I Orangen't Very Attentive

 

Breakfast, Thursday May 13, 2021: kohlrabi fritters (shredded kohlrabi, egg, flour, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper, avocado cream sauce (avocado, yogurt, sour creme, salt, lemon juice)); scramble (onion, spinach, mushroom, eggs, cheddar, tarragon, dill, salt); fruit.

The grocery that I regularly use has a decent produce section. It has a good and generally fresh selection of the basics. It has some shortcomings. The mushroom selection is buttons and portobellos, das it. The parsley is always sad, which makes me sad 'cause I really like tabbouleh. On the other hand they always seem to have pineapples really cheap. (There was recently a six week pineapple drought. It was difficult.) The other item that is exciting is blood oranges. They are not stocked all the time, but it is often enough that I always look for them. 

On my most recent shopping trip they were in stock and. . . wait for it. . . on sale. I got a little excited. Instead of carefully inspecting them I joyfully stuffed them in a bag. I realized my mistake this morning. I intended to just use blood orange as the fruit, but when I took one out of the bowl I almost put my thumb in it. This might be all right for a really ripe peach, but not an orange. It wasn't rotten all the way through, only in the spot my thumb submerged. I was able to use half of it. 

 

Nooks And Crannies

Breakfast, Tuesday November 16: seared lamb chop; mixed fruit (apple, pineapple, dates, pecans); pumpkin bread; English muffin.

I find it a little amusing how the average American (whatever that means) wants bread that has a soft and very light crust with a crumb that is uniform and extremely soft, yet I recall an advertising campaign for a brand of English muffins that touted the "nooks and crannies." Now I understand that is so one can load up with more butter, but the demand doesn't go the other way. Hand most Americans a roll or loaf with a similar crumb and they would scoff.

Don't believe me? Sure there is an "artisan" bread section in most grocers. Sales there paltry compared to the "regular" bread aisle. Not only that but consider that artisan bread itself. My favorite example is the bagel. Bagels should be firm chewy and have an almost leathery crust. Most grocery bagels are kaiser rolls with a hole in the middle. I like to call them bageloids.

Mary Had A Little Lamb, And Squash, And Bread,. . .

Supper, Tuesday August 1: smoked rack of lamb; grilled zucchini; vegetable medley (squash, tomato, okra); sour seedy rye.  

It's an old joke but I couldn't resist.

We like grilled veggies. (Come to think of it we like grilled anything.) This zucchini variety is aptly named Grey Griller. It is a little firmer than traditional zucchini, and it is wider. Taste is similar so put together it is a perfect grilling vegetable. I just hit it with a little olive oil and seasoned salt. 

It's Like Steak And Eggs Jr

Breakfast, Wednesday July 19: lamb chop; hashed browns; cheesy scramble; fruit.

The sheep share returneth. When we had the sheep butchered there were a lot of options. Among them was whether to turn the rib portions into racks or chops, and if chops, how many per pack. We went for chops, 2 per pack. Now normally 2 chops is a serving of lamb, BUT these little guys are perfect as a breakfast meat. just one makes a nice modest protein serving with some eggs. Add a starch and a fruit or vegetable. Tadarrrr!

Just Like Mama Used To. . .

Supper, Thursday July 13: meatloaf (ground beef, ground lamb, egg, cracker crumbs. pine-nuts, spinach, onion, black pepper, garlic powder); green beans (beans, olive oil, sliced almonds, garlic, soy sauce); garlic and parm mashed potatoes.

OK so maybe not just like mom's but the intent is the same. All the basic ingredients are there but this has the flavors turned up a bit. If you are like me your parents had relatively simple tastes. A dish was "spicy" if there was too much black pepper in it. Affluent tastes have filtered down the socioeconomic ladder. The mention of eating raw fish would make my mother shudder. I'm not exaggerating, a genuine physical reaction. Alexis and I have sushi for Christmas dinner. Really. Been doing it for years. 

So embrace your comfort food. Just update it a little (not too much) and make it your own.

