kettle over low heat and cook for about 1 hour.
6. While the braising is going on, peel the tomato, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Core green peppers and slice into rings. Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4 inch dice.
7. After the meat has been braised for about 1 hour (the time depends on the cut of the meat), add the cut-up tomato and green peppers and enough water to give a soup consistancy. Add a little salt. Simmer slowly for another 30 mintues.
8. Add potatoes, and cook the Gulyas till done. Adjust salt. Add hot cherry pepper pods if you want to make it spicy hot.
9. Cook the dumplings in the stew.
10, Serve the Gulyas steaming hot in large extra deep bowls. The meat should be tender but not falling apart.

Note:
Variations:
I. Some (and I find this funny as well, because a cookbook would never say this now) housewives start with small pieces of smoked bacon instead of lard.
II. Paloc soup: The city cousin. This is a mutton gulyuas eith a lot of green beans and sour cream.
III. porkolt If you eliminate most of the liquid and cook the meat down to its fat you get porkolt.
IV. Beer Gulyas: Make the same way as above but substitute beer for water in step 4.

Flank Steak with Rosemary and Garlic

This is one of husbands faves. It turns Flank steak, (also called Flank steak fillet, jiffy steak or London Broil) tender from marinating in the soy sauce. I make this a day or two ahead so it has time to mix and mingle. All measurements can be adjusted according to your like/dislike of garlic or level of sweetness desired. Remember when you choose this type of steak it will shrink quite a bit when you cook it.

1/4 cup Lite (low sodium) Soy Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable, but olive I think gives better flavour)
4 - 5 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and roughly chopped.
2 sprigs of rosemary approx 4 to 5 inches long. Strip off the green and roughly chop.
3 - 4 TBS honey
LOTS of fresh ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in plastic container and stir to incorprate the honey. Add flank steak. Put lid on and give it a good shake. Refrigerate overnight or better, 1 to 2 days. Turn steak over in marinade occasionally and shake to mix ingredients.

You can either cook this on a grill, in a grill pan or in the broiler. Be careful, because of the honey it will scorch if you are to close to the flame.
Cook on 1 side for 8 - 10 minutes and flip for 8 - 10 more. I won't put fast and hard times here since really, you can't. Your steak might be thicker or thinner. Your charcoal of gas fire hotter or cooler. Just use common sense.

There ar two important things to remember.

1) Let it rest! When it is cooked. Put it on a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Heat the plates, finish the veg, whatever. Just don't cut it yet.

2) Slice it across the grain. Never slice this type of steak with the grain unless you really like to give your jaw muscles a workout.

I usually serve this on a bed of leeks with other side veg.

Johnnie's Balls**

**Sorry, I just had to title it that.  These are my cousin Johnnie's yummy meatballs and my gravy.

Gravy - Spagetti Sauce if you're not from Boston
3 - 28oz tins kitchen ready tomatoes
1/2 small tin of tomato paste or about 1/2 tube.
1 large onion, diced
4 - 5 cloves garlic minced fairly small
1 TBS dried basil
1/2 TBS dried thyme
1/2 TBS garlic powder
1 TSP salt
1 packet splenda (if avoiding sugar) or 1 TBS sugar
olive oil for pan
ground pepper
water/chicken stock/wine

In a heavy bottomed, non-reactive pot large enough to cook the gravy and later the added meatballs, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until it starts to soften and then add minced garlic, saute further until everyone is soft.  Don't brown.  When ready add the 3 tins of tomatoes.  I usually run a little water into each tin and swirl around to get all the bits and add this to the pot as well.
Then add basil, thyme, garlic powder (if using), salt, pepper, splenda or sugar. 
Stir well and bring this to a simmer, that is a few volcanos at a time, not a rolling boil.  Be careful as gravy and polenta are like napalm on your skin.  Leave the lid ajar to let out a bit of the evaporated moisture, but on enough to still be able to capture spatters.*  Cook for 1 hour, stirring frequently.  Add either chicken stock, wine or water to thin it out a bit maybe 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup and then cook 1 more hour.  You can shut it off and cool it at this point if you are going to use it later.

