Today we’re trying another Bandol classic with an American Mourvèdre from Washington State.  The main dish was a Cardamom Rub Lamb Chop on a Mint Cilantro Chutney.  Either of these wines would be a great pick for this meal.  They both offered enough tannic structure to balance the richness of the lamb, and they didn’t compete with the many flavors present on the plate.

Cardamom spiced lamb chops with Bandol / Mourvèdre

Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge 2005 ($38 on sale)
Definitely French, obvious tannins, even though it is 2005.
Eye: Warm, medium dark red.  Translucent edge, dark center.
Nose: Shy at first, doesn’t reveal much to me.  Dark red fruit.  After a bit, some herbs emerge.
Mouth: Nice, smooth, quite tannic, but the tannins are really smooth and pleasant.  Nice wine.
Even on days 2 & 3 this is a very nice wine.  The French “garrique” is still there.  Still nice and dry and restrained.
Overall, I thought this wine was pretty similar to other Southern Rhone wines (that’s a good thing!).  Julie commented on how smooth it was.

Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Mourvèdre 2010 ($50)
Eye: Pretty dark, purplish red.  Opaque in the center, transparent just at the edge.
Nose: Very dark fruit, maybe figs.  I got an impression of something like caramel.  Julie commented the same thing.
Mouth: Dark fruit, smooth, moderately tannic.  Nice long finish.
Days 2 & 3 the caramel has receded a bit.  Very nice, even after a few days being open.

Washington State Mourvèdre and Bandol Rouge

We’re trying a new lamb chop preparation today, from Beth Dooley’s book: The Northern Heartland Kitchen.  Beth is from Minnesota, so her emphasis on fresh local ingredients is especially useful for cooks in the upper midwest.  We can actually find the items in the recipes!  Spices of course, come from around the world, I don’t have cardamom in my garden.  If you’re interested in this particular recipe, you’ll need to consult Beth’s cookbook.  Her unique choice of spices was new to me, no fair claiming I adapted her recipe.  Besides, you probably need another cookbook on your shelf!

Cardamom is the secret weapon in this dish.

As a spice, cardamom is a bit of a pain to work with.  You need to break open the seed hulls to get at the seeds inside, so allow a few minutes finish this task.  Once you have released the seeds, you’ll know it was worth it, as they have a unique aroma, not just another spice rub.

The lamb chops came from our favorite local farmers market source: Sunshine Harvest Farm.

Spiced lamb chops on the grill.

Exotic spices, fresh herbs, spring is in the air!

Some really lovely recipes this week in particular the Friday dish of chicken with morels (mushrooms) by Raymond Blanc.  You can buy morels dried from larger supermarkets and deli stores.  I usually stock up on mine when I see them at food festivals as they are handy to have in the store cupboard.  This meal is so easy to prepare, I watched him to do it at a demonstration a few weeks ago and the end result was divine, so do give it a go!

Enjoy

Saturday: Sticky pan fried scallops w/ sweet chilli rice
Sunday: BBQ lamb cutlets w/ courgettes and butter beans
Monday: Crab and asparagus salad
Tuesday: Spicy pepper and tomato soup
Wednesday: Haddock w/ spicy beans and chorizo
Thursday: Aubergine, pine nut and raisin pasta
Friday: Chicken w/ morels

Sticky pan fried scallops w/ sweet chilli rice
Ingredients:
For the scallops:
400g fresh scallops, raw and ready to cook
1 lemon
Chinese five spice powder
Sesame oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 glove garlic, crushed
Runny honey
Butter
Handful fresh coriander, chopped

For the rice:
1 large mug Basmati rice
1 small bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
3 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lemon
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
Sweet chilli sauce (ready made is fine if you don’t want to make your own, obviously I recommend making it!)

Method:
Put the rice on to boil first, in a pan with 1.75 mugs (the same mug you measured the rice in) of boiling water and a good pinch of salt. Put a lid on and simmer over gentle heat for around 8 mins until all the water has been absorbed and you can see little air holes appear in the rice, it should be al dente to taste.

Whilst the rice is cooking put your spring onions into a mixing bowl, then add the eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil and a little drizzle of olive oil and whisk well together. When the rice is cooked, fluff up with a fork then add this mixture to the pan, pouring it all over the rice, along with a good squeeze of lemon juice and some seasoning. Give it a good stir with a fork then recover the pan and turn the heat down to low and leave it for another 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat when done.

Lay the scallops on a piece of greaseproof paper and score some light crisscrosses on top of each one, only going about 1/2 way through. Drizzle over some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on some finely grated lemon zest and dust with the five spice powder. Finally drizzle on the sesame oil and give it all a good mix so the scallops are well coated.

Heat a frying pan on the highest heat. Add a good amount of olive oil into the hot pan. Then add your scallops, scored side down for about 2-3 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown on the bottom. Then turn them over and give them another 30 seconds. Add the crushed garlic, chilli, juice from 1/2 the lemon, about 1-2 tsp of honey and 2 small knobs of butter. Give the pan a gentle shake. Once the butter has melted and its all started to become a little sticky remove from the heat, this should be just a few minutes. Sprinkle with chopped coriander before serving.

Finish off the rice with a sprinkling of coriander and sweet chilli sauce drizzled over the top and serve along side your scallops.

BBQ lamb cutlets w/ courgettes and butter beans
Ingredients:
9 lamb cutlets , French trimmed
3 lemons , 1 zested and juiced, others each cut into 4 fat wedges
olive oil
250g baby courgettes , halved lengthways
small bunch of mint , leaves picked
400g can butter beans , drained
1 red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
4 spring onions , finely sliced
140g feta cheese , crumbled

Method:
Marinate the lamb cutlets in the lemon juice and 4 tbsp olive oil for about 20 mins. Brush courgettes with another 2-3 tbsp olive oil and season.
Lift the lamb cutlets out of the marinade, season well and barbecue (or grill) for 1-3 mins on each side depending on how well cooked you like your lamb. Barbecue or griddle the courgettes for 2-3 mins on each side until tender and charred. Barbecue or griddle the lemon slices for 30 secs-1 min each side to char and caramelise slightly.

Transfer the lamb and courgettes to a platter. Scatter on the mint, lemon zest, butter beans, chilli, spring onions, feta and seasoning, and gently toss. Drizzle with olive oil and add the barbecued lemons to the platter to squeeze over.

