Tag: lamb

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Recipes

herb-crusted rack of lamb and potatoes anna

I made this dish for Jordan’s birthday, which was over two months ago (!!!) making this post terribly delayed and me a horrendous blogger. But, lamb is always good, so why not share. This lamb turns out beautifully. The crust is delicious and compliments the perfectly medium rare and oh so tender lamb. For us, this is a special occasion dish—rack of lamb is pricey. But when you love food like Jordan loves food, birthday splurges are in order.

Don’t be scared off by the anchovies in the recipe. They compliment the slight gaminess of lamb and don’t add a fishy taste.

03-30-13-12

Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops, adapted from Ad Hoc at Home
1 frenched 8-bone rack of lamb
kosher salt and pepper
canola oil
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cloves garlic confit
3 anchovy fillets (rinsed and patted dry)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped

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Score the fat covering the lamb in a 1/2 inch crosshatch pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Take care to not cut into the meat. Season the rack of lamb on all sides with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and position one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack in the center.  Heat some canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. Put the lamb fat side down and sear until golden brown. Transfer the lamb to the cooling rack fat side up.

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Combine mustard and honey in a small bowl; set aside. Combine butter, garlic and anchovies in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer the puree into a medium bowl and add the bread crumbs and herbs. Stir until just combined.

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Brush the fat side of the lamb with the mustard mixture. Spread the bread crumbs evenly over the lamb, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs.  Put the lamb in the oven with the meat side toward the back and cook for 25-35 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 128 degrees. Let the racks rest in a warm place for 15 – 20 minutes for medium rare lamb. Carve into two bone chops and serve.

03-30-13-10

Potatoes Anna
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled
4 tablespoons butter, cut into thin slivers
salt

I’m not really sure why these are called potatoes anna, but that is what Jordan calls them and so that is what we’ll call them here. They are his favorite way to eat potatoes and for good reason. Crispy and soft at the same time and oh so buttery—perfection in a side dish.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes unto 1/4-inch thick slices. I use a mandolin to make this faster and easier.  Arrange the potatoes in rows, slightly overlapping. Scatter thinly sliced pats of butter over the potatoes and season liberally with salt. Bake 35 – 45 minutes in a 425 degree oven, until parts of the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Serve with roasted meats, sautéed fish, a fried egg, whatever protein you can get your hands on.

03-30-13-11

-Emily

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Recipes

lamb burgers with cucumber yogurt sauce

These burgers were part of our “summer menu” last weekend. They were delicious. In fact, everyone finished their burger before coming up for air to say that they liked it. Do note, it is best if you can mix the meat and cucumber sauce a few hours in advance so the flavors have time to combine. If you’re not making these on a leisurely weekend, you could easily mix both the night before.

This is what a leisurely weekend looks like around these parts.

For the burgers, adapted from The Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis
This recipe makes enough to serve six.
2 lbs ground lamb
1/2 onion, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
six burger buns

Mix lamb, grated onion, grated garlic, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors come together. Grill the burgers over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side.

For the cucumber yogurt sauce, adapted from The Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis
2 cups greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into half moons
2 T mint, thinly sliced
2 T chives, chopped
2 T dill, chopped
zest and juice of one lemon
salt and pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving. We used this as a burger condiment, but I also had some as a salad the next day. Equally delicious.

Again, no finished product photo. My apologies!

-Emily

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Recipes

roasted leg of lamb with spring vegetables

Well, well, this post is a bit delayed considering I cooked the lamb on Easter, but it was delicious and most certainly worth writing about. Holidays around these parts mostly focus on the food and to celebrate Easter I cooked my first leg of lamb. I love lamb, but rarely have a reason to cook more than a few shanks or meatballs—being a family of two and all. This year I decided to go all out and invited 10 people plus a leg of spring lamb to the party!