The balls

1.5 pds ground beef
2 eggs
3 - 4 TBS bread crumbs
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 small onion diced fine
Lots of FRESH grated parmesan.  Approx 1/3 - 1/2 cup.**
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to preferance

The key now is to not handle it to much, that will make your meatballs tough.  Squish everything together, fingers work best, until blended and no more.  Take a quantity of the mixture in your hand and roll around to make balls that are about 2 inches in diameter.
When all the balls are made, heat a heavy bottomed saute pan with either olive oil or render some chopped up pancetta.  Add meatballs in batches so they are not crowded and saute until lightly brown on all sides, not very long on each side.  As each one finishes, plop them in the gravy, this is where they will finish cooking.  (Johnnie on the other hand skips this step and puts them right in the sauce to cook, no browning. *8 I have found that I prefer this method as well.  The meatball absorbs the sauce taste and vice versa - very good.  I suggest trying this way at least once)
Simmer in gravy for an hour and check one to see how it looks.  Be careful when you stir so you don't break up the meatballs.

*Put a little plate on the counter with a piece of bread on it.  Use this to rest the spoon on after each stir of the gravy.  That is one yummy piece of bread by the time you are done!
** The quantity is vague because it really depends on how fine you grate your cheese.

Modified Boeuf bourguignon

I love Sunday. Fire in the kitchen fireplace, tea, the paper and breakfast, lazing about. Husband and I tossed together the following and it is now bubbling gently in the oven for an hour and a half.
If we want we can have it tonight, if not it's dinner for one night during the week.
Since we are watching carbs (we aren't on Atkins or South Beach, just taking notice) we omitted the carrots. Sadly they are husband's favourite. I'd rather get my carbs out of the extra onion and garlic and wine. Typical Italian chick...lol.

Modified Boeuf bourguignon

3 - 4 strips good bacon cut into matchstick sized lardons
olive oil (if needed)
1.5 Pds Steak tips Cut into chunks, patted dry, salted and peppered.
1 spanish onion cut pole to pole
4 - 5 cloves garlic, smashed with a knife, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup cognac
1 full bottle good red wine
1 tin beef broth (or half tin of broth and half D'Artagnan Duck & Veal Demi-Glace)
2 (or more) TBS tomato paste
4 - 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 - 2 Teaspoons ground pepper

Add-ins
Mushrooms 1 -2 cups assorted.
parsley
pearl onions

Heat oven to 350

Cut the meat and place on a double layer of paper towel. Blot all over with towels to dry. Salt and pepper them.
Using a dutch oven or anything that can go from the stove to the oven with a tight fitting lid, saute the bacon lardons until brown.

Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. If there is not enough oil in the pan to brown the meat then add a little olive oil. Add some of the meat to the pan and brown it on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon to the plate with the lardons. Continue until all meat has been browned.

Add sliced onion to pan and stir and fry until onions are soft and starting to take on colour. Add chopped garlic and stir another minute or two.
Put meat, lardons and accumulated juices back in pan. Carefully add the 1/2 cup of cognac. Since I am adventurous, I like to flame it for a cheap thrill. If you choose not to or are really attached to keeping your eyebrows you can just cook it a bit longer until the strong scent of alcohol dissipates.
Next add the broth (and Demi-Glace if using.) and then whole bottle of wine. Glug, glug, glug.
Add your tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Stir and bring up to a good simmer.
Add pepper and cover pan.
Place in the oven for 1.5 hrs or until meat is tender.
The whole house will smell good and anyone that stops by will think you are Julia Child.
If having later in the week. Remove from oven, cool and put in fridge.
Before serving (reheat if required).
Saute the mushrooms that you have cleaned and torn or chopped into large pieces in a little olive oil until they are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Add to the pot.
Feeling like having a mundane task? Buy regular pearl onions, blanch, peel, saute in butter til slightly softened and add to the pot.
Feeling lazy? Buy package of frozen pearl onions, snip open package. Tip into pot.
Don't like pearl onions? Skip them.

Like it a bit thicker than it is? I won't give precise measurements for most thickeners since instructions and desired thickness is a preference not a steadfast rule.
Try any one of the following:
Beurre Manie: 2 TBS butter mixed with 3 TBS flour mixed into a paste and added to simmering stew stirred until think for about 5 - 6 minutes.
Xanthan Gum stirred in will make it a bit thicker and silky. A little goes a long way.
Arrowroot and water mixed together and added.
Cornstarch and water mixed together and added.

Chop a bit of parsley leaf to sprinkle on top. Tastes good and makes it look like it came out of a Bistro kitchen.

Serve on, or with, any of the below:
Mashies
Cauliflower Mash
Pomme Frites from the oven
Thick rustic slice of bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic.

MORE WINE!!!!