Crab and asparagus salad
Ingredients:
20 asparagus spears , trimmed
50g rocket
100g white crabmeat
3 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1/2 lime juice and some zest cut into thin strips
brown crabmeat, (optional)
olive oil , for drizzling

Method:
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 2 mins until just cooked. Drain, tip into iced water to refresh and drain again. Cut each spear on the angle into 2-3 pieces.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together with brown crabmeat (if using). Toss the asparagus through the dressing, then build a nest of asparagus spears on plates. Place some white crab meat in the centre of each nest, top with a small bundle of rocket and drizzle everything with olive oil before serving.

Spicy pepper and tomato soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil , plus extra to serve
2 onions , finely sliced
1 carrot , finely chopped
3 red peppers , roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves , sliced
1 red chilli , sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
850ml vegetable stock
4 tbsp Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cucumber, halved, deseeded, coarsely grated and squeezed of excess water
a few mint leaves, chopped

Method:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Tip in the onions, carrot and peppers. Cook gently for 15 mins, to soften. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for a few mins more. Pour over the chopped tomatoes and 800ml of the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 mins until the veg is completely tender.

Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, cucumber and mint in a bowl, and season.

Blitz the soup with a hand blender until smooth, using the extra stock to thin if it has become too thick. Heat through, season and spoon into bowls. Serve with a dollop of the yogurt mixture on top, a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh crusty bread.

Haddock w/ spicy beans and chorizo
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion , chopped
small rosemary sprig, leaves finely chopped
25g chorizo, chopped (more if you like)
2 fat garlic cloves , crushed
700g passata
410g can cannellini beans in water, drained
200g shredded green cabbage
pinch sugar
4 skinless Haddock fillets (large chunky fillets)

Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion for 5 mins. Add the rosemary, chorizo and garlic, then fry for 2 mins more until the chorizo is starting to crisp. Tip in the passata, beans, cabbage and sugar, season, then simmer for 5 mins.

Add the fish to the pan, leaving the tops of the fillets peeking out of the sauce, then cover with a lid and leave to cook for 5 mins or until the flesh flakes easily. Serve with crusty bread.

Aubergine, pine nut and raisin pasta
Ingredients:
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
Handful oregano or marjoram, roughly chopped
2 medium aubergines, diced into 1 inch cubes
50g raisins
4 large tomatoes , chopped
2 tsp tomato purée
2 tbsp baby capers, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp good quality red wine vinegar
400g fusilli pasta
small handful mint, roughly chopped
50g pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan, grated (as much as you like)

Method:
In a heavy based pan, heat 1/2 tbsp of oil and gently cook the onion, garlic and chilli until soft with half the oregano.
Meanwhile, heat 3-4 tbsp of oil in another frying pan and start browning the aubergines. Once cooked, add to the onion mixture. Fry the raisins in another 1/2 tbsp oil and, when they have puffed up, add to the aubergine mix. Add the tomatoes, purée and rest of the oregano. Cook on a medium heat for 15-20 mins so all the flavours come together.

Add the capers and the vinegar and leave on a low heat while you cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. If the mixture becomes very thick add 100ml of water. Toss the pasta through the aubergine sauce and sprinkle with fresh mint and the pine nuts. Serve with a generous sprinkling of parmesan.

Chicken w/ morels
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
1 tbsp Unsalted butter
4 Chicken breasts, free range, skin off (approx 180g each)
Sea salt
30g Dried morels soaked in 250ml of water overnight
250g Button mushrooms, washed and quartered
120ml Dry sherry
100ml Morel juice, passed through a fine sieve or muslin, to remove any sand
400ml Double cream

For the leeks:
200g Water, boiling
Sea salt
2 Leeks, medium size, outer leaves removed, washed and cut into 2cm pieces
15g Unsalted butter

Method:
Drain the morels, squeeze to extract as much of the soaking water as possible, reserve the water. Then wash the morels in plenty of water to remove any sand. Drain and squeeze excess water from the morels. Chop large morels to size. Reserve.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it is foaming. Add the chicken breasts and colour for 5 minutes on each side, remove from the pan and reserve.

In the remaining fat, soften the soaked, cleaned morels and button mushrooms, for 2-3 minutes, season with a pinch of salt. Add the boiled sherry and allow the alcohol to boil off for about 30 seconds. Then add the morel juice and double cream; bring to the boil and place the chicken breasts back into the pan. The cream sauce must cover the breasts. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and keep warm. Reduce the sauce on full boil until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning.

While the chicken breasts are cooking, bring the water, salt and butter to the boil, add the chopped leeks, cover with a lid and cook on full boil for 5-10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, lift the leeks from their juices and mix in with the morel sauce. Place the chicken breasts into the sauce to reheat for 2 minutes. Taste, correct the seasoning if required. Serve your chicken breasts whole or sliced if you prefer on a bed of the leeks and smothered in the morel sauce.

(Credits: Jamie Oliver, Good Food Magazine, Raymond Blanc, Thomasina Miers, JJMoola’s Kitchen)

The smell is fabulous!

Source:http://www.etsy.com/listing/89009849/black-okami-leather-mask-handmade

My eyes and lips, that’s all I see.  Those dark chocolate eyes staring back at me. The pure white mask in the shape of a lamb that they have chosen for me with silver sketches along the frame of sheep and a shepherdess.  Straight brown hair set fashionably atop my head by the maid servants and the white taffeta gown with matching silver design I am fashioning for this party. All this fuss for yet another ball.  It’s Liza Betworth’s ball tonight and she is the governess of my school.

Let me explain; I am one of twenty two young ladies to be taught by the governess of Imperial Groves to grow from a masked maiden to a High Society lady. It is said to be an honor to learn from the woman whose family has made our town what it is for generations.

Girls attend at the age of ten and are trained till seventeen where they either become High Society or Low.  This will be my last year as I am sixteen now and my seventeenth birthday is only a few months away.

It was Lady Betworth’s great great grandmother, who started the mask tradition you see.  She believed in a world where everyone was what they should be.  The women would be the perfect wives; social, high class, a role model for, The Society.  That’s who our town is run by;  The Society is the group that decides what our path is and who we are to be with to have a happy life. Mostly it’s our elders who know our traditions like the back of their hand. They are the ones who created the wall that surrounds the town of Segreto.  A wall that almost seems to reach the sky with it’s greenery, like the labyrinth you hear about in those greek mythology books. The vines are so tight that you can‘t even get a glimpse outside.   The only entrance and exit is through a steel door guarded night and day for strangers.