I used Judy Rodger’s recipe from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Her roasted meats have never let us astray. For this recipe, you’ll want to salt and tie the meat a day or two in advance, but it will only take about an hour to cook and rest. It is crucial not to overcook the lamb and loose the tenderness of a young lamb.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Spring Vegetables, from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook
One 3-4 lb leg of spring lamb, off the bone
1 branch rosemary, leaves stripped off
6 cloves garlic, smashed
salt
kitchen twine

For the sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 chicken broth
salt and pepper

For the vegetables
2 bunches carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
2 bunches spring onions, sliced lengthwise thinly
2 bunches beets, cut into quarters
olive oil
salt and pepper

One day before you plan to cook the lamb, salt both the inside and outside of the lamb leg. Judy recommends a scant 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt per pound of meat. I followed this recommendation and it was perfection.  On the inside of the leg, press the garlic cloves into the flesh and sprinkle with the rosemary. Tie up the leg like a typical roast. Wrap lightly in the paper from the butcher or plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Two hours to three before you plan to cook the lamb, take it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature. This is also a crucial step. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, scrub and slice the vegetables. Toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and arrange them in a roasting pan with room for the roast in the center.

Once your roast has come to temperature, place it and the vegetables in the oven. A 3 – 4 pound roast will cook for about 40 minutes. You’ll want the internal temperature to 124 degrees at the thickest part of the leg for a just-pink roast. I’d recommend you check it a few times while cooking.

Once your roast has reached the correct temperature, remove it from the oven and place on a cutting board. Tent it with foil and let it rest for 15 – 20 minutes while you make the pan sauce.

Remove the veggies from the pan and place in a serving dish. Turn your oven to warm and put the veggies inside.

Place the roasting pan over two burners over medium heat. We didn’t have much fat in the pan so we added some butter. Once the butter is foaming, add the flour and cook until light brown. Deglaze with some red wine. Add the chicken broth and let the sauce reduce until thickened slightly.  Season with salt and pepper and pour into a serving dish.

Slice the lamb into 1/2 inch slices. Serve with veggies and a spoonful of sauce. We also served mashed potatoes to sop up that glorious lamb sauce. Super easy, minimal active cooking time and a crowd pleaser.

-Emily

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Recipes

soup with lamb meatballs and winter greens

Ahhh, the last of the winter greens.  Although, I have grown to love winter greens, I admit that I am tired of them. Thanks to our CSA, over the past few months, I’ve eaten more kale than the rest of my life combined. This soup is (hopefully) our final farewell to winter greens, though I’m sure I be missing them after summer’s onslaught of tomatoes.

Soup with Lamb Meatballs and Winter Greens

You’ll want to start with the meatballs since they take about 30 minutes to cook. After they are in the oven, prepare the broth.

For the meatballs
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, herbs of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the lamb, egg, breadcrumbs and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. I also added some Italians spice blend, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you feel inclined to check for seasoning, heat a skillet with some olive oil and cook up a small bit of the meat mixture. Sample the cooked meat and adjust your seasonings. Form 1 inch balls out of the lamb mixture. Cook for about 30 minutes in the oven, or until the meatballs are firm to the touch.

For the soup
1 can crushed tomatoes (or two half-full bags of tomato sauce from your freezer)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 quart chicken stock (we used Jordan’s homemade stock, but store-bought would do just fine in this soup since the lamb is such a strong flavor)
1 cup dried pasta
3 cups winter greens, chopped (we have greens coming out of our ears!)
salt, pepper, chili flake

In a heavy stock pot or dutch oven, pour/defrost the tomatoes and broth over low heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of chili flake and simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. When your meatballs have about 5 minutes left of the cooking time, add the pasta. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes and then add the greens and meatballs. Simmer the whole mixture until the greens are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Not only is this soup a delicious use of an excess of greens, but it is a great one-pot meal. You’ve got your meat, starch and veggie all in one dish!

-Emily

Categories
Recipes

nothing says love like lamb ragu

Jordan and I had a low key Valentine’s day. In fact, the day of love kind of snuck up on us. But, because I am a lucky girl with a talented cook of a boyfriend, our Valentine’s day meal at home was just perfect.

Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu

1 lamb shank

1/2 c red wine

1/2 c stock

salt, pepper, chili flake

1 cup tomato sauce

1 lb fresh pappardelle pasta (It is worth springing for the fresh stuff for this dish. The thick noodles and the sauce just go great together)

Salt and pepper your lamb shank. Sear all sides in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Add a little red wine, broth and part of the tomato sauce. Braise in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours, until tender and falling off the bone. Remove shank from braising liquid to cool. Reduce braising liquid until the consistency of watery ketchup (Jordan’s description). Shred meat from bone and return to sauce.

Boil a pot of salted water. Add the remaining tomato sauce to the meat mixture and warm. Cook fresh pappardelle for 3 minutes. Add to sauce mixture and toss. Serve with grated parmesan, a little dab of ricotta, chives and a splash of olive oil. Jordan served it with blanched and broiled romanesco on the side.

