When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This is old news, but part three of consuming our home grown lamb happened on my birthday a few weeks ago. My wife prepared one of the shoulder roasts...a small-ish bone-in roast. We kind of assumed the shoulder roast would be tougher than a rump roast and so we looked for a nice “low and slow” recipe.
My wife found a really interesting recipe where you basically bore some small holes in the roast and stuff them. As shown in the pictures, the holes were stuff with rosemary (I think...it’s been a bit), a garlic clove or two and the little tan/brown chunks. Those...those are sardines. Yup, the lamb roast was stuffed with little bits of salty fish chunks. The recipe stated to absolutely not substitute the sardines, as abnormal as it might seem.
The recipe really wasn’t as much of a slow cooker as I expected so I was a bit apprehensive about how tender the meat would actually be.
My fears were wholly unwarranted...the roast was spectacular. The meat fell off the bone with just a little fork action and the flavor was superb. Once again, this breed of sheep is known for being very mild flavored and combined with this excellent recipe, the roast turned out extremely mild in regards to the flavor. Honestly, some bites seemed almost like a beef roast. My wife generally doesn’t really like lamb but she dug into this roast and really enjoyed it. It was so mild in fact that I could see someone who really prefers the flavor of lamb meat might be a little disappointed.
9 out of 10, would recommend. I hope my wife bookmarked the recipe, but I suppose there’s not too many recipes out there that call for lamb roast and sardines so it should be easy to find again.
On a related note...the Mom of the lamb we have in the freezer surprised us about a week ago by having twins one night when we weren’t really expecting it. We figured all or most of our Ewes are pregnant, but weren’t expecting lambs for a couple more weeks. One of the lambs is a boy, one is a girl.
So regardless of what happens, another years worth of lamb meat in the freezer is pretty much guaranteed. Now we just need to learn how to garden worth a damn...
Getting back to haute cuisine, after several weeks of gluttony. Mustard-roasted salmon, and creamy garlic-bacon mushrooms.
Start by washing and drying a pound and a half of small brown mushrooms.
Spread a half-pound of bacon on a rack, and bake at 350°F. Time depends on thickness and your preferences. I went about 35 minutes, checking at 5 minute intervals after 20. This is the thicker, drier kind you get at the butcher counter, not the thin, plastic-wrapped sort.
Prep the salmon glaze: mix 8oz creme fraiche, 4tbs mustard, half a shallot finely minced (the julienne on the smallest setting, followed by the knife), and 2 tbs capers. Dry the salmon and coat with salt & pepper. Slice into whatever size portions you desire. Place on a foil-lined baking dish skin side down, and coat with the glaze. Top with a few extra capers. Put that aside for the moment.
Heat up a few tbs ghee in a large pan, and add the mushrooms. Toss them around for a 10 minutes, to let them brown and release their moisture. Turn the heat down to medium, add 1/2 cup white wine and stir that around for another 5 minutes or so. Add 6 cloves minced garlic, and reduce heat to low. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tbs parsley, and 1 tsp thyme. Simmer until it thickens a bit. Salt & pepper to taste.
The bacon is done now, so pull it out and raise the oven to 425°.
Chop the bacon, and in with the mushrooms. Add a handful each of shredded mozzarella and your choice of romano / parmesan / asiago (I used a blend of the three.) Stir until the cheese is melted.
Transfer the mushroom mix into a baking pan.
Put both the salmon and the mushrooms into to the oven. The mushrooms will be done about the same time the fish is, 15 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Shrimp & Mushroom scampi, with garlic, Boston, Tom Petty and REO Speedwagon.
This one is pretty simple. Less than an hour start to finish. Meet the ingrediants:
Start by shelling 2 lbs raw shrimp, and slicing 1 lb small mushrooms.
In a skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil, cook the shrimp 3 minutes total, turning halfway. I had to do this in three batches, tipping the pan out into a large glass bowl after each batch.
Now, the mushrooms. Knowing that this would eventually move into the large soup pot, I did half the mushrooms in the skillet, and half in the pot, to save time. Same temperature, and again with olive oil. These will go for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. We want the mushrooms to expel most of their liquid, reduce, soften, and brown slightly.
Once at that point, move the skillet-mushrooms into the pot. Add 8 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 stick butter, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Stir until the butter melts, then add 3/4 cup chicken broth and 4 oz basil pesto.
Stir well, and then add the shrimp.
At this point, everything is fully cooked, and we've added relatively little liquid, so there's no need to reduce. We don't want to over-cook the shrimp, so turn off the heat, stir until everything is well mixed, and then plate.
I wasn't present for the construction but did arrive in time for the consumption so this isn't a recipe. It's more of an inspiration for you to devise your own.
Shredded chicken in homemade tomato sauce, made with fresh garlic, garlic greens, shallots, fresh oregano, salt and pepper. All of that was sauteed. Wrapped in zucchini slices made with a peeler. Covered in mozzarella and Kerrygold aged cheddar and then baked.
Worked late tonight. Didn't have the oomph to hit the grocery store, despite having a recipe prepped.