When a child is ten they are reviewed by The Society. When I was accepted into the school I received my new uniform mask of pure white to show a clean slate.   I have not been allowed to take it off since I was enrolled, except to be cleansed once a week, to bathe myself, and sleep.

The ball tonight is to celebrate the end of winter terms.  All the parents are arriving to see their children and socialize with other high end members of the town.  The goal of a masked maiden, that is our title as female students, is to be marked highest in our studies to help be prepared for when we are matched to our future masked mate.

“Jacqueline, come along we’ll be late!” A voice at my door calls.

“Go on, Caroline.  I’ll be down in a minute,” I call with amusement. My best friend, Caroline always has to be on time and is impatient when others are not.  We are suite mates as we live in a somewhat dorm. It’s very nice, we have a sitting room and each of our rooms on opposite sides for privacy. The rooms are elegant in a way that makes every girl feel like a princess; with velvet curtains, French furniture. and beds that feel like sleeping on clouds. Like the fairy stories they read to us as children to get an early example of what we should vision ourselves as.
I look down to my hand where a piece of glass sits on the bed. I picked it out of the street when I was ten.  It was actually someone now banished, who broke the mirror where the glass was conceived.  It’s the earliest memory I have.  There was a couple who had hidden a mirror in their home and a neighbor had revealed the info to the mayor.  They were arrested; and at their trial, which all the students had to attend in the public square, they were brought before us and the rest of the town and The Society hooded.

Lady Betworth’s husband, Mayor Betworth, stood before them and read from the town‘ book of law. “This couple has been found guilty of having a mirror in their home. In accordance to The Society’s laws they are banished from their home and this town. Before they are sent away, they must break the mirror they kept hidden. Let this be a warning. Anyone found with a glass mirror of any size this will be your punishment.  For the only image you should see is what The Society wants you to be.”
Two guards then forced the couple charged to break the mirror that faced them, away from us.
With their bare fists they punched at the mirror, their knuckles bleeding. I still remember the piercing sound it made as it hit the cobble stoned streets. The breaking of the glass signified the bad luck that they brought upon themselves.  They were then ushered to the gates and no one has seen or heard from them since.

As people watched them go, I saw a piece of glass close to me and I quickly bent down and grabbed it hiding it along my new school uniform dress of pure black.  I’m pretty sure Caroline saw me do it, but she has never mentioned it.  If I were to be caught, I would be banished as well.

I once again look into my smuggled piece and take one last look at my eyes. I haven’t gotten the courage to look without the mask.  I stand and put it back under my mattress and move to the door. As I open it I can’t help but smile at Caroline who is tapping her feet at me.  “I told you I would be down in a minute, you didn’t have to wait.”

Caroline only rolls her eyes at me under her blue parrot style mask and takes my hand making sure I do not step on her dress of matching sapphire.  She is curvier than I am with blonde hair and blue eyes that are a close match for her dress. “Yes, but I know that when you say that, you really mean, ‘Caroline please wait for me, so that you can push me out the door, so that I won’t be late again!’” With that she gives me a playful shove out the door, and we move to the grand staircase that will take us to the main hall of the Betworth mansion.

We can already hear the voices of guests mingling as we descend.  The clinking of glasses, the light sound of the orchestra, playing the waltz.  As we reach the bottom we are greeted by our parents, all with masks intact.  Before they arrive we were to send them a letter of our costume in detail so we can be recognized. My mother comes to me with her purple satin butterfly and hugs me tight and I see that Lady Betworth is amongst them and she gives me a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“I am so proud of you Jacqueline, Lady Betworth says your teachers report you are performing wonderfully.” My mother informs me as she pulls away to get a look at me.  She is one of Lady Betworth’s former students and was a prize to her, ranking one of the top spots and being matched with my father. She was ecstatic when I was accepted into the school.

I eye Lady Betworth and give a nod.  “I am pleased Lady Betworth thinks so, I always do my best to please her.” With that I give a curtsy as is custom when receiving a compliment, but no smile; Lady Betworth and I get along as ice does to a flame.  She seems to always find something about me that is imperfect and always points it out publicly with the other students.  She doesn’t seem to give this much attention to the them.  I used to take it without a word, but as I’ve grown, and because of a book I found in the library that was banned called Pride and Prejudice,  I do what I must, but I often speak my mind, which Lady Betworth believes she can fix.

Lady Betworth continues with that smile, that she always seems to be wearing but never means, and nods back and replies with a jovial voice. “Yes Jacqueline does very well, with her studies, She will make a lovely high society lady, in time.”

I wince at the stab of her last words, but it still falls under a compliment so once again I curtsy.  “Thank you for your kind words, Lady Betworth, I will treasure them as long as I stand in your wise presence.”

That broke her smile as I received a quick glare, but it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. She gives a curtsy to my mother who returns it, then without a word moves to Caroline and her mother and father. I watch her go for a moment then return my attention to my mother.

“Mama, I’m so glad you’re here.  Did you have any trouble?” I often worry about my mother since she keeps to herself while I am at school.  My father died when I was three I’m told.  I don’t remember him, but I often wish my mother was not alone.  I am not permitted to leave the school to see her until we have a ball.  My mother smiles and takes my hand as we head to the ballroom.

“No dear I had no trouble at all, actually I came with Lady Delia. She has come to introduce her nephew.”

I smile, for Lady Delia is always a delight to speak to, mostly because she speaks whatever is on her mind and my mother’s best friend. “Splendid, I will have to have a chat with her before you leave.  I didn’t know she had a nephew.”

“Yes, he is joining our town by request of his parents who have passed about a month ago.  He is a charming dear, very well educated, but a bit strange.”

“Mother, you’ve just met him.”

“Well, dear, it’s true.  You’ll see when you meet him yourself.  He came through our gates this morning and when he was given his mask to wear he just laughed.  Laughed, dear! About what, he wouldn’t say.  He just shook his head and put on the mask and commented that it was going to be the longest party he’d ever attended. “

I can’t help but smile at the idea and have to put a hand over my mouth as if covering a yawn.  “Well, mother, our ways might seem peculiar to him.  His home’s customs may be different.”

“All the same, a very strange boy.”

