Wine Roasted Lamb

I don't just eat potatoes for dinner, I promise. So here is the other half of my Sunday night fall roasting extravaganza. Leg of lamb!! I love leg of lamb, but I don't often by it, because they are so large, what are two people going to do with 7 pounds of meat?! So I was delighted when Whole Foods had half legs of lamb, still with the bone in, and a much more manageable 2 1/2 lbs (which was still enough to provide 2 dinners for 2 people, the leftovers became lamb fried rice, yum). The wine in this recipe soaks into the onions making them totally drunk and irresistible (yes, I called my onions drunk) and goes perfect with the richness of the lamb. A perfect Sunday evening.

Wine Roasted Lamb:
1 semi-boneless half leg of lamb, about 2 1/2-3 lbs
1 tbsp of olive oil
3 small onions
1 shallot
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of pepper
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of red wine, drinking quality

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub the lamb with the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, then drizzle with olive oil. Put lamb in a 9 by 13 casserole dish. Chop onions, shallots and garlic and put them in the dish around the lamb. Cook for 25 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and pour wine over lamb and onions. Let cook until a thermomater inserted in the lamb registers 140 (for medium rare), about 30 minutes more depending on weight. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve lamb with onions and wine drippings. Enjoy.

Happy Eating.

My Favorite Roast Chicken

First, a little business. Congrats to Claire on winning the jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter! Enjoy!

In my September DC post, I mentioned that I made a roast chicken, and used the leftovers from that to make my stock. Not only did I make a roast chicken, but I made my favorite roast chicken. I shared this once before, but it was so long ago, I wasn't even putting pictures on my blog then, so I decided I needed to re-post it. This chicken is absolutely magical, and very easy to make, it's been made so many times over the years, and tweaked slightly from time to time (usually depending on what herbs I have), but it's always delicious.

Roast Chicken:
1 whole chicken, giblits removed
3 cloves of garlic
2 large yellow onion
2 lemons
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Parsley
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper
1-2 cups Chicken Stock

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop the onions, reserving 1/4 of an onion, and put in the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and inside the cavity. Put in the dish breast side up. Smash the garlic cloves and put inside the chicken, put the reserved onion in the chicken as well. Quater one of the lemons. Put one quarter inside the chicken, unsqueezed. Use another quarter to squeeze the juice all over the chicken. Chop the remaining 1 and 1/2 lemons and add to the dish with the onions. Stuff a handful thyme, rosemary, and parsley into the chicken. Rub olive oil over the exposed chicken skin, and drizzle a little into the onions as well. Tuck the wings in and tie the drumstick together with kitchen twine (truss). Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and add some stock to baste. Bake until the internal temperature is 165 in the thigh, or the little ready thermometer pops, about 20 minutes per pound, stirring the onions and basting with stock occasionally. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving. The lemons (rind and all) in the pan with the onions are completely edible, and taste really good. Enjoy!

Happy Eating.

Brown Sugared Pork Loin

This recipe is beyond simple. It's also beyond delicious. And the very simple reason for that is the meat thermometer. I am currently in love with my meat thermometer, it ensures that you have a perfectly cooked roast every time. I don't have any kind of fancy thermometer, just a cheap and pointy thing you shove into the meat every so often. So get yours out, or go buy one, check it obsessively, and roast something to to it's exact delicious temperature. Also remember, the internal temperature will rise a little while resting. I highly recommend reading/browsing the Field Guide to Meat for more information and temperature times, it also has really handy charts of pretty much every conceivable cut of meat. It is truly amazing how much better meat tastes when it's cooked perfectly.



Brown Sugar Pork Loin:
1 2-3 lb boneless pork loin
3 yellow onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2 tbsp of olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop the onions and mince the garlic, put them in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Mix together the sugar and spices. Rub the pork with the spice mixture so that all parts are covered, sprinkle any remaining mixture over the onions. Put the pork on top of the onions and drizzle pork and onions with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue cooking until a meat thermometer registers 150-155 degrees, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, covered, before serving. This will yield a delicious and medium/medium-well cooked pork loin, with a slightly pink center. Serve in thick slices.



Happy Eating.

Roasting Chicken

There is nothing so perfect as a whole roasted chicken. To me it is the ultimate Sunday dinner. Something about it just screams family. The first step to roasting a wonderful chicken is ensuring crispy skin, while keeping the meat moist and tender, once you have perfected that you can start to play with the flavor. I still love my go to chicken recipe, based on the Barefoot Contessa's "Engagement Chicken", but I was in an allspice kind of mood and this was a wonderful change of pace. As a bonus I tossed in some zucchini and made this a lovely one dish meal.



