Day 2...Still snowing...Lamb Shank Ragu' on Cheese Grits

Day 2 and I needed to use up some of the lamb in the freezer.  Opted for this new recipe from Gourmet October 2009 issue.  As usual, there are about 25 ingredients involved!  WHY do I do this to myself?  Fortunately, I had everything I needed....with one exception...BOURBON!  SOMEONE had used up the last drop in the house.  Lucky for us, our neighbors spotted us or else Mr. Reyer would not have gotten this delectable dinner.  That will teach him!!!

So the ingredients are making the house smell awesome while it simmers for three hours on the stove.  The bourbon, honey and garlic in combination with all the chopped vegetables and the tomatoes make for a beautiful bouquet for the nose.  The lamb nestled in the midst of all that yummy goodness is simmering and just soaking up all those yummy flavors. At the end of the day this was an absolutely delicious pairing of cheese grits (a Southern thing) with lamb simmered in a delectable Bourbon sauce.  The two different tastes were awesome together.  This is the kind of recipe you usually only get when you eat out at a really nice restaurant where the chef spends all day nursing his dish.  Thank you, Gourmet!  We loved it!!!

 

Snowy Friday. Day 1, Let the cooking begin...Chicken Piccata

So we are prepared to be snowed in for the next three days and my mind is racing with all the possibilities and creativity that can come from our cozy kitchen. I have been to the store now three times and my pantry is in pretty good shape so I should be able to make most anything happen.  Now to just figure it out...Day 1 did not disappoint.

Breakfast was homemade sausage gravy and biscuits (a dish we affectionately call hog sweat here in the "usually sunny" South).  When I make it I add lots of sage and fennel to the sausage.  I only eat this about once a year.  I may need to rethink that logic.

 For dinner I revisited two recipes.  The first, a grilled Caesar Salad served warm.  The second, an Italian recipe from Cooks Illustrated 2014 All Time Best Recipes...Chicken Piccata.  I had made this for a large dinner party about a year ago and people still talk about it.  At the time I thought it was pretty good, but anyone who knows me knows I am very critical of my own cooking when others are partaking.  I rated it at the time as "pretty good."  For Cooks Illustrated that is a pretty low rating from me.  Christopher Kimball is meticulous in his methods and his assessments and he usually nails it.  With my scientific background I love to read his logic.  Upon revisiting this recipe I must concur with both my friends and the CI team.  I rarely order this dish because it never blows me away when I have eaten it out in restaurants.  I believe CI has hit the nail on the head when they allude to the fact that people try to "overdo" what should be a simple dish.  Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it is too floury or too bland.  This version is bright and clear and the lemon and capers just "kiss" the chicken.  Sometimes the simple recipes remind me that all good cooking does not have to be too difficult or too overthought.  I will definitely be making this again.  Bon appetit!

Southern homemeade biscuits and sausage gravy

Italian Chicken Piccata served over pasta

Grilled Caesar Salad

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/videos/3689-chicken-piccata

Snowy night

First snowy winter day.  Homemade black bean soup.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love soup.  Paired with a nice red and corn muffins.  Yum!  Happy tummys here!

Pre Christmas with Family

So last weekend we were privileged enough to spend the day for the first time in ages with Kevin's WHOLE family, minus one nephew-in-law (my favorite nephew-in-law, for the record! Missed you, David!).  My sister-in-law, Edith, is a fabulous cook and we feasted on a divine lamb stew and delicious kale salad from her garden.  Super yummy and not a drop left.  Also, treated to a special treat...a Gearhart's chocolate cake (notice the 24 karat edible gold on top)!  Divine!  Great job, as always, Edith!  Wish we had taken more pictures.  Love you all!  

Christmas 2015

Christmas dinner....My first big attempt at my regular kind of cooking for a group since my injury.  Turned out great despite my respite.  Matthew's favorite party mix (he tells me "it's the reason for the season") along with a fresh-from-our-garden cauliflower, fresh fig and olive appetizer started the feast.  Followed by Ruth's homemade parsnip soup which was super yummy and a divine grilled Caesar salad that I recently discovered at The Belvedere Inn in Lancaster, PA.  I've never had any salad quite like it.  Lightly grilled romaine topped with a homemade Caesar dressing, Parmesan Reggiano and homemade croutons, served straight off the grill.  Super simple, and a conversation piece, for sure.

Second course...Delicious Craig County lamb shoulder roast (thank you, Jaimie Oliver) served with a caper gravy and fresh mint,  risotto with butternut squash oil drizzled on top, mixed petite potatoes, and two new salads from, yet again, Yotam Ottolenghi.  The first, a warm lentil, radicchio and walnut dish with manuka honey.  This dish could be a meal in itself.  The bitterness of the radicchio paired beautifully with the sweet honey.  The warm lentils, the grilled radicchio in combination with the honey spiced walnuts, shaved pecorino cheese, basil, dill and parsley again reminded me of why I love Yotam's creativity.  I am not experienced enough to know how to pair so many tastes together and make them work; three spices are about my limit.  Yotam is a genius at this.

