Smokey Rack of Lamb

Willow Hill Farm Lamb

 It was just nice enough outside to fire up the Traeger pig smoker.  This Redeye Express rubbed rack smoked for 1 1/2 hours with mesquite, then inside for a sear in the cast iron pan, finished baking in a 300f oven until 125f. (about 15 minutes).

All Local: Lamb and Walleye

Lamb Shank Tagine

 225f for 8 hours - no liquid, just shanks, carrots and sprouts.

Fish Chowder

Big Wow!  Walleye, carrots, potatoes, butter, cream - there just isn't a bad meal when using the best ingredients.   Secret: poach the veggies in stock, turn off the heat after the potatoes are done, add the cream, butter and fish last - so they don't overcook.

Good the first day - exceptional on the second!

Recent Cooks, Broke Foot Edition

Smoked Wings

 Teriyaki laqueured up front, dry rub (Dizzy Pig) in the background.

Shepherd's Pie

A real shepherd's pie with Willow Hill Farm lamb, kale, and Vermont Creamery Creme Fraiche in the potatoes.  Wow, just wow!

I've been cooking dishes that don't require standing for any period of time.  Broken foot from an icy slip-and-fall is now at week four.  Still some bruising - and pain - but I can take a few steps without the aircast, and am sleeping through most of the night.

Stuffed, Boneless Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb

I braised two leeks and 4 ounces of shiitakes, then stuffed a boneless leg of lamb from Willow Hill Farm.  The leftover filling was served alongside each slice.

Rotisserie Lamb Roast

Tied it up and coated it in mustard and Dizzy Pig Red Eye rub.  Then on to the Weber rotisserie set at 300f (low) for about an hour.  When the roast read 131f, we pulled it off, covered it with foil and a heavy towel, and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.

Perfectly rare.  A solid cook!

Quick and Easy: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

This was pretty darn delicious, and not many ingredients, either.

One pound ground lamb, 1 pureed Vidalia, 9 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper. Sauteed until just cooked through, then a couple handfuls of baby spinach and a cup of good ol' frozen peas are added.

Topped by Idaho Potato Buds and baked at 375f for 40 minutes, then at 425f for 12 minutes.  Dan lamented the lack of corn - but there's always next time.

Weekend Cook: Lamb Three Ways

Lamb Stuffed Peppers

 The hardest part of the recipe is waiting for the lamb (Willow Hill Farm) to thaw!

For the peppers and meatballs - to one pound of lamb add: 4 Cloves Minced Garlic, 1 Medium Onion, Diced, 1 TB Minced Parsley, 1 Egg, 2 TB Grated Hard Cheese (I used our Tomme), 2 TB Wheatless Breadcrumbs, 2 tsp "Tuscan Sunset" Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Black Pepper, and 1 tsp. each Onion and Garlic Powders.

I cut two medium peppers in half and dusted them with tapioca starch so the filling would stick - this recipe makes enough for two more peppers, but I made meatballs for sandwiches instead.  I set the grill to 275f, so I could keep turning the beans without having them burn.

Lamb Meatballs and Broad Beans

I'm not sure what kind of beans those were, but I marinated them in Drew's Chipotle Marinade and tossed them on the grill while each meat cooked, including the rack of lamb and peppers (cover down).  

It took about 30 - 40 minutes for the meatballs, because of the frequent opening of the cover to turn the beans.

Stuffed Peppers and Lamb Rack on The Big Green Egg

I turned the rack after 10 minutes (cover down), and removed it after another ten, when the beans were done. (It was coated in mustard and Dizzy Pig "Red Eye" rub).  Came out rare, like it should be.

 The peppers cooked about 40 minutes with the cover down; I made a hot/sweet fresh pepper sauce to go with them:

Three roasted medium-hot peppers (de-seeded), 1/8 tsp. salt, 8 Cloves Garlic, 1 Med. Onion, 2 TB Maple Syrup, 3 TB Sunflower Oil, 2 TB Sherry Vinegar; whiz in the blender.

And there you have it!  A very large mess on a plate - lamb, 3 ways, plus a sauce.

The hot sauce reminded me of horseradish in strength and went well with each preparation.

Lamb Stuffed Peppers from the Big Green Egg

Weekend Cook: Lamb Kabobs

Lamb Kabobs and Grilled Potatoes

Another awesome application of those "Children Need Potatoes" spuds, plus my last package of Willow Hill Farm lamb kabobs.

I sprinkled the meat with Dizzy Pig "Red Eye", a rub of coffee and chilies, grilling over high heat.  I lost another skewer in the place where a previous one had burned up - it is consistently too hot a spot - but I doubt I'll remember where it was for next time.

Beef, veal and lamb go rare/medium rare for optimum flavor, and small pieces like these are tricky to prevent being overdone.  Just sear, and then a rest under foil and a heavy towel for 15-20 minutes.

Willow Hill Farm Lamb Kabobs

The lamb/rub combo was perfect!   And potatoes are taking the place of one of my previous staples: buttered, grilled bread.

Well, actually, there really is no real substitute for ciabattas, baguettes, or naan, grilled crispy and buttery over fire.  If you aren't grilling bread, you must try it!

And I will envy you, forever.

Weekend Cook: Lamb Rack with Market Greens

Rack of Lamb

It was raining last Sunday, but it was time to take the cover off the gas grill and cook what we had bought at farmer's market.

