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rosemary lamb with balsamic syrup and swiss chard + cauliflower puree

Jessica J. — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:52:32 +0000

This meal is one of those funny representations of how different my palate is now compared to not so long ago. Up until I was about 18 I always ate red meat at either medium well to well done temperature (eesh), absolutely hated cauliflower and didn’t care for cooked greens of any kind. It’s amazing how seemingly overnight my tastebuds changed and now I regularly order my meat med-rare, love sauteed greens as a side, and happily eat cauliflower like it’s carrot sticks.

The inspiration for this came from the lamb. One of the best things about working a food photography shoot is all that leftover food gets given out to the crew at the end of the day, and I was lucky enough to score the extra rack of lamb which I saved until I saw something inspiring.

This recipe idea is fanstastic. The bitter greens with the sweet-syrupy reduced balsamic and tender, simple lamb is just awesome. I changed a few things like keeping the rack whole, omitting the chard stems, etc, but the thing that really sings here is the rosemary-infused balsamic syrup. I wanted to eat it with a spoon (and may have…). I was also trying to think of an additional side dish to beef it up but also keep it light when this cauliflower puree, a diet favorite of mine, popped into my head. It’s one of those “fool your kids into thinking it’s mashed potatoes” kind of side, but it’s incredibly simple, tasty and guilt-free for adults, too.

One of my old enemies. Now a dear friend.

Cauliflower hot tub.

Ready to be spun.

Red veins.

Rosemary like barbed wire.

Balsamic, reducing.

Swiss chard, reduced.

Mmm, meat.

Laaaamb. (With the aaa like baaaaa).

Quite a complete plate!

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Rack of Lamb with Sautéed Swiss Chard and Balsamic Syrup + Cauliflower Purée

Based on the recipe from Epicurious.

I changed things here by using an entire rack of lamb (instead of separate chops) and just coating the entire rack in the seasoning rub and then broiling the whole thing. I’m also not a huge fan of chard stems so I omitted those and just used the leaves, so in retrospect you may want to get 2lbs of chard and double the seasoning ingredients if you’d like more for a sidedish. One pound barely made enough for 2 portions.

Ingredients

For balsamic syrup

¾ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns (about 3)

For chard

1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb), stems and tough ribs removed and discarded
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water

For lamb rack

1 8-rib rack of lamb, trimmed of most of its fat, the bones frenched (just ask your butched to do this if they aren’t frenched already)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For cauliflower puree

1 medium-sized head cauliflower (about 2-3 lbs), cut into florets
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 TBL fresh chopped chives

Directions

1.) Set rack about 8 inches from broiler and preheat to high.

For cauliflower puree

1.) Make the cauliflower puree first, to get it out of the way. Cut florets from the head and toss into a large pot. Cover with chicken broth and add enough water so they’re completely submerged. Add salt, pepper and garlic.

2.) Bring to a boil and simmer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes. Reserve at least a cup of the simmering liquid and then drain the cauliflower.

3.) Drop the cauliflower into the bowl of a food processor along with the chives and pulse until chunky. If you can’t fit all the cauliflower at once, pulse half of it until it breaks down, then add the rest. With the blade running, pour in some of the cooking liquid until it starts to puree and become smooth, but don’t add too much. Season to taste as you go along and add more liquid as needed. Set aside.

For balsamic syrup

1.) In a medium-sized non-reactive sauce pan, combine the balsamic, rosemary, and peppercorns. Bring to a medium simmer and cook until reduced to about ¼ cup, which takes about 8-10 minutes.

2.)Remove from heat and set aside until you’re ready to plate. Once ready, strain through a sieve or fine mesh strainer and discard rosemary and and peppercorns.

For chard

1.) In a medium-sized saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chard, salt, pepper, and water, then toss. Cover with a lid to let wilt about 30 seconds, then occasionally stir until done, about 6-8 minutes. Cook the lamb while the chard cooks.

For lamb rack

1.) In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and olive oil. Rub all over the lamb and feel free to let marinate in the refrigerator while you prep everything else, otherwise, transfer to a lightly-oiled broiling pan or roasting pan.

2.) Cook under broiler for about 8 minutes for medium-rare, turning halfway through. Let rest at least 3-4 minutes once removed from the oven, before slicing.