Oh yeah, meatloaf. Say meatloaf today and most people think ground beef. There's a reason it's called meatloaf not beefloaf. Look for older or more traditional recipes, they often call for some combination of beef, veal, lamb, and pork. MEATloaf. Using just ground beef means missing out on the complexity and depth of flavors provided by the other cuts. Just sayin'.

Just The Right Size

Breakfast, Thursday May 4: lamb chop; roasted garlic bread; fruit salad.

Recently I dug around in the freezer and found some of our sheep share that I had forgotten. It included a number of chops. I love those tiny little steaks, but I thought that a dinner portion, typically 2, would use the up too fast. That's when I realized that one of them was just right as a breakfast meat. 

Italian Again?

Supper, Saturday April 22: tossed salad (garden greens, olives, avocado, capers, Greek dressing); spaghetti and meatballs.

I'm not sure why, but I have been jonesing for Italian meatballs for weeks. I finally decided to give in. The sauce is just marinara, nothing fancy. For the balls I finely chopped some shallot and minced a little garlic, and sweated them in a little olive oil. While this cooled a little I combined ground lamb, ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, crumbled feta, pepper, basil, oregano, anise seed. I dumped in the onions and garlic, folded all this together and portioned out the balls. I baked them at 375 until they were beginning to brown. I think we got three meals out of that batch. I got that craving taken care of for a while.

Simple Is Sometimes Better.

Supper, Thursday April 20: smoked rack of lamb, mac-n-cheese, beets, radish.

Despite appearances this really is pretty simple. The rack was 4 ribs. I just seasoned it with a little salt and pepper and put it on my kettle grill with indirect heat. I smoked it for about 2 hours then split it for the plate. The Radish is from the greenhouse. The beets are just garden beets steamed in the microwave. The mac-n-cheese is really the most complicated item. 

For the mac-n-cheese sauce I combined a couple of tablespoons each of flour and butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Don't let this roux brown. If it does it will interfere with the flavor of the cheese. just cook it til it is bubbling good for a couple of minutes. Keep it moving. Then I added some milk, about a cup. It is best to err on the side of caution here. Once the milk has heated and the sauce thickened you can always add a little more milk or water for that matter. If you put in too much milk you can't take it back out. If that is the case you could carefully simmer until enough liquid has evaporated to thicken the sauce. You could also add a little cornstarch and water mixed together until you get a thick but not stiff sauce. Finally I tossed in a big handful of cheddar and another of smoked gouda with the rind cut off. Both were shredded. Blend and toss in the mac. I dressed it up a little with some scallions and capers.

A Match Made In Heaven

Supper, Sunday April 16: chicken liver; beet chips; avocado; green beans.

Just your normal meat and three. OK just a little twist. The beans are just straight up. Some of our garden beans from last season. They taste like summer. The Avocado might seem a little weird, but hear me out. Avocados have an earthy flavor along with their fruitier notes. Both the beets and the liver are very earthy so the avocado brings something in common and something new to the plate. There is also a pairing in texture. The avocado, when just ripe, has a tiny bit of tooth that gives way immediately to its softness. The livers are the same, only more so. If you think that is just rationalization, OK, Alexis likes avocado. There.

Now let's look at the livers. There is a restaurant near our house that has on the menu fried chicken livers. Their twist is with caramelized onions and shiitakes. Now I only had dried shiitakes. Their texture is a bit rubbery when they are re-hydrated so I didn't want them here. The combo of the pumpkin seeds and the caramelized onions has that tooth/soft palate again. 

Drain the chicken livers well. Hit them with a dash of salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Dredge them in plain flour. Deep fry or pan fry in a half inch of oil. In either case turn them to cook evenly. Slice the onion very thin caramelize in a little butter. I like to add a little Marsala. When the onions are nearing completion add the pumpkin seeds. When the seeds are toasted toss in the livers. 

I Think They Smell Delicioso

Breakfast, Wednesday April 13: veggie scramble ( ramps, mushrooms, olive, eggs, egg substitute, pinconning ); roasted corn polenta; lamb chop.

