Roast Leg of Lamb - Variation with Rosemary, Oregano, Lemon

I just winged this last night based on the fact that I had fresh rosemary and oregano in the garden.  I often use thyme, not oregano, but I don't have fresh thyme in the garden right now (a disastrous oversight that must be corrected), and as it turns out the oregano was a welcome change.  I get my leg of lamb at Costo because it comes butterflied with a little net around it. 

5ish lb. boneless leg of lamb
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt per your taste

The evening before your dinner party, blend the garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt, olive oil and lemon juice to a paste in a food processor.  Stab the lamb all over with a little knife.  Remove netting.  Work paste into the holes and also rub all over the inside and outside of the lamb.  Re-net the lamb and seal it in a Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate until an hour before you are ready to cook, whereupon you should remove the lamb and let it approach room temperature.  Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place still netted lamb on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, roast for 20 minutes then turn the temperature down to 325 and continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 125 degrees (per the experts, and the experts are right!  [I changed the cooking temperatures and recommended final internal temperature from my last lol recipe]).  This will result in a very tender lamb (maybe the lemon juice helps?), rare in the middle of the leg and medium rare on the ends.   Serve with mushrooms au gratin and oven fried potatoes.

Mushrooms and Savory Au Gratin

This recipe was a big hit with our guests last night.  It was really easy to make and went very well with roast leg of lamb and Syrah.  Here's what you need:

1 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms (other types should work, too)
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh savory leaves (savory also goes very well with asparagus)
1/4 cup cooking sherry
Gruyere cheese
Crumbled crackers (I used Glutinos) or breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a big skillet and saute the onions over medium heat until soft.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they give up their liquid, then add the savory and stir.  Turn up the heat, add the sherry and reduce, scraping up any bits.  Transfer everything to a 9x9 shallow baking dish.  Grate as much Gruyere as it takes to just cover the mushrooms and sprinkle cracker/breadcrumbs on top.  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese melts and the crumbs are golden.  Remove and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

California Maine Lobster Rolls

The Darling wanted lobster for her Mother's Day brunch, so I ran over to Gelson's immediately because they steam and crack the crustaceans for you at no extra charge.  I served them with drawn butter, of course, and also Chive Basil Parmesan Omelets with Rosemary Leek Pesto (recipe forthcoming).  The lobsters were pretty big, and the Precious Angel decided to eat only her omelet, so there was a lot left over.  That's where the California Maine Lobster Rolls come in.

Take about a pound of cooked, chilled lobster meat cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a mixing bowl.  Add two diced avocados and a quarter cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (just pull the leaves off the stems).  Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and season with a pinch or two of salt.  Stir it all up and scoop generously into (onto?) warm hot dog or hamburger buns.  You will be delighted.  Next time I might add some chives.

Roasted Curried Potatoes

I served this as an accompaniment to Double Cut Lamb Chops with Spicy Red Wine Gastrique and Moroccan Carrots (from May's Food & Wine, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-cut-lamb-chops-with-spicy-red-wine-gastrique) and everything was so good the Darling decided to renew our vows on the spot.

6 peeled, diced medium Russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray some oil on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  Combine all the spices.  In a large mixing bowl, pour the canola oil over the potatoes and mix well by hand.  Sprinkle the spice mixture on the potatoes, mixing by hand as you go.  Spread the potatoes out evenly on the baking sheet and place on middle rack of the oven.  After about 15 minutes the house will be so fragrant you will feel faint.  Gather your strength and stir the potatoes, turning the dish around.  After another 15 minutes stir them again, then cook until nearly crunchy on the outside.  Tweak cooking time and spice mixture as needed.

Gefilte Fish with Horseradish-Beet Gelee

The Darling made this up and I love it.  If we went all out I guess we would actually encase each piece of gefilte fish in gelee, but instead we place a thin slice atop the gefilte fish, or a cube on the side.  (Obviously we buy a jar or two of gefilte fish, no carp in the bathtub for us.)

3 large beets, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 bottles of prepared horseradish

2-3 packets of unflavoured gelatin

Place the beets in saucepan with just enough water to cover them and cook till tender. Remove the beets and half the liquid and place in the fridge to cool. When cool, puree in a food processor.  Add 1/4 cup of cold water to the gelatin and wait till it has bloomed before using.  Place beet puree into a large bowl and add the horseradish till combined.  Place the reserved beet liquid in the saucepan and add gelatin.  Cook over low/medium flame till the gelatin is melted.  Add resulting beet gelatin to the horseradish-beet puree and mix well.  Pour into lightly oiled molds and chill till set.  If you prefer a firmer gelee use 3 packets, a softer consistency use 2.

Mango Salsa (or Salad)

This recipe works as a salsa or salad.  It goes very well on top of or next to grilled boneless/skinless chicken breast or grilled mahi mahi.  I served it this weekend with steamed rice and a fish we never tried before, pink snapper, that I pan fried in a little olive oil with lemon and salt (our grill went kaput).  It was a total disaster, the fish was tough and weird.  I think I should have coated it with flour or breadcrumbs first, or maybe I should have baked it with some lemon and butter on top.  Or maybe I got stuck with a bad piece of fish.  The Darling and Precious Angel skipped the fish and enjoyed the salsa with the rice.  Anyway, here's how you make the salsa:

Dice three ripe mangoes, dice one large avocado, chop one red bell pepper into pieces about half the size of the diced mango or avocado, mince a quarter of a white onion, finely chop enough fresh cilantro to yield 1/4 to 1/3 cup depending on how much you like cilantro, stir it all together, add the juice from one lime and a pinch of salt, stir it all again, cover it up and let it sit in fridge for about an hour so the flavors can mingle.  It is colorful and pretty and it tastes delicious.

Sauteed Chicken with Lemon-Mint-Cilantro "Chimichurri"

An old F&W recipe from Tom Douglas inspired this dish.  (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-skewers-with-lemon-mint-vinaigrette).  Since our grill went kaput I sauteed the chicken breast instead of grilling it, and since we had cilantro on hand I substituted it for the parsley.  It actually ended up being delicious, I'll make it again.

First make the vinaigrette, which in this case turns out to be more like a chimichurri (except no parsley).  In a handy tiny Cuisinart mince enough fresh mint and fresh cilantro (separately) so you have 5 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons respectively, then mince 4 garlic cloves.  Stir all that into 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.  Whisk in 4 teaspoons of grated lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and a couple of pinches of salt and let the concoction sit at room temperature while you make the chicken.

Pat dry four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut into medium chunks, about 2".  Coat with a mixture of 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt.  In a cast iron skillet, saute a chopped, medium white onion in a combo of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil.  Once tender, push the onions to the side, tilt the pan and squeeze out the oil, add more oil if necessary, and saute the chicken.  Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup white wine, scrape up any bits of chicken fat or spices, stir the chicken and onions together, then cover and cook over low heat for about half an hour.  Uncover to reduce the liquid until there is just enough left that nothing sticks to the pan, remove from heat and stir.

Serve with steamed white rice and baby arugula.  When you plate this put the chicken on top of the arugula and drizzle some "chimichurri" on the chicken and the rice.  This pairs well with a nice, light vinho verde.