To serve:

Cut two chops from the rack and serve with pureed cauliflower and swiss chard. Drizzle balsamic syrup over the lamb and chard, or everything if you’re me.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fast and easy, lamb, savory, vegetables

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lamb kabobs w/curry mayo + grilled veg couscous salad

Jessica J. — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:11:42 +0000

It may sound cheesy but this couscous ‘recipe’ is very dear to my heart. When I first started to get into cooking around age 16 or so, I was addicted to the Food Network and more specifically, Jamie Oliver’s “Naked Chef” show. He made this couscous dish for his nieces for a pier picnic and it was the first thing I remember trying to make after seeing it on tv. Roasting the red peppers and using couscous for the first time, it was a big to-do for me then and although my own rendition of the recipe has changed quite a bit, I always think of this as one of the first ‘froufrou’ things I ever made, despite the fact that it’s pretty much a kitchen sink kind of dish.

Oddly enough, the lamb also comes inspired from TV, but something quite different. Marcel on Season 2 of Top Chef (I loved him and his Wolverine hair) made something similar for his snack challenge and the idea of lamb kabobs with spicy-sweet curry mayo always sounded stupendous to me. Since I had been craving lamb like mad lately, I finally got around to making them, and hoo boy, I wish I hadn’t waited this long. The rich, spicy lamb with the cooling mayo and über-fresh couscous salad make this an ultimate summer supper, even if you have to grill inside due to rain once again rearing its ugly head.

Curry and mayo… how can this not be delicious?

Lamb prep with some chardonnay along for the ride.

Nayan’s amazing kitchen I got to play in for the night.

Charred red pepper. The more blackened the better!

Let the pepper take a steam bath.

Grilling is good.

Color and flavor explosion!

Baaaaaa.

I would kill for this stove. It was so awesome, especially since our outdoor grilling plans were rained out.

Rare, please.

In the words of Marcel, “Everyone loves meat on a stick!”

The mayo was so good. I wanted to eat the whole bowl.

Summer summer color color.

Skewered.

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Lamb Kabobs with Curry Mayo

Inspired by Marcel Vingeron’s dish from Season 2 of “Top Chef”

Ingredients

1 lb lamb loin or boneless leg of lamb meat (depending on what your butcher has) cut into large cubes.
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 ½ tablespoons yellow curry powder
1 ½ cups mayonnaise (I actually like using low-fat because the lamb is so rich anyway and it keeps things light)
½ tablespoon sugar (or ½ tablespoon honey)

Directions

1.) Toss the lamb with some extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a few cracks of black pepper and ½ tablespoon of the curry powder. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 30 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, remaining curry powder, and sugar. Taste for seasoning and refrigerate.

3.) Once the lamb is done marinating, carefully alternate the meat cubes with a cherry tomato onto metal skewers. Season well with salt and pepper.

4.) Heat a grill pan, stovetop grill (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or charcoal grill to medium-high and grill kabobs for about 2 minutes per side for rare to medium rare. Serve with curry mayo for dipping.

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Grilled Veggie Couscous Salad

Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s couscous salad from the Naked Chef episode “Picnic on the Pier” (no longer available on the Food Network website).

This really is a “kitchen sink” dish where you can throw in any herbs, veggies or even some leftover roast chicken and whatnot lying around. My only advice is to grill everything you throw in (if you can) because it just adds such an awesome layer of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients

1 10-oz box instant couscous (I use Near East Original Plain flavor)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 ½ lemons
1 red bell pepper
1 handful Italian parsley, chopped fine
¼ cup chopped spring onions
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 small green zucchini, sliced on an angle
20-25 thin asparagus spears with the woody ends cut off
A small handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (you can use the leftovers from the lamb kabobs)
½ small white onion, sliced

Directions

1.) Prepare the couscous as per directions and set aside.

2.) Heat a grill pan, stovetop grill or charcoal grill to very hot, where you can hold you hand 3 inches above the heat for less than 3 seconds. Toss the asparagus, red pepper, onion, and zucchini in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.

3.) Grill the red pepper first, making sure it gets extremely charred and blackened on all sides. It should look burnt. Once done, put in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The steam will make the blackened skin loosen when you peel them later.

4.) Once the pepper is done, grill the remaining veggies until they get some nice color and char on them. I like mine super grilled but you can grill as little as you like here. Once everything is done, chop all the veggies up into bite-sized pieces and toss into a large bowl with the couscous. Add the parsley, chives and tomatoes.

5.) Peel the red pepper. You can (hopefully) just rub the skin right off and discard the seeds and stem. Chop into small, bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the couscous.

6.) Squeeze the lemons over the entire salad and add a few glugs of olive oil. Toss together and taste for seasoning, then season as needed. Serve alongside lamb kabobs or just eat on its own – it’s that good!

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: lamb, salad, savory, spicy, summer

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