So this is a quick, improvised dinner. The theme is "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯?"
I don't know why there's a pound of pre-cooked shrimp in the freezer. I have no memory of purchasing it, but it's there. I've been pushing it out of the way for a while.
In the fridge, there's a half-jar of pesto, some romano / asiago cheese blend, and most of a jar of roasted red pepper in brine. And I have plenty of couscous.
Well, that sounds like a recipe to me.
Thaw the shrimp. Drain.
In a large pan, heat 1/3 stick of butter on medium. Not enough to brown the butter. Once melted, mix in a few cloves of crushed garlic and stir that around for a minute or two. Slice up a big handful of the red pepper and toss that in. Then add a spoonful of pesto, a few ounces of chicken broth, and a good shot of chili pepper flakes. And the shrimp. Simmer. Adjust to taste. Maybe a dash of worchestire sauce. And a little more crushed chili pepper.
Cook up a cup of pearl couscous per the label directions. Plate half of that. Sprinkle the cheese blend atop it, and then spoon the shrimp mix over that.
This one tuned out rather well, given that zero thought or preparation went into it. In fact, I'm going to stick it in the file. I'll doubtless do a "𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳-𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴" version in the future.
Salmon steaks with fresh broccoli, fennel, carrots, tomatoes, and onion from our garden. Sure is nice to have a garden this time of year. Everything but the fish came from the garden.
Mince up a whole onion, and put that in a large pan on medium with some olive oil. We're going to take it to "just about caramelized."
Mince up a lot of garlic, and reserve. How much is a lot? If you think it's enough, it's not. If you think it's too much, it's almost enough.
Slice up some sun-dried tomatoes. I'm using the kind that come in a jar with olive oil. Sun-dried tomatoes are a powerful flavor, and most times, are to be used sparingly. This is not most times. They are the star of the show, so I used a whole 8oz jar, and it was just the right amount.
As the onions are just about done, add a quarter stick of butter, the garlic, and the tomatoes. Stir for a few more minutes, and then reduce to low.
Add 1/3 cup vegetable broth. (The photo shows chicken broth. I noticed this mix up moment before pouring it in, and got the correct one). Add 1.5 cups heavy cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally. The cream will begin to brown.
Toss in about a half cup of shaved parmesan (splurge on the real stuff here.) Continue to simmer.
Cut the salmon, lightly salt & pepper it.
(Salmon-****)
In a heavy skillet, melt about 1 tbs of clarified butter, and than crank the heat up to "this seems way too high." Cook the salmon skin-side-up for about six minutes, then skin-side-down for about four, and then turn it with tongs to also sear the sides. The skin should be crisp and break easily.
Toss a handful of baby spinach into the sauce, and let that wilt.
Plate. I chose to present this atop garlic-mashed cauliflower. That worked well.
After I posted a recipe for Pastelitos about a week ago in the Gourmet thread, I get a text from @sixshooter asking for my address.
Today, a box shows up:
Oh, my...
Oh, my!
Yup. A dozen Pastelitos de guava y queso crema. And not just from anywhere. Le Segunda is a proper Spanish-Cuban bakery. Family owned, and right down in Ybor city, these are the real deal.
Two minutes in the toaster over brought them right back to the proper consistency:
I'm definitely going through another sauce phase in my culinary journey.
Dice one yellow onion. Slice up six roma tomatoes. Lay out 1lb bacon on a rack.
Spread the tomatoes on a backing sheet lined with parchment.
Saute the onions in olive oil until nearly caramelized, while the bacon and tomato bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. The goal being to get the bacon to "almost crisp," and to drive out most of the water from the tomatoes. They're a very wet fruit, and we don't want their liquid thinning out the sauce.
Once the onions are about done, toss in 5 tbs garlic, 1/3 cup white wine, 1.5 tsp ground rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon, and some black pepper, and stir that around for another few minutes. As with the previous salmon, this is a cream-heavy dish, and cream tends to attenuate sharp flavors. So it needs to be stronger at this stage than would otherwise normally be prudent.
Transfer to a soup pot.
Dice up the bacon and set it aside. Move the tomatoes to the pot, add 1 cup heavy cream, 3 tsp dijon mustard, and 1 cup parmesan. Simmer.
Pan-sear 2 lbs chicken thighs in ghee / clarified butter, about 5 min per side on medium-high.
Add a few big handfuls of baby spinach to the sauce, and the bacon. Stir well, reduce to very low, and simmer until the chicken is done.
The potatoes are fingerlings tossed in olive oil, black pepper, store-bought Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt. 25 minutes at 425°.
Plate the chicken thigh atop the sauce. Garnish chicken with parsley.
Typically, I espouse purchasing boneless, skinless chicken, just as most people commonly buy boneless, skinless beef. Grocery-shopping on Superbowl Sunday yielded a limited selection, and the only variety on the shelf was the DIY sort. I am not a very good butcher, and did a less-than-stellar job of filleting the thighs, so I deduct a point on presentation based on that.
01-15-2021, 01:55 PM
0