I was sifting through the freezer recently. I was looking for items that were getting old. The search led me to a bag of our lamb share that had gotten buried. It had all the lamb chops in it. I realized that the chops were just the right size for breakfast meat. The shape looks a little off 'cause I trimmed the fatty tail off. ( I chopped them up and briefly cooked then. The dogs loved it.) I just put a little salt and pepper on then pan seared them.

Ramps are a lot like Miracle Whip. You love or you hate it. There are very few people who are ambivalent. Ramps are the same way except that there are a sizable number of people ( I suspect an overwhelming majority ) who have never even heard of them. I have a small patch of them in the yard, mostly as a novelty. If I really want ramps I go to the farmers market. I usually try to saute and freeze some in very small baggies every year. They are only available in the spring. That reminds me, I need some to freeze. . .

Wait Isn't Saag Supposed To Be Green?

Supper, Wednesday April 5: lamb saag (lamb, carrot, onion, beet, spinach, chili, coriander cardamom, pepper, butter); aromatic rice (basmati, anise seed, coriander, olive oil); microgreen salad (baby romaine, mandarin, pistachio oil, blackberry balsamic).

Yes it should be green, that is unless you put beets in it, then the two colors blend to give this rich cooked beef blood look and consistency. We thought it was awesome but I can see some people getting turned off. Alexis would say, "More for me!" I made up the Saag sauce this past summer when I pulled the spinach to make room for beans. It was an experiment. I made a giant batch of sauce then divided it into pint bags then froze it. It worked great. An easy and tasty way to take advantage of the spring spinach bounty. 

Microgreens is a culinary trend of late. Lettuce seed is cheap, especially if you purchase it at a "feed and seed," some sort of concern catering to at least hobby farmers. You can get a gazillion seeds for a few dollars. Seeds, a couple of seedling flats, a bag of seedling starter mix, and a sunny patio or window is all you need. What we ate in the meal above was just the thinning of my romaine starts. 

Haven't Had Lamb In A While

Breakfast, Wednesday March 1: blackened lamb chop; vegetable fritata (scallion, mushroom, olive, artichoke heart, dried tomato); polenta (instant polenta, feta, pepper, roasted garlic powder).

I was rummaging in the freezer the night before and happened upon the chops. Needless to say I was inspired. 

The Return Of The Thai Basil

Supper, Friday December 23: Thai basil with lamb; fine rice noodles; a dusting of dry basil.

This recipe is fundamentally the same as the one I served a couple of weeks ago with the exception of lamb instead of shrimp as the protein. The other change was the replacement of the wider rice noodles with a very fine rice noodle. The fine noodles are difficult to incorporate with the other components of the dish so instead of tossing the noodles with the other ingredients I opted to make this version a little soupier and serve it over the pasta.

With The Platter You Get Salad

Supper, Wednesday December 21: greekish salad (zen greens, feta, radish, pomegranite, crunchy sprouts); grilled pineapple; roast lamb; tzaziki; naan.

So this time I decided to go the same way that most greek restaurants go. The gyro comes with fries and the platter comes with the greek salad. 

On another note, usually you would find tomato somewhere on this plate. I have one word, December. I grow several varieties of tomato every summer. I generally would prefer to go without than partake of most tomatoes this time of year. 

It's All So Brown

Breakfast, Wednesday December 21: Hashed browns with liver; rye toast; spiced pumpkin bread.

This really started with, "what do I do with a little piece of liver?" I don't know where the hash thing came from but I worked. De-lish. I just couldn't resist the joke again. Hearts, organ shapes, organ meat, I slay me. Ha!

Yay Bento!

Lunch, Monday December 19: roast leg of lamb; taters and gravy; cranberry salad; home canned green beans.

Nothing special here, but Alexis likes her bento boxes so much she wanted me to get a picture.

Is It Still An Gyro If It's On Naan?

Supper Saturday December 18: lamb gyro (roasted leg of lamb, radish, onion, lettuce, tzaziki); fried yucca; crudite.