I smile and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Go have some fun, I have to mingle as a maiden, but I’ll be back around I promise.”
She pats my arm in answer, and I start my rounds. I have not joined the dances yet and I wind through the crowd giving well wishes, and pretending to be a hostess as is the exercise for a masked maiden at any Betworth party. Making sure everyone is comfortable, not in need of more food or drink, ask them about problems they may have mentioned last time, ask about family, etc.; normal protocol for a student and for a kind hostess.”

As I make it once around the whole room, I think about getting a refreshment.  As I look over to the beverage table, I meet light crystal blue eyes of a young man wearing an all black suit with a single white rose in the lapel wearing the mask of a black wolf. I am taken aback for a moment and look away; but when I look back the wolf’s eyes still watch me.  He is tall with broad shoulders, a strong build, and looks elegant in black tails. His eyes sparkle more now that he is smiling at me.  I give a polite nod and his grin widens and he starts to walk over.

Walk over? Wait no, I didn’t mean for him to come over.  I hold my composure and when he reaches me I give a slight curtsy. He then holds out a glass of punch with a slight bow and I accept with a shy thanks.

“My name is Donovan.  I thought you might be thirsty.  You haven’t stopped moving since you came down those stairs.” His voice was light and friendly with a bit of a husky quality to it.

I could feel my hidden cheeks redden as he mentioned he had been watching me.      “Yes ,well, all the students are supposed to mingle at the masked balls.  Part of our schooling.”

“A masquerade ball, how funny to have one when we already wear the costumes in everyday life.  Why not a reveal-who-you-truly-are ball? We all seem to dance about wearing costumes and masks, never taking them off unless to make a spectacle of ourselves. How unseemly that would be!” he says in mock. “I know I am new to this town, but from what Aunt Delia tells me, it seems like a bad commedia dell’arte show.”

“You’re Delia’s nephew?” I ask surprised.

His smile leaves for a moment. “Only by blood, I assure you.”

“You might want to lower your voice on your opinion of our town.  The masks are so we can be no one different from the other.”

“Ah, but my lamb, our differences can make us just as much a wonder as those subjects that connect us.  Take that away and,” he gestures to my costume. “well, you get the idea. A mask is not protection, just an illusion.”
I stare at him shocked, but intrigued.  He bows and takes a hold of my gloved hand and kisses the back as gentle as a whisper and smiles up at me. “I really should go back to my aunt as she wants me to sing for my supper by being sociable with her friends. Before I go my lamb, can I have your name?”

I do not answer for a moment unsure then reply, “Jacqueline.”

“Jacqueline, I hope to see you again and to finish our discussion.”  With that the wolf leaves the lamb, heading into the crowd leaving me to ponder over his words and over my world.

The spell is broken when Caroline’s voice pops up behind me. “So that is Lady Delia’s nephew, huh? You think he really is a big bad wolf?”

I nudge her playfully. “Do you ever think about anything else? And how did you hear about him?”

“You know this town.  Everyone is talking about him.  There are rumors that he is going to be joining the boys school.  Even though he is already seventeen.” She whispers excited for anything that might be new and interesting.

“But how is that possible?  He can’t just join his last year and surely they aren’t thinking of making him start at first level.”

Caroline only shrugs. “I guess we’ll see.  Right now it’s only a rumor, but he also is supposed to come from a good family.”

Jacqueline catches sight of Donovan who is being introduced to another couple by his Aunt Delia.  He gives a bow, but that smile that seemed to brighten him up was not visible now. Those sparkling eyes filled with humor, now appeared to be solemn. “A family that he lost.”  She looks to the crystal goblet in her hand that he gave her and sets it aside on the nearest table away from any of it’s siblings. “Lets go back to our parents.  I promised my mother I would spend some time with her.”  I take Caroline’s hand and we walk over to where our parents are conversing.

Whether we consciously realize it or not they are entrenched in our system.  The media plays a role and in the case of Afghanistan in the naught years, we were bombarded by coverage of war, mad tyrannies and oppression.  We formed this image and watched on-going despair and instability. Until this day it is impossible to asunder war and terror from Afghanistan.  This is a country considered a danger zone for tourists.  Underneath the military, danger and tanks is a country rich of origins. The incessant images of a volatile country did not leave much room of a country rich of origins and culture.  Afghan food is rich with influences from its bordering neighbours, but it is nonetheless a unique cuisine.  

My journey of self-discovery took me within.  Frightening in the beginning, it turned confrontational and emotional.   I learnt my inner-self was a reflection of my outside world.  The years of programming of my innards selected a lamb and aubergine/eggplant dishes.  A meat ostracised by my culture with my favourite vegetable.  My mother, born in South-East Asia dislikes lamb despite living in a lamb-loving nation.   The sweaty-sour aroma prevents her from having a bite.  I adopted this belief until I reluctantly tasted it in my late teens.  I survived.  What makes this meat a favourite in Australia is in the fat.   The lamb in Bamiyan was cut into cubes, the flavour of the lamb extricated itself impressively from the marinated onion, herbs, garlic and a special sauce, which tasted like minty yoghurt.  Nonethless, the flavours were congruous when wrapped in naan bread.   Ordering this dish on a date, I think kissing would be permissible when you dollop the special sauce.   Lamb was symbolic in my upbringing, being raised as a Catholic, it was inculcated that Jesus was the lamb of God, that took away the sins of the world.  I never understood this decryptic concept.  The symbolism of the lamb is to sacrifice the innocence for salvation, ensued by renewal.  How do sinners learn their lesson when they believe someone else will take the brunt for them?  And why would you sacrifice something pure and innocent?  I never questioned what I was taught in school, but to remember facts. 

