A Winter Menu :: Friday Dinner with Friends

For dinner on Friday, I came up with a little feast of winter: fennel, lemons, parsnip, and rack of lamb. What better way to spend a friday night in the middle of January than with friends, at home, enjoying a roast? :-) 

I love rack of lamb.  And not just because I love roasts... which I do.  But, because it's incredibly flavorful, in a very delicate, mild way, not the game-y flavor people usually think of when they hear 'lamb'.  The meat remains rare and tender, and the herbs are perfectly aromatic.  It really is a beautiful dish...and don't tell anybody, but it's pretty easy to cook.  Season the lamb, and place in the oven ... that's it. Really! 

When buying the meat (which I usually do the day i'm going to cook it, I never buy frozen), I ask the butcher to 'french' the rack of lamb, which means that they take the fat off the bones and give it it's beautifully elegant shape.  But I ask them to give me those trimmings.  It seasons  the roast, and helps keep it from drying.  In fact, the crispy fat gets so delicious in the oven, I always serve it on the platter.  A. quickly devours it!  

If your butcher does not have a rack the size you need, but a smaller one and then get individual pieces (lamb lollipops) and place in the baking dish along with the roast.  Just be careful, because the loose pieces will cook faster, so remove them from the oven a bit before the rack is ready.

I served it with a creamy puree of parsnip and a fresh salad of shaved fennel (which is officially my new favorite vegetable!).  Don't you love winter dinners? So rich and comforting.

Enjoy!

Winter Dinner Menu:

- Rosemary Thyme Roasted Frenched Rack of Lamb

- Shaved Fennel Salad

- Parsnip Puree

ROSEMARY THYME ROASTED RACK OF LAMB

Rack of lamb (assume about 3 pieces per person)

Sprigs of Rosemary

Sprigs of Thyme

Herbes de Provence (about a tablespoon)

a generous tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

Olive Oil (about 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt & Pepper

Red Wine (about half a bottle)

Place the lamb and trimmings on a baking dish with the fat side facing up.  Rub the lamb with olive oil and mustard.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and herbes de provence.  Add the wine, lemon juice, and Worcester sauce to the baking dish.  Place the sprigs of rosemary and thyme underneath the rack loosening a few leaves beforehand and rubbing it on the roast.  Allow the lamb to marinate for 1 hour in the fridge. Place the trimming over the rack for extra flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Cook the lamb until the inside temperature reaches 125F (medium rare) about 25 minutes but keep an eye on it and make sure you do not overcook. Then set the oven on broil (500F) and cook the lamb for another 5 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven, set the lamb on a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.  You can serve the rack already cut, or cut at the table.  I like to serve it cut, carve each piece between the bones.  Serve with the red wine sauce and fat.

PARSNIP PUREE

5 large Parsnips, peeled

2 tablespoons Heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add plenty of salt. Chop parsnips into 1" pieces. Cook the parsnip until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the water and transfer the parsnip to a large bowl. Using an immersion blender or mixer, start to puree. Add the cream, and salt & pepper to taste. You can mix it to be as smooth or as chunky as you want... I like it somewhere in between. Serve immediately, or cover and reheat briefly right before serving.

SHAVED FENNEL SALAD

(serves 4)

2 large bulbs of fennel

Good quality Olive Oil

Squeeze of Lemon juice

Kosher salt & ground pepper

Cut the stems off the fennel and remove the outer skin.  Place

Thinly cut the fennel (as thin as you can, try a mandolin).  Season with olive oil, a squeeze of a lemon (or orange!), and salt and pepper.  Serve chilled.

I ♥ Britain :: Minced Lamb Shepard's Pie

Summer is officially over and today was a sunny, and crisp autumn day here in NYC.  I woke up excited to wear my new schoolboy blazer (which has already become my fall uniform!), had breakfast coffee with A. , and we went on a quick trip to the farmer's market.  I then went to the West Village Library (how fitting with my new blazer!) and took a pile of books to a sunny table at Out of the Kitchen.  We drank cappuccinos as I skimmed through my new finds... a perfect afternoon!

Yes, I am now the proud owner of a New York Library card!  It's pretty amazing... I had forgotten about the wonders of a library.  I got my card and went straight to the "640 section - Cookbooks" and started choosing.  I got three books and went to checkout... it's been such a long time since I've been in a library that I took out my wallet as the librarian scanned my books... then I remembered: it's free!  I'll be coming back very often.  :-)

My first choice was "Tea & Sympathy", the story and cookbook behind the famous West Village tea shop.  I so enjoyed the book, that I finished it today.  

Well, inspired and craving British grub... we cooked Minced Lamb Shepard's Pie based on the Tea & Sympathy recipe of this British favorite.  We replaced the ground beef with minced lamb, and I seasoned the lamb with my usual lamb seasoning mix (I think lamb always needs to be seasoned before cooking).  A. also had the idea to leave the skin on the potatoes for the mash... and it was a great addition.  

Who ever said British food was boring and bland was obviously trying to keep all the Shepard's pie to himself!  My next British endeavor: scones!

Enjoy!