Roast Chicken with Sherry and Allspice:
1 5-6 lb roasting chicken
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
3 medium onions
2 medium zucchini
1 tbsp of whole allspice
1/3 cup of sherry
1/2 cup of chicken stock
Salt, Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rough chop the zucchini and onions, and toss in the bottom of a baking dish (reserving 2 or 3 pieces of onion) with salt and pepper and about a table spoon of olive oil. Wash the chicken, inside and out, then pat dry. salt and pepper the chicken inside and out. Stuff with the reserved onions, the garlic cloves (smashed slightly) and half the allspice. Sprinkle the remaining allspice through out the pan. Drizzle or rub the rest of the olive oil onto the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and pour the sherry over the chicken. Bake for another 20 minutes then pour the stock over. Continue cooking until the popper pops up, basting the chicken stock occasionally with the juices from the pan, about 20 minutes per pound. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve and Enjoy.

Happy Eating

Crispy Roast Duck

I have now moved beyond the world of chickens, I have roasted a whole duck. I love duck, I have for as long as I could remember. It seems so much fancier, more decadent, and more encased in fat than chicken. And for a girl who didn't eat red meat or pork (yes, I eat it all now) and enjoyed fancy restaurants it was a menu's saving grace. And now, I have conquered it. I will go so far as to say my first attempt was a wild success, the meat was succulent, the skin was extra crispy, the flavors were simple, and I put the sauce on the side (and then proceeded to spoon feed it to my self, but I'll get to that in a minute).

The duck was a waiting game, I bought it frozen and had to wait 3 days for it to thaw. The anticipation was building. I researched the best roasting methods. I settled on some tips from Epicurious, which is also where I discovered a delectable Cherry Port Sauce, which they paired with seared duck breasts and I altered very slightly.

Crispy Roast Duck:
1 5-6 pound duck
water
Salt and Pepper

Remove all the inside bits of the duck and wash it, inside and out. Put it on a broiler pan and pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. Boil a small pot of water. Place the duck breast side up on a broiler pan. Pour the boiling water over all over the duck, this tightens the skin. Pat the duck dry (carefully) and empty the duck, the bottom part of the pan should be pretty full of water but not overflowing or in danger of spilling while being moved. Salt and pepper the duck inside and out on both sides, and stab around with a fork, piercing the skin. Roast for 45 minutes breast side up. Remove from oven, spill juices into the pan, and flip the duck over, return it to the oven and roast for another 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven again, spill the juices out and flip it a final time (so that it is once again breast side up), return to the oven and roast about 35 minutes more until skin is extra crispy everywhere. Let rest 15-20 minutes and then carve and serve.



I chose to serve it with the sauce, but the duck definitely could be eaten on it's own. Consequently the sauce would taste fantastic on pancakes, ice cream, pound cake, or even on toast. It is a sweet-savory combination that could go either way. With the duck you just need a little it enhances the flavor, cuts through the fat, but doesn't overwhelm the deliciousness of a simple roast duck.

Cherry Port Sauce:
3 tbsp of duck drippings
1 tbsp cold butter
2 Medium shallots
1/2 cup chicken stock (or half a cup of water, 1/2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
8 bing cherries
2 tbsp tawny Port
1 tbsp honey

Heat the duck drippings in a small pot over medium heat. Dice the shallots and stir into the drippings, cook for a few minutes until the shallots are soft and translucent. Add the stock and turn heat to high. Remove the cherry pits and give them a rough chop. Add the port, honey, and cherries. Keep on a boil for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens and reduces. Turn heat off and stir in the butter. Serve and enjoy.

Happy Eating.

Lazy Sundays

So this weekend, I broke my cardinal rule of baking. I baked healthy. I love healthy food, I am all about fruits and veggies, whole grains, low fat and fat free. But not in baking, generally I feel baking is in the indulgence zone. Butter makes it better. It's not supposed to be good for you, it's supposed to be a treat. However, I trust Martha Stewart with life (and my taste buds) and if she has a butter-free muffin recipe, well all right then. Here is Martha's recipe for Banana-Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins. They are from the "Whole Living" section of her website, which I love. The muffins were fantastic. They are the best healthy muffins I have ever had. Mashed up bananas take the place of butter (and most of the sugar, with a little bonus honey). Plus they combine 2 of my current obsessions, blueberries and cornmeal. They were easy to make, and definitely a guilt free treat (so much healthier than eating pie for breakfast).