Our beliefs are formed in a myriad ways – family, friends, scientific theory, the media, your neighbour, enemies.  They become out-dated when you find yourself immobile.  My biggest impasse belief in life was – I CAN’T.  When I uttered or thought of these words, cortisols wired this belief neurally and it left me to flight not fight. This in turn became a self-defeating block that took heavy-lifting of emotional, mental and spiritual work to mire myself.   In a painful realization I was purely existing and not living.  Not chasing to claim my dreams, it left me in bland state even in piquant moments, like an uncooked eggplant.  The eggplant at Bamiyan is the cardinal ingredient combined with a fellow solanaceae member – the tomato.  The jaminess and acidity of the tomato balances and further extricates the creaminess of the eggplant.  Cooking the eggplant in a pan transforms the vegetable into savoury goodness.    I decided it was time drop all the self-defeating beliefs about me and stop looking for answers outside.  It only led me in a repetitive cycle.  Life is not a circle or linear.  There’s more to it and more to the raw uncooked eggplant.  If I take another look at the uncooked eggplant it’s not bland…Being is continuous with no beginning and no end.  I digress…

While I struggle to name my favorite type or cut of meat, lamb is definitely towards the top. My family for the past few years has had rosemary and lemon roasted lamb leg for Christmas and Easter, which is always a treat, and lamb features prominently in a lot of my favorite Middle and Near Eastern dishes. Unfortunately, lamb is also a little pricey, especially for those on a budget (myself included); that’s why my family usually only eats it at Christmas and Easter. Lamb shoulder, however, is nice and inexpensive, but like most inexpensive pieces of meat, it takes a good long time to cook, which is why you rarely see it in restaurants that cook to order.

So adorable, but so delicious. Damn my omnivorous guilt…

Like another of my recent posts, this one is based on a dish by Jamie Oliver from “Jamie at Home” (just the lamb part), though there are maybe a few things I would change. *Gasp*!

For the Lamb

One lamb shoulder, bone in, 2-3 pounds. I got my shoulder from an American lamb, which are typically a little older than the New Zealand (Kiwi?) or Australian variety, and cheaper too.

1 package of fresh rosemary, or 8-10 sprigs

5-7 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of non-pareille capers – get the little kind that are brined in both white and white wine vinegars

1 tablespoon of AP flour

1 lemon

Olive oil

1 cup of chicken or beef stock

1 cup of dry wine

Salt and pepper

For the Greens

About a pound of beet greens, trimmed, washed, and dried

1 medium-large red onion

3 large eggs

1 cup of low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup of grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

A good handful of Ritz or other buttery crackers, crumbled

For the Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Start by scoring the fat cap that should be on your lamb shoulder. This helps the fat render out, which both bastes the meat and forms the basis for the sauce later on. Typically I would trim some of the fat off before scoring and cooking, and honestly I wish I had done this. Maybe it was just this particular piece of meat, but it rendered out way more fat than I needed, and I ended up spooning a bunch of it out before making the pan sauce. You could use a regular metal roasting pan for this – one that you can put over the stove and cook on – but I used my cast iron pot because I have neither a good roasting pan, or a gas stove.

Isn’t it just pretty?

Season generously on top and bottom with kosher salt, black pepper, then put your garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary on and around the shoulder. Drizzle with a little olive oil and rub it all around; getting the oil on the garlic and rosemary will help draw out those flavors better than if they were just dry.

My mouth is starting to water just thinking about how this smelled when it was cooking.

Don’t worry about the paper on the garlic, if you’re lucky it will just end up soft and roasted and you can squeeze it out into the sauce at the end. Put the lid on the pot, or cover your roasting pan with heavy foil, and place in your oven, preheated to as hot as it will go. The trick is turning the heat down as soon as you put the lamb in, dropping to 325 degrees – I followed these instructions and would actually shoot for 300. Let it go for four hours, until you can just pull the meat apart with forks.

While that’s going, you can get started on sides. This lamb can work well at any time of the year, paired with seasonal vegetables of any kind, so I just chose asparagus because they start shooting up as soon as spring starts, and beet greens because I had a bunch left over.

Let’s start with the beet greens. I’ve grown to love greens as an easy addition to any meal, and while I’m normally content to sautee them in olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic, I decided to get a little outside the box and make a beet green gratin. Now, presumably you need to store these greens after cooking your beets until you’re ready to cook. Start by cutting or tearing the leaves away from the stems after you’ve cut the roots off. I pick out any stems that are more than a quarter inch thick, because they get fibrous and woody, but the thinner ones add a nice color and some crunch. Rinse them all in a (clean) sink full of standing cold water, then drain in a colander or laid out on towels or something until dry. Then, layer the leaves between sheets of paper towel and store in a gallon-sized zip bag in the fridge for, oh, let’s say a week.

Okay, now that’s out of the way, remove your greens, stack and roll them like you did back in college, cut once length-wise down the middle, and then across into ribbons about 1″-1.5″ wide. Set aside in a bowl, then peel, halve, and french one medium-large red onion.

New Fancy Cooking Term: “frenching” is when you cut radially along the length of the halved onion into nice, even little wedges that look like this:

Great for stir-fries and sautees

Not when you devour some poor girl’s/boy’s face, like this:

That poor girl…

And now that we all have that picture indelibly burned into our psyches, sautee those on high heat in a tablespoon of olive oil in your biggest pan until they start to get translucent. You can also add some sliced mushrooms, which would add a nice meatiness to the greens and onions, but I didn’t have any. Add your greens and cook until they start to wilt, but don’t cook them to a mushy slimy death, and drop the heat to medium, seasoning with a a fingerful of salt, and giving them an occasional stir.

I don’t think I need this picture, but I like the colors.

While the greens are cooking, whisk together in a large bowl your eggs, ricotta, and grated cheese with about a teaspoon of salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. This is the base of the gratin, which is really anything cooked in an egg-cheese mixture, the most popular being potatoes gratiné. When the greens and onions are ready, fold them into the cheese and egg mixture with a spatula and transfer to a buttered or sprayed baking dish. Top with the crumbled crackers, and then cover the dish with foil. Bake in the oven (along with the lamb) for about 40 minutes. After those 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 just to brown the crackers.

Added perk to this dish: I had Ritz crackers for the first time in years.

The asparagus is even easier, but there are a few things you want to look for in your asparagus. First, thicker spears are better, but only to a point. You don’t want them to be huge and woody and unchewable, but the little spindly ones are too watery and lack some of the flavor and nutritional compounds of the more well-developed spears. Also, look for asparagus that is straight or near-straight all the way through. Even after they’re cut, asparagus keeps growing, and the tips want to grow vertically, so if your grocery stores them horizontally on the shelves, straight spears mean they’re fresh, while curved tips mean they’ve been there for a while.

After trimming off about an inch of the woody base of the spears, just toss them in some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, maybe a couple cloves of garlic if you like, and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes until tender but not mushy. If you time everything right, the gratin, asparagus, and lamb should all be done about the same time.

Which leads us to the sauce. This is a nice, acidic pan sauce that nicely contrasts the richness of the fatty lamb shoulder, which by this point has taken on a lovely rosemary-garlic flavor and given up some tasty drippings for the sauce.