I am fond of the pitas that are used by greek restaurants. When crisped on a flat grill they are just the right combo of crispiness and chewiness. Now if I had nothing better to do I would find a reliable source, but I have not, at least not at the grocers that I frequent. Plain naan is a very good substitute. It is a little different. The crumb is not as even so the texture isn't the same but the flavor, once toasted in a large pan is nearly identical. This is probably why I haven't been to motivated to find the real McCoy.  

In thinking this meal through I realized that with the sandwich and fries, so far the plate was hand/finger food. It also needed a little boost in fiber and some other nutrients. Finger food? healthy? Oh, how about veggie sticks? Done. 

I've been waiting for this moment. . .

Supper, Saturday December 17: Roast leg of lamb with English roasting rub; whipped gold potatoes with roasted garlic; peas; radish.

 
We bought a few spice mixes to experiment with earlier in the year from a little specialty shop. It sold only herbs, spices, blends, and specialty salts. This blend was called "English Roast Rub." It smelled pretty good so we got a single use packet of it. I finally got around to using it with the lamb though it is intended for beef. 

Holy Crap! It's REALLY good with the lamb. 

Alexis insisted on peas. Nothing wrong with that. It's just unusual that she is adamant about something on the menu. It's also worth noting that frozen peas are a pretty good vegetable to have on hand. They can go with or in lots of things. They also can be recovered from freezer burn easily. Rinse them then cover with water and let them stand til they get their color back. The peas above were moderately burned. No lie.

What Do You Call A Liver Reuben? A "William"

Supper, Thursday December 15: *william (fresh sour rye, sheep liver, Ohio swiss, kraut, grilled onion, thousand island); **onion strings; mixed greens; cranberry salad; clementines.

*William, Billy, Billy Reuben, Bilirubin, Liver, I slay me.

*I don't know where I first saw a recipe like this one. I think it may have been Chef Lagasse. Regardless, I have modified the original to the extent that I am comfortable calling it my own. I give you Onion Strings.

Select your onion. I like plain Jane yellow onions. I find Vidalias to be too sweet for this. I want a little onion kick. Slice them YERY thin. This is a job for a mandolin.

Once sliced douse them with your favorite seasoned salt. Apply liberally, it's mostly coming off later. Let stand at least 30 minutes. My gut tells me this is best in a non-metallic bowl. I have no specific justification for that observation. Toss the strands occasionally to ensure even distribution of the seasoning.

Of course the salt will sweat the strings. You could skip the sweating, just season and fry, but the strings go soggy almost immediately. I want them to stay somewhat crispity for at least a few minutes. Squeeze out the juice. I mean really squeeze. Put your back into it. See how much water came out? I give them a quick rinse and another squeeze. That is me worrying about salt. If you want them salty just don't rinse.

 Fluff the strings out.

Didn't get a picture of the coated strings.

Will get one next time.

Coat liberally with flour. If you want to add a little zing, before the flour add a little pepper, maybe some cayenne, whatever. 

  Fry til crisp and golden. Makes a great garnish, adds height and drama to the plate.

 

It's Offal Not Awful

Supper, Wednesday December 14: sheep liver; caramelized onion; wild and white rice; wilted salad (mixed greens, clementine, pear, heirloom radish, olive oil, blackberry balsalmic).

We like organ meat. Properly cooked, it doesn't have as much of the metallic and gamey flavors. I wanted to try a different technique with this. The whole liver was intact, not sliced. What if I seared it whole and sliced it like a roast? I was a little concerned for the edges. They were thin and could get way overcooked before the center was done. I kinda remembered that liver draws up a bit when cooked so I thought I'd try it. After caramelizing the onions I got the pan good and hot then dropped the dredged liver in in the pan. 

Nailed it.

The edges drew up. I cooked it until it stopped being boggy to touch and let it rest 5 minutes. Sliced it up and found a beautiful medium at the thickest portion to well at the margins with most of it medium well. The sheep liver was just the right size. I got the cook temp right so I didn't overcook it. There was none of the bitterness that comes from overcooking. In fact there was a subtle sweetness, like in slow roasted pork. I gotta find a source for sheep liver. I could find it hard to switch back to beef.