That was my Sunday morning breakfast. For dinner I was far less adventurous (but no less delicious). I stuck to my Sunday usual, roasting. I did a one pot wonder of pork tenderloin with onions and green beans. I love a one pot dinner, so much easier to clean up, plus the flavors all meld together. This was a spicy delicious way to end the weekend.



Spice-Rubbed Pork with Green Beans
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
2 medium yellow onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 package of green beans (as much as you want really)
3 Tbsp of Brown sugar
1 Tbsp of Cumin
2 Tsp of chili powder
Salt, Pepper, and red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp of olive oil

Pre-Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Give onions a rough chop and put in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Salt and pepper the onions and toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cut the ends of the green beans and toss in the dish. Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Mix together the sugar, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Feel free to adjust the amounts of the seasonings. You should be able to eat the rub, and go yum. It should not burn your mouth or taste bland. Dice the garlic. Rub the mixed spices all over the pork so that it is coated and a reddish color. Sprinkle garlic on pork and in the pan. Sprinkle remaining olive oil on pork and green beans. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350, continue cooking another 15-20 minutes (tenderloin roasts for about 25 minutes a pound, so you can calculate based on size). Stir occasionally while cooking so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Serve and enjoy.

Happy Eating.

My Favorite Dinner

Happy Valentine's Day friends. This morning I woke up to roses, that boyfriend is so sneaky, and sweet. Lots and lots of cooking going on. Last night I made my absolute favorite dinner of always. It is any kind of lamb with yogurt sauce (we had lion chops last night), tuscan salad and rice (well the rice isn't really a favorite or a special it's really just the lamb and the salad). It is so good. I also made a very pretty and pink strawberry cheesecake, here is the recipe, from Martha, of course. Then this morning I made a very special 100% homemade eggs benedict, but you are going to have to wait for my next post for that. Yesterday, I also bought a very amazing, hand mixer (the Cuisanart 9 speed) at my favorite store, Williams and Sonoma. I have already used 3 of the attachments and I am completely obsessed! Here is how you make my favorite dinner, stay tuned for my favorite breakfast...

Lamb (for 2):
1 lb of Lamb lion chops, bone in
1 handful of rosemary, chopped.
1 handful of thyme
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Pre-heat the boiler. Coat the chops in chopped rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic pepper. Put on a broiler pan and cook on one side for 6 minutes, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Lamb will be medium rare. That's it. Alternatively, this tastes amazing grilled in the summer.

Yogurt Sauce:
1 6 oz container of low fat (or fat free) Plain yogurt
1/2 a lime
1 handful of fresh mint
Salt, Pepper

If you have a muddler (we do since Christmas!) use that to muddle the mint and lime juice (think mojito with no sugar) if not chop the mint as small as you can. Mix the yogurt, mint and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

Tuscan Salad
1 container of cherry tomatoes (or regular tomatoes, if they are in season)
1 cucumber
1/2 a red onion
1/2 Lime
Salt, Pepper
1/4 a baguette, day old or fresh
Feta Cheese

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, or give tomatoes a rough chop. Cut cucumbers and onion into roughly same size pieces. Mix all the veggies in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lime juice over the veggies and toss. Thickly slice the bread and toast/heat in the oven/on the grill. Rip the bread into pieces around the size of the veggie (or you can cut the bread). Approximately 5 minutes before serving add bread and feta to the salad and toss to combine. The bread absorbs the juices. Absolutely delicious.

Well there you have it, my favorite dinner. Hands down. It is so simple to make and so delicious. In the summer when tomatoes are so succulent this is incredible, but in the winter if you can find good cherry tomatoes, it is almost as magical. It is the perfect meal to enjoy with a nice red wine or mojitos (or both, which we did last night).

Well that's all for now, but stay tuned after my lovely Valentine's day I promise I will discuss cheesecakes and a breakfast made with my very own homemade biscuit recipe.