You jealous? You’re totally jealous.

Remove the lamb from your roasting pan or dutch oven to a plate, and cover with foil to rest for a bit. DO NOT start tearing the meat apart yet, or you’ll lose all the delicious juices and end up with tough, chewy strings of meat sitting in a puddle. If your lamb was fatty like mine was, you might want to spoon out some of the excess oil. With your pan over medium heat, add in your capers, letting them crisp up a bit but not get burnt or browned.

Watch the splatter, hot fat and brine don’t get along too well.

I didn’t really like capers all that much until recently, but they add a great brightness, saltiness, and a little sweetness to sauces, and they always go well with smoked salmon. Once they’ve crisped up a bit, sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir to combine. This will basically form a loose roux, which will thicken the sauce as you add a cup of chicken or beef stock, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and maybe a splash of dry wine (white or red, doesn’t really matter). I actually didn’t have any stock, so I just used the lemon and some wine that was leftover from a get-together with some friends at my apartment. Make sure you scrape up all the flavorful stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, and give the sauce a taste; it should be tart and acidic, but watch the salt content.

Now that everything is cooked, pull the lamb apart (save those bones for the stock pot!) and plate with some of the asparagus and a good helping of the gratin. Drizzle the sauce over the lamb, and even over the asparagus if you like.

It’s a thing of beauty.

At first I found the sauce to be too acidic on its own, but it really does a fantastic job of balancing the fatty richness of the lamb; sauces aren’t meant to be eaten on their own, after all. Spring asparagus is always delicious, and the green gratin is a nice replacement for starchy mashed potatoes or rutabagas. Truth be told, I think I would rather start the lamb with the oven at 300, and crank it to 400 for 10 minutes or so at the end, just the crisp up the outer fat layer, and at the temp described by the recipe my meat came out a little dry, so a little lower would probably remedy that (hence the 300 instead of Jamie’s 325).

Even with those few road bumps, this is a great meal for a chilly spring day, or any time year round. Best of all, it lets me cook with lamb on a budget, and gives me good leftovers. Also, if you’re feeling adventurous, make the beet green gratin without the crackers and keep it for breakfast the next day. It is full of eggs, after all. You know what? Eat any of this whenever you want. It’s that good.

Eat.

Yotam’s new show on SBS (yes we are on first name basis) is wonderful; The combination of travel and cultural food makes my taste buds go wild. So when it was my time for girls dinner i couldn’t help but pinch Ottolenghi’s classic Moroccan inspired dish Barbecued leg of lamb with almonds and orange blossom. I think what took this dish to the next level was the combination of the home roasted almonds, thyme and lemon rind/juice. Thyme is not only a beautiful herb but is an great source of vitamin A, C, iron and manganese. It was a textural and flavor consolidation that paired with perfect medium-rare lamb with a char-grilled olive oil coated capsicum that was pure delight.

My creme caramels were a lucky fluke as i had four hours to prepare them including chilling time. The creamy vanilla infused dessert was delish however i definitely would add more caramel and taper with the eggs to reach further flavor intensity.

Find recipe here:

http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/barbecued-leg-of-lamb-with-almonds-and-orange-blossom-

Anyway, i did a Moroccan twist to these which were cooked on my kettle grill on skewers. I made these before in my oven but they don’t compare to doing it on the barbecue. The searing over hot coals make them real juicy and no matter how long you leave them over the flames, they don’t dry out whereas if you bake them, they’ll eventually dry out. Also, since they were made of a combination of lamb and beef, the fat would flare up the hot coals and if they were done in the oven, smoke would fill the kitchen. I’m not saying you can’t do them using your cooker, it can be done, but if you want to save cleaning up alot of rendered fat and not deal with alot of smoke, then barbecue is the way to go. seeing these being made on the grill and the smells makes me think how it’d be like if i was walking through a Moroccan Bazaar, watching the locals make these while the smells drift throughout the marketplaces….some day…..

Ingredients

• 500g of minced (ground) lamb and 500g of minced beef. The quantities don’t matter, as long as you have an equal amount of lamb to beef then it’s fine. You can always have more lamb to beef but that’s up to you.
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of mint sauce (if you don’t have this, you can use mint jelly or some mint leaves finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon of garlic puree (if you don’t have this, use about 5-6 cloves of crushed garlic or a tablespoon of granulated garlic)
• 2 teaspoons of dry onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon of harissa paste (if you don’t have this, you can substitute with red pepper (chili) flakes or cayenne pepper)
• 2 teaspoons of paprika (can be ordinary, hot, sweet or smoked)
• 3 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of mild chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1. In a deep bowl, combine the minced meats together. Once they’re thoroughly mixed, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands.
2. Take a small ball of the mixture and shape it on a bamboo skewer to resemble a sausage, or you can shape them into balls and skewer them.
3. Place over hot coals, turning occasionally until they’re cooked through. Beware of flare ups due to dripping fat. If you set aside opposite hot coals, it’s best to have a drip pan under the koftas to catch the fat.

There you have it. You can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes. You can make these as big or as small as you wish. Also you may need a touch more salt. This was perfect for me but i say maybe more salt because it may seem a tad bland to some. To counteract this without resorting to high sodium content, i packed in loads of flavour so if you’re using less salt, use more of the other ingredients until it’s how you like it. You can serve them with any kind of sauce and if you’re having super spicy koftas, i recommend a riata (sauce) of natural or greek yoghurt mixed with diced cucumber and chopped mint leaves. This will tone down the spiciness and taste fantastic. Enjoy

But on a holiday, it does seem to be the thing to do, so this Easter I secured a leg and decided to give it a try.

There is nothing much to cooking a leg of lamb actually. It turned out quite simple. We liked it fine, and I have plenty in the freezer to make ragu’s of varying kinds in the up-coming months.

