Main
July 26, 2010
Spiced Lamb Sliders with Tahini Yogurt Sauce
I’m not a huge red meat lover. Aside from the occasional fillet or burger, I’m content to forget about beef. But lamb. Oy. It makes me swoon. And drats, I’m not the only one, it seems. Last year I could count on finding a decent stock of ground lamb or lamb shoulder at my local grocery. Nowadays I’m engaging in purse battles with Neighbor Nelly over the last lingering loin. It’s become somewhat of a hot commodity