I threw on a rack of lamb (Willow Hill Farm) sprinkled with a coffee/chili spice mix, some beef kabobs (Boucher Farm, recipe tomorrow) and Pomykala's fresh asparagus coated in Drew's Romano Caesar salad dressing.  Watch that salad dressing - it catches fire when it hits the flame!  High drama!

The rack was seared on both sides, then the burner was turned off.  The opposite burner was set to low, the cover lowered, and it baked for about 20 minutes.  (The asparagus and beef were already done and removed from the grill).

Ramps from Willow Hill Farm

I could have cooked these on the grill top, but you know, the rain and my fear of lightning were working against me.  Ramps first, sauteed in butter over low heat, then I added a splash of beef broth to let them braise and finish cooking.  I removed them when the liquid had completely evaporated and gave them a sprinkle of salt.

Turnips from Arethusa Farm

The turnips took longer to cook, but they were just as delicious.  Chives got the same treatment, but it looked like I was cooking grass like a 6-year old on her plastic pretend-stove, so no photo.

Mixed Grill

Mixed grill, and all local to Vermont - even the beets!

Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine

This was a snow day slow cook in the oven.  I'm still rationing the lamb share (only 3 packages left).

An onion, several carrots, some dried thyme and salt.

I coated the meat in Greek seasoning, and wondered why the editing software is not working correctly.

All into the oven at 300f for 20 minutes, then 250f for 4 1/2 hours more.  Very fragrant, tender lamb; sweet carrots and onions, no mistakes, it was perfect.

Lamb Shanks

What do I like most about the tagine?  It is sized to "cook for two" and I don't have to add any liquid - just put everything together at once in the oven (cover on) and check for doneness after 3 hours.  Easy and delish!

Rack of Lamb

Rack of Lamb

Okay, so I know that chop is a bit blue, but one minute in the microwave took care of that - and since this was cooked ahead of time, that was the right way to proceed with this cook.  I weep for overdone lamb.

Rack salted, then fried on both sides; coated in mustard, parmesan cheese, minced garlic and gf breadcrumbs.

Hot pan into a 450f oven for 12 -15 minutes (if reheating later).  I don't like cooking by time and temperature, but temps over 400f fry the digital thermometer probes.

(This was an Emeril recipe, and I used those instructions to see where it led me as an exercise.)

The crust was very tasty, and I wished I'd made a pan sauce from the drippings to go with it.

If I had done this my way, I would have baked it at a lower temperature (300f) and used a probe to pull it at 131f.   Ah, well, at least there were no tears.

Monday Menu: Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine

I'm running out of lamb!  Summer can't come soon enough to get another share from Willow Hill Farm.

Onions, peppers and potatoes on the bottom - olive paste and lemon zest on the shanks.

It should be cooked it in the oven for 20 minutes at 300f, then at 250f for about six hours, until the meat falls from the bone.

If you're sharp you'll notice that they are overdone (I cooked it for about 10 hours).  I disrespected the lamb:(  and there's so little left! Wahhhh.

Monday Menu: American Chop Suey

Goulash

This takes less than an hour to assemble and cook - plus, it's a lunch lady special.  One thing that both Dan and I have in common is the occasional craving for what the ladies used to serve.  Oh, and "American Chop Suey" is what they called Hungarian goulash at Bakersfield Middle School back in the day.

To an oiled saute pan on medium heat add:

One pound ground lamb or beef
One large onion, grated
6 cloves of garlic, minced

Stir for a few minutes, then add:

2 TB Paprika (I used the smoky hot variety)
2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Kosher Salt

Add two cups of roasted tomatoes (on hand in the freezer) and 3 TB of worcestershire.  I also added 1 tsp of Candeleros habanero sauce because I was afraid it would be bland - you'll notice all the plated pictures have sour cream in them to cut the heat - but as leftovers it wasn't overly spicy.  So, if you don't like spicy, use sweet instead of hot paprika and omit the hot sauce.

Keep stirring and add 2 cups beef stock.  Let it come to a simmer, then stir in 2 cups of dry elbow pasta.  Cover and turn the heat down to low.  Check it after 10 minutes and stir.  Cover again. The pasta will be done about 10 minutes later, depending on size and type.  I used a corn/quinoa brand and it took about 18 minutes in all.  Yes, this is basically homemade "hamburger helper" and it serves 6-8.

American Chop Suey

Smells really good, even my mother-in-law said so.

Reheated for dinner, the noodles are overdone and starting to fall apart, but that's par for the course.  Delicious, with a creamy mouthfeel, exactly like they served in school.  However, Dan says that in Highgate it was sweet, so if you come from these parts add sugar with the dry ingredients (start with 1/8 tsp and work your way up).   Better yet, stir a sploosh of barbecue sauce into the beef stock.

Monday Menu: Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine

Specifically, that's a lamb and pork shank tagine.   I don't normally add a lot of spices to what I cook, but this time I'm making an exception.

In the bottom of my tagine, I combined the zest of a lemon, 2 TB microplaned garlic, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp powdered ginger, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp coriander, a pinch of saffron.  I added enough EVOO to make a paste.

I rubbed the paste on two lamb shanks, and one pork shank.

5 or six carrots went into the bottom of the dish, then the meat.

I topped that with a cup of sauteed onions, and 1/4 cup of white wine I used to deglaze the saute pan.  I also added 5 sweet mini peppers that I bought at the store because they were so cute, and 6 oil-cured olives because they were hanging around in the refrigerator.

I covered the tagine and set it in a 300f oven for 20 minutes, then turned the heat down to 250f for 5 hours.

Lamb Shank with Vegetables and Brown Basmati

Absolutely delicious!