So when the right holiday comes along, do give it a try. Like many recipes, one should make it at least once in a life time. And if you find it grand, well, you have found a new friend!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 6-8 lb leg of lamb
• 1 c white wine
• 1/2 c orange juice (or substitute 1/4 c of lemon juice)
• 3 cloves garlic sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. If you leg is bone in, place in a plastic bag. If boneless, tie it up with twine before placing it in the plastic bag.
2. Mix the balance of the ingredients together and then pour into the bag, massaging the marinade so that the leg is well covered.
3. Refrigerate for a good six hours, or longer up to about 12 or so. Turn the bag over when you think of it.
4. Remove the bag from the refrigerator about two hours before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
5. Preheat the oven to 475-500°.
6. Place the leg on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. (Line with foil to help the cleanup)
7. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes, turn over and roast another 10 minutes.
8. Reduce the temperature to 325°.
9. Roast until you get an internal temperature of 135° which is the high side of medium rare. Do not overcook or it will be dry.
10. You should figure about 10-15 minutes per pound. Start checking after the first hour, but remember, that once it starts to move up, the temperature will usually move up fast, so do pay attention.
11. When it is at the temperature you wish, (125° would be rare), remove the roast and allow to sit tented with foil for about 20-30 minutes before carving.

Serves: 10

NOTES: You can vary the herbs a bit if you wish. And plenty of people don’t care for the citrus marinade so you can omit it if you wish. If you do I would make small slits in the meat and insert the slivers of garlic and herbs that way. Or mince your garlic and make a light paste of olive oil and the herbs and garlic and spread that on the meat before placing in the oven.

Related articles

• Leg of lamb on the grill (braai4mahalablog.wordpress.com)
• Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb (pamsfoodcourt.wordpress.com)
• Cumin Roast Lamb (pamsfoodcourt.wordpress.com)
• Spicy Honey-Roasted Leg Of Lamb (romancingthebee.com)
• Basic Boneless Roasted Leg of Lamb Recipe (pamsfoodcourt.wordpress.com)

So I have 12 hours of #Doctor Who being recorded and no idea of what to do for dinner.

Last night was Lamb meatloaf with mint yogurt sauce, grilled corn and almond and maple pinwheels with ice cream for dessert.

Have good BBQ this weekend!

Scott

Lamb meatloaf with yogurt mint sauce. Don’t tell the adopted troll she ate lamb!

Fun with puff pastry

This curry went down a storm at my friend’s birthday – aromatic with a good amount of heat, ground almonds and poppy seeds impart a deep richness.

No cream or coconut milk makes this dish surprisingly light. Using good quality leg of lamb which has been well trimmed will cut down the cooking time meaning this can easily be ready within a couple of hours with little attention.

Best served with homemade raita, naan bread and saffron rice.

-

Almond Lamb Curry
Serves 4/5

Ingredients:
For the Sauce: 4 Medium Onions (Diced), 2 Cinnamon Stick, 6 Cloves, 8 Curry Leaves, 6 Cardamom Pods, 5 Medium Tomatoes Diced, 1tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

To Finish the Curry: 1kg Diced Leg Lamb, 1tsp Mild Chilli Powder, 2tsp Hot Chilli Powder, 2tbsp Ground Coriander, 1tsp Turmeric, 2tbsp Tamarind Paste, 300g Ground Almonds, 2tbsp Poppy Seeds

-

Method:

1) Heat a little oil in a large casserole dish on the stove top over a medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Then add the ginger-garlic paste to the dish and cook for 1 minute. Finally add the diced tomatoes and allow to cook down for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, brown the lamb in a separate pan over a high heat – in batches if necessary and set aside.

3) Once the onion and tomato mixture has cooked down, transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Return to the casserole dish and place over a medium heat. Add the ground/powdered spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lamb and 400ml of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour uncovered over a very low heat until the lamb starts to become tender.

4) Add the ground almonds, poppy seeds and tamarind paste. Continue to cook on low for another half hour or until the lamb is fully cooked and tender. Once ready, serve topped with some freshly chopped coriander.

-

Enjoy!

80-ply dough baklava (which is usually 40-ply), speciality of Beypazarı district of Ankara,Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plenty of people are getting their Greek on this weekend.

Shortly before the 11 a.m. start of the Capital Region Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Wormleysburg this morning, customers were lining up for gryos, baklava and lamb dinners.

It’s a little known secret – you can arrive early at the festival at 1000 Yverdon Drive to beat the rush.

“It’s a beautiful day. It’s perfect for this,” said Donna Angeloff of Willamstown.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/05/greek_festival_wormleysburg_1.html#incart_m-rpt-1

MOROCCAN GOAT STEW

FOR THE GOAT

1 tbspn olive oil,  750g goat shoulder, cut into 4-5cm cubes

Halal goat

1 onion, finely diced,  4 garlic cloves, crushed,  1 can plum tomatoes, chopped, 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

30g dried apricots, roughly chopped, pinch of saffron, goat or lamb stock or water

FOR THE SPICE MIXTURE

1 tspn ground cumin, 1 tspn ground coriander, 1 tspn ground ginger,1.5 tspn smoked paprika, 1 tspn turmeric, Half tspn ground chilli

Salt and freshly ground pepper

seasoned goat meat

TO GARNISH

4 tbspn finely chopped coriander, Half-1 tspn of Harissa paste, zest and juice of half a lemon, 1 tbspn honey

SERVE WITH

300gm pumpkin, peeled, chopped into 1-2cm cubes and roasted in olive oil with a little seasoning.

METHOD

Place the olive oil in a large saucepan or casserole pan and put it over a moderate-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan and sweat for one minute until transparent.

Place all the spice mixture ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Toss the goat in the spices so that it is well coated.

Add the spiced goat and garlic to the pan and seal the goat on all sides so that it is browned.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, apricots, saffron and enough stock to just cover the goat. Bring to the oil then reduce to a slow simmer. Leave the goat to cook for 1-1.5 hours or until the meat is tender, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon (add more stock or water if the liquid is below the goat). (You can do this on top of the stove or in the oven. If the stew is too watery, drain off the excess liquid into a saucepan and reduce until thickened. Then return to the stew.

Stir in 3 tblspns of the chopped coriander, harissa paste (more or less to taste), lemon zest, juice and honey.

Garnish with roasted pumpkin and scatter over remaining coriander

In progress

Easter dinner

I have just trimmed the lamb shanks, collected all the marinating ingredients together here;

The trimming was pretty easy to do.  I used the Aussie YouTube instructable here; http://youtu.be/hD0UCd-IeZY.

Then I heated some olive oil in a big casserole dish and browned the lamb all over, this took about 30 mins.

Then I chucked in the veggies, herbs and wine…

Resulting in this which will be chilling in the fridge overnight.

In vs. 1 he tells us what is coming: the seven last plagues. But before the horrific results of these plages John is shown the outcome. He gets to see the end of the story for the saints.