MINCED LAMB SHEPARD'S PIE (adapted from Tea & Sympathy)

1 lb lamb meat, minced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Dash of cumin

1 tsp white vinegar

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 tbsp Worcester Sauce

1 large tomato (or 2 medium tomatoes)

1 cup beef stock (if you are not making your own, I prefer an organic version like Pacific brand)

3 bay leaves 

3 carrots, cooked and chopped

1 1/2 cups of cooked green peas

Extra-sharp Vermont cheddar, shredded

For the mashed potatoes:

3 lbs Idaho potatoes

1/2 stick of butter

3/4 cups of milk

salt and pepper to taste

Season the minced lamb meat (or ground meat) with the garlic, vinegar, lime juice, and a dash of salt, pepper, and cumin.  In a large saute pan over high heat, cook the chopped onion until they become clear.  Add the seasoned lamb meat to the pan and brown.  Add the tomato juice, beef stock, Worcester sauce, and bay leaves.  Continue to cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.  The liquids should reduce to 1/3 of their original state.

Prepare the mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in large wedges until soft.  When cooked, strain the potatoes (you can leave the skins on, or at this point you can easily remove... we left the skins on and it resulted in great texture!)and in a large bowl combine them with the butter, milk, salt and pepper.  By hand or with a hand mixer, bring the potatoes to a smooth consistency.  Taste for salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Quickly cook the peas and carrots in boiling water or a steamer.  Do not overcook.  You want them al-dente.  Remove from the water and place in a bowl of ice water to prevent them from losing their color.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  When you are ready to assemble your pie, combine the peas and carrots with the lamb. In ramekins, or a large oven dish layer the lamb and vegetables first to about half way of your container, then layer an equally thick serving of the mashed potatoes.  Top with the shredded cheese.

Cook for 25 minutes.  Afterwards, place the oven on broil in order for the cheese to brown for a couple of minutes.

Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.  You can serve with a side salad and simple vinaigrette.

PS: Since it was just the 2 of us for dinner tonight I made small loaf pans of the Shepard's pies to freeze.  Cover with wax paper and a rubber band, and place in a Ziploc freezer bag, and simply reheat in the oven when you are ready for seconds. :-)

Dinner w/Friends :: Spanish Lamb & Eggplant Paella

Last year, my parents gave A. a large paella pan for his birthday. Along with the pan, came the recipe to my father's deliciously wonderful seafood paella!  We've been making seafood paella all year to much satisfaction, but this morning A. woke up and said he wanted to attempt a lamb paella.

I love lamb!  So I happily went along with the idea and we invited our neighbors - M. & G. along with their dog Lola, and our friends S. and L., over for dinner.  We spent the rest of the day walking around the neighborhood getting all of the supplies ready.

...The arroz bomba (rice) from Citarella, the saffron from Gourmet Garage, the veggies from Chelsea Market, and the wine from Le Du on Washington St.  

I love the amount of work that goes into a paella, it makes it taste that much better in the end. But don't be scared or hesitant to try it for yourself. Believe me - our kitchen is 6x7!  With a little prep this makes the perfect meal for when you are entertaining.   You don't have to start the cooking till your guests arrive, and everybody enjoys getting a sneak peak of how its going along.  Clean up is easy since it is all in one pan!  You can even cut this recipe in half, or even a third, and make a small paella for 2 in a large cast iron skillet if you don't have a paella pan.

A. does all of the chopping and marinating in the afternoon and then puts everything in little plastic bags ready to go, even the measured out amounts of spice.  When guests arrive, all you have to do is turn on the stove, and start cooking!

LAMB & EGGPLANT PAELLA (adapted from "Paella!" by Penelope Casas) Serves 8

1 pound eggplant (1/2 inch cubes, skin on) + 1 eggplant sliced.

8 cups chicken broth (if using a store bought broth, add a bit of celery, onion, cilantro and pepper and bring to a boil before using...even chicken pieces if you have some handy)

1/4 tsp saffron threads

8 + 2 tbsp olive oil, separated

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb (cubed)

Juice of one lime

3/4  tsp cayenne pepper

1 + 1/2 tsp ground cumin, separated

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

8 + 3 cloves garlic, minced, and separated

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

4 cups Spanish Rice (Arroz Bomba)

1 cup green peas (defrost if you are using the frozen kind)

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Season the lamb with 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp cumin, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and salt.  Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.  Season Eggplant with salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Add the saffron the the broth and bring to a boil.  Allow to sit over low heat.

Heat the olive oil in the paella pan, over medium/high heat.  Take the lamb out of the fridge and pat each piece dry w/paper towels.  You want to make sure to remove excess liquid from the lamb pieces, else they will not brown.  Quickly saute the lamb until you have an outer crust (in should not be fully cooked).  Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.  Add the onion, peppers, and garlic to the the pan and saute until softened.   Add the eggplant pieces and saute for 1 minute.  Then add the tomato, parsley, oregano and cumin.  Stir occasionally and let cook until the liquids have evaporated.  Stir in the rice, and mix all ingredients in the pan until rice is coated with the mixture.

Add the broth, and taste for salt.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can now add the lamb back into the pan, and allow it to continue to boil until the broth has been absorbed by the rice (roughly 10 minutes).  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue to cook over low heat until rice is al dente, time will vary but allow about 20 minutes.  Add peas.

When the rice is ready, remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Use the final eggplant slices to decorate.  Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve w/slices of lime! 

Enjoy!