Happy Eating

Snowed in Roasting

Tuesday night in anticipation of the third epic snow storm of season I went to the market (not quite as pre-apocalyptic as I expected) and what happened to be on sale?! The most beautiful, perfect, 2 and a half pound boneless ribeye roast. What could be more comforting and delicious on a cold winter, snowed in day. We lost power on Wednesday, which threatened to ruin dinner, but fortunately it came back on in time for me to roast. The roast was so delicious and succulent. And with all things roasting (perhaps why it is my favorite method of cooking) it is so simple to do, and tastes like a full days worth of effort. Here is my recipe:

Ribeye Roast:

2.5-3 Lb Boneless Ribeye Roast
1 Large Yellow Onion
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
4-5 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
2-3 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
1 Cup Beef Stock
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Give Onions a rough chop (very large pieces) and throw in the bottom of a small roasting pan (I used a small Pyrex one, so The higher sides would keep the juices from spreading). Peel the garlic and smash a bit, throw in pan in large chunks. Salt and pepper the roast on all sides and sprinkle with thyme. Rub brown sugar onto the meat, and put the meat in the roasting pan. Put in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then turn heat down to 325 degrees and pour beef stock over meat and onions. Make sure the onions are not stuck to the bottom of the pan. Roast an additional 25-35 minutes (depending on how rare you like your meat). Let stand covered 10 minutes before serving. Use the onions and drippings as gravy if desired. Serve and enjoy.

Like I said before this was wonderfully delicious and comforting. I served it with garlic steamed broccoli and there were no leftovers (and only 2 of us). Roasting in the middle of the week felt so decadent, but as I will miss my Sunday roasting because it is Valentine's Day (and I am being taken out) I'm glad I got my chance. I will be making Eggs Benedict for brunch on Valentine's Day and also making a strawberry cheesecake (assuming I can find worthy berries). So until then...

Happy Eating

The Quest for Crispy Skin

For me, the difficult part of roasting a chicken is the skin. I am good with flavor and consistently cook not-dry chicken, but the crispy skin has always been my issue (and, therefore my goal).

On Sunday, after a weekend (plus Thursday) of celebrations, we all went to my dad's house for dinner, which was going to be a roast chicken (a gigantic 7 and a half pound bird, I might add). I said I would make the chicken, I had been thinking about roasting one all weekend anyway, and this one was free (well, free for me). The skin (minus the bottom because my dad did not have a rack to put in the pan) was crispy perfection (thanks to a temperature assist from my mom). The skin, was completely gone by the time I got the chicken (thanks, little brother), but I stole some off the boyfriend's plate and it was yummy.

Insides and outsides:

4 small onions
6ish cloves of garlic
Dried Thyme and Rosemary
Coarse Salt
Pepper
1 can of chicken stock
A whole chicken (obviously)
the inside parts of the chicken (for gravy)
2 tbsp of flour
butter.
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Give the onions a rough chop, save about half a small onion for inside the chicken, and line the pan with the rest. Salt and pepper the onions. Smash and set aside to cloves of garlic (just put your knife on top of them and give them a little squish. Chop the rest of the garlic, sprinkle about half in the bottom of the pan with the onions. Remove the package of insides from the chicken and set aside. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Rub olive oil over the bottom of the chicken and season with coarse salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the the seasoned chicken. Put the chicken in the pan, season side down (on top of the onions, or on a rack if you have one). Season the inside of the chicken with salt, pepper and herbs, stuff the reserved onion and garlic in the chicken. Season the top side of the chicken in the same way. Put both halves of the juiced lemon in the chicken. Add about a quarter of the can of stock to the bottom of pan, it should just cover the onions so they don't burn completely and stick to the pan.

Cook for 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees, this is really a judgement call, based on how the skin looks and the size of the bird. Then lower the temperature to 325 for the remainder of the cooking, if skin isn't brown enough, raise the temperature to 375 for the last 15 minutes or so (thanks, mom). Baste from the bottom of the pan and remaining stock (save about a quarter of the can for gravy)

To make gravy:

Butter the bottom of a skillet. Add the reserved inside parts of the pan and brown on both sides. When, they are browned, add another chunk of butter and the flour, whisk until combined (hey, you made rue). Add leftover stock and reduce heat and let simmer until chicken is done. Remove all the inside parts from the gravy pan, when chicken is cooked. Take the chicken out of the roasting pan and pour all the juices and onions into the gravy pan. Stir together.

Our dinner was excellent, a great last meal for my brother (who is leaving for Italy today, I am jealous and will visit). I don't really know what I will be making this week, but tonight I will not be cooking, I will be baking. Jalapeño Corn Muffins, to be exact. Stay tuned...

Happy Eating!