The second salad was a cold tomato and roasted lemon salad.  Lots of flavorful tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and red onions tossed with a reduced pomegranate syrup, mint leaves, parsley and blanched lemons slices that are then dried in the oven.  All this makes for one very flavorful and colorful salad.  

All this delicious food was too much for us to enjoy the beautiful chocolate cake my dear friend, Eva, gave us.  Not to worry...we will save it for another day!  My little broken wings were totally worn out, but I can still dream of getting back in the kitchen.  I never was one for baby steps!  

Merry Christmas and God bless us every one!!!

According to Matthew..."Party mix...the reason for the season."

NOPI

I did it!  I did it!  After six weeks of healing my two broken wrists and receiving very generous meals from friends every day, like manna from heaven, I decided to test my two little paws and open a cookbook and try something new.  I truly haven't stepped foot in the kitchen since my accident other than to be served by friends.  I promise, it felt like a crack addict getting their first hit once they leave rehab (seriously!).  I hope my former culinary crushes will forgive me as I once again gravitated to my current crush, Yotam Ottolenghi, and his newest cookbook, NOPI.  Named after his London restaurant, Yotam makes no excuses when he begins with a disclaimer that this is a restaurant cookbook, not so much for the home kitchen.  OnThe Morning Show the other day Yotam said this book is not for the faint hearted, but not insurmountable.  In fact, he really got my attention AGAIN when he said this cookbook is designed to challenge you.  Game on, Yotam!

While I found a degree of complexity to the recipe, I did not particularly find it to be any more difficult than his other cookbooks, Plenty More and Jerusaleum.  More to the point is the long list of ingredients one must have.  Like all of his recipes I have tested so far, Yotam chooses ingredients that I would not have necessarily thought to put together.  In my mind, that is his brilliance...and THAT takes me to a new level.  Tonight's fare was Lamb Meatballs with Warm Yogurt and Swiss Chard.  Yotam, you had me at "lamb" and "yogurt"!  Combine all that with a combination of cinnamon, coriander, allspice and mint and my tastebuds were screaming!  Top it all off with fresh pomegranate and cilantro and I was drowning in a symphony of flavors.

While my wrists continue to heal I will continue to enjoy the next month of lovingly prepared meals that are scheduled to arrive, but secretly I will be dreaming of Yotam, a good glass of red wine and several hours of cooking in the evenings.  How long will the "hit" last???!

1kg lamb mince

150g fresh breadcrumbs 
70g pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
2 tsp ground coriander 
½ tsp dried mint
4 tsp ground allspice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
60ml olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
300g Swiss chard, stalks and leaves separated, leaves roughly shredded
300ml chicken stock 
40ml lemon juice
500g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 2 tsp water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Seeds of 1 medium pomegranate (optional)
20g coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Put the first six ingredients in a large bowl with half the allspice, half the garlic, two teaspoons of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix to combine, then shape into 5cm-wide meatballs weighing 50g each. You should make about 24 balls.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan, add the onions and remaining garlic and fry on a medium heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened but not taken on any colour. Add the chilli and chard, cook for two to three minutes, until the chard has wilted, then stir in the remaining allspice, the stock and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Put the yoghurt, cornflour paste and egg in a large bowl with 150ml of water. Whisk to a smooth paste, then gradually spoon in the hot chard mixture, stirring well after each addition, until well combined. Stir in two teaspoons of salt and a good crack of black pepper, and set aside.

Pour the remaining oil into a large, high-sided saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and fry for four minutes, turning a few times so they brown all over. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining meatballs, adding a little more oil if need be.

Wipe down the pan and pour in the yoghurt sauce. Bring to a very gentle simmer on a medium-low heat – it should barely be bubbling – and stir continuously in one direction to prevent it curdling. Return the meatballs to the pan (they should just be submerged in sauce), cover and cook on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, until cooked through. Serve at once, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, if using, and coriander.

Thanksgiving 2015 with an Asian Flair

 Thanks to Cheng and Maria for the delicious holiday meal.  Not only did we have the traditional fare, but Cheng, a former restaurateur, made two meals!!! This was such an awesome treat! Cheng, I cannot wait for the personal Thai cooking classes!   I took just a few pictures to remember your delicious Asian cooking.  Sorry I missed taking pictures of the dumplings, crab balls and other appetizers, as well as the turkey and all the fixings.  We enjoyed sharing the holiday with your family and friends.  Thanks again for having us!  Maria, maybe we can take a few cooking classes when we go to Singapore!!!