V. 2, He sees the throne room of heaven and an expanse of a glassy, crystalline floor of some sort that he can’t really describe. It looks like glass mixed with fire. On that floor stand the saints who have come through the terrors of the final crisis including the plages that John is about to see. Obviously they have come through it all just fine. They overcame the beast, his image, and his number of his name.

So now they hold harps and sing. Their song is the Song of Moses, which Israel sang after their deliverance through the Red Sea. Their situation was hopeless and God worked a miraculous deliverance for them. The saints praise him for his deliverance and they echo the first angel’s message in v. 4 of fear, glory, and worship.

“The nations will come and worship before you,” after the millennium this will happen. “For your righteous works have been brought into the open,” which was the whole point of the wrath of God and the way he worked. He is out to prove his character and clear his reputation of the charges of Satan.

So we both felt like a hearty and delicious meal tonight… And decided on lamb shanks in a tomato and rosemary base.  Cooked on a low heat for about four hours… And we were left with pure bliss for dinner!

Easy to make and also quite affordable – especially as we are using the leftover sauce tomorrow night to add to our pasta dish.  Stay tuned for that!

Naturally, being the bearded alpha male I am, I would of course unhesitatingly go for the Gurkhali and probably ask them to spice it up a bit because I’m so gosh darn manly. But I like to share my dishes with Her Indoors who doesn’t like the spicy stuff, so I restrained my masculine impulse. Also: King Prawn Nepal? Nepal and/or Tibet are landlocked. Land prawns? Mountain shrimp? I don’t think so.

The waiter was friendly to the point of unctuousness, and when quizzed directed us past the distractions and ushered us to the Bhutuwa. I opted for the lamb, Her Indoors for the chicken.

The chicken was somehow more flavoursome, but garnished with coriander, they were both delicious. Her indoors insightfully pointed out that the inclusion of ginger in the dish elevated it from a standard issue curry. I washed mine down with a tall, cool Khukuri beer. The best was yet to come. We also ordered the Momo – Nepalese meat dumplings – and were told they would take 15 minutes to arrive. The Momos looked an awful lot like dim sum, but the filling was of a much more Indian flavour. Indian meets Chinese in a little parcel of deliciousness (also my highly misleading personal ad).

£37 for two including booze (another highly misleading personal ad).

नेपाल!

The Momos. With a tomato dipping sauce.

Chicken Bhutuwa

Like how I’ve focused on the rice? That’s the important thing, not the exotic dish in the background.

At least you can get a Khukuri beer so it feels a little Nepalese

See what I mean? You could be in any curry house.

There’s no excuse for this.

I’ve offered my photographic services to estate agents, but no takers so far.

EPILOGUE

We then ambled to Smith’s cocktail bar under the Brook Green Hotel (http://smithsw6.co.uk/) which I’m pleased to say is building up a loyal clientel having looked a little empty when first it opened. I can’t recommend the place enough for it’s many nooks and crannies and expert mixologists. After a big meal I like to take a wee postprandial digestif‎, and so I recommend the Gustav Holst.

Sorry ladies – I’m spoken for.

I slow cooked the lamb for the croquettes on the same day as I was making the lamb soup. The instructions said to put it in the slow cooker with vegetables and water, but in making the croquettes you don’t actually need the cooking liquid so I used that as stock for the soup…so that worked out well!

The soup was really simple: basically lamb, tomato, spinach, coriander, chick peas and spices. It was pretty delicious. Even the girls ate it willingly.

Ottolenghi Harira

It was so easy that I made apple crumble with the apples in the bowl that the girls refused to eat (they don’t like them if they’re even a tiny bit soft or floury or have a bit of a bruise…actually, neither do I, so I can’t judge!). I’m really not very good at crumble (how is it that I can’t make a good crumble? It just never seems to have those crunchy bits on it like in pictures…it still tastes good though). But anything is good with cream added, right?

Apple crumble

The next day I actually went out for dinner (I KNOW! without any of my family! crazy times…but more on that later) – so because I had planned to make those croquettes, I went ahead as planned. They were really really good, and luckily there were lots of them, so they’ll re-appear some other time as we’ve frozen some for later.

shepherd’s pie croquettes – before being cooked

Basically, the slow cooked lamb was shredded and mixed with (hot) mashed potato and formed into balls, then crumbed and fried. How could they be bad?! Sandy did not take any photos of the cooked ones (I think he started eating them too quickly!)

Finally, Friday night was for Wilkinson’s meatballs and eggplant braise. This too was delicious and I served it with soft polenta which I haven’t cooked in ages. The braise was a bit reminiscent of caponata, with the tangy vinegar/caper flavour and the eggplant and the sweet tomatoes. I did change this recipe very slightly – I omitted the cherry tomatoes and added capsicum…not for any great reason…but it tasted good, anyway.

The meatballs were yummy, and easy, too. They also had capers in them.

Meatballs with eggplant braise and soft polenta

I’ve finally settled on a quick, easy salad dressing, after deconstructing it so much that it was literally oil and vinegar poured (separately) over salad leaves…that wasn’t working out so well! So now I just put a little olive oil in a glass, add some vinegar, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of seeded mustard and a 1/4 teaspoon of honey, and mix it together briskly…that seems to taste good.

As for the weekend – there are fish fingers in the plans but no fish has yet been purchased…so we will see how that works out!! It does look a good recipe though, I’m sure it would be worthwhile leaving the house to get fish! Time will tell.

So, on Wendesday, I woke up with a fever. I felt better a little while later, so we headed out to Maplewood Farm where I purchased a membership. It will pay itself off if I go ten times over the next year, and O really loves it, so I don’t think that will be a problem.

I think my favourite part was watching the lambs play! They are so filled with joy, frolicking around.

Then, the fever and sickness came back and I was pretty sure I was going to die, so we headed home. By some miracle, I managed to get A into the big bed, and then O down for his nap, and I then crawled in with the little girl to sleep for two hours. AMAZING. And just what I needed given how sick I was.

I can’t wait to go back to the farm again. While I loved the lambs, O’s favourite part was the ducks. You can feed them bird seed and can purchase it there, but we will pack some next time. O really wanted to feed them and we had nothing (and I had no cash) so he just chased them around. He still had a wonderful time.

There’s a sheep shearing on May 26, so we may head down for that. We’ll see. It’ll probably be busy.