Yummmmm! Delicious, comforting and balanced. A perfect winter dish!

-Emily

Categories
Restaurant Reviews

darbar date night

When Emily and I go to a restaurant, we ask a simple question: could I make this dish better?  Usually, this is really important when we review food in our comfort zone (american, french, etc.).  But when it comes to ethnic cuisine, we are not experts and usually the answer to the question above is no.  Of course, this doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate ethnic food and pick out the good places.

This just so happened when we went to Darbar, an Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Polk between California and Pine.  We’ve been there many times and it is consistently a pleasurable experience.  The atmosphere is nice and warm with cheesy murals and photos of Pakistan coating the walls.  There’s never a wait for a table and the service is usually pretty good, although they tend to be significantly slower when the room is more than half full with patrons.  They’ve shown improvement in this regard over the half a dozen times we’ve dined there.  Obviously these flaws are not enough to keep Emily and I away.  Darbar has some serious advantages too, namely the food and the price.

We have sampled most of the menu at Darbar and settled on some favorites.  From the appetizer section, the Vegetable samosas ($2) are very good with a very crisp crust and a satisfying potato filling.  They are very balanced and the tamarind sauce and mint chutney accompany them really nicely.  Before I continue, I would like to say that the mint chutney at Darbar is really excellent, one of the best I’ve had.  It’s spicy, acidic, and yet still tastes of fresh mint; I could put it on just about anything.  On our most recent visit, we ordered a Seekh Kebab ($2.5) from the pakistani side of the menu.  The spicy, ground beef came out sizzling on a hot cast iron skillet in all its clichéd glory, served with onions and lemon.  The meat itself was a bit dry, but the flavors were all there; the sweetness of the charring onion, the spices of the meat, and the acidity of the lemon worked together beautifully.

The main courses continue the trend of value and taste.  Darbar has a nice selection of curries and rice dishes as well as six varieties of naan and a dozen special menu items.  Everything we’ve had has been good, simple Indian food at a good price.  The creamier curries tend to be a bit mild in spice and flavor, but you can ask them to bump up the heat if you so desire.  Emily’s favorite dish is the Mater Paneer ($6), which is fresh cheese and peas cooked in a cream based curry.  The peas add a nice sweetness to the dish, which counters the spice of the sauce and the slight saltiness of the cheese.  We really love paneer chesse in this context; it is a relatively dry cheese with a slightly chewy texture.  This lack of creaminess is what makes it work so well with this curry.  My personal favorite dish is the Sindhi Biryani ($8); tender pieces of lamb cooked in curry, served with spicy saffron rice and riata.  Unlike the cream based curries, this dish comes pretty spicy.  The lamb is tender but sometimes a tiny bit dry, and the riata is very tasty, but not the best I’ve had.  It’s the rice that makes this dish; the blend of spices (cardamom, clove, etc.) excite the palate with every bite.  Even with the small flaws, the excellent rice brings the whole dish together in a way that really works.

To sum it up, Darbar is great Indian food and an excellent value (a dinner for two tends to cost $25-30 after tax and tip, and we leave with enough leftovers for lunch the next day).  Some downsides are the occasional service issues and the lack of a liquor license (although they do make a great mango lassie for $2).  The charm and quality of food definitely make up for any mistakes we’ve encountered.

Dessert after Darbar:

One confession regarding the above post: we’ve never had dessert at Darbar.  On or most recent trip this didn’t change, but we did try a crepe place right down the street.  Crepes Ooh La La is located at 1220 Polk St.  They have a large selection of both sweet and savory crepes and their prices are decent too.  Fortunately, this is not one of those trendy, sit down places; it’s more of a hole in the wall with two crepe burners in the front window and a counter in the back with tables in between.  I love a simple butter, sugar, and lemon juice crepe, so Emily and I shared one.  For $3, it was pretty tasty.   We got it to go so all the delicious juices ran to the bottom leaving the upper half a bit dry.  Overall, it was a nice experience and a pretty good crepe.  I would like to go back and try some of their other varieties and maybe have one in house to see if there is a better distribution of juices.  One word of warning though: certain additions (like strawberries for example) are pretty pricey, so some crepes end up being quite expensive.  But, since I haven’t tried any of their other crepes I can’t comment on them, so who knows, they might be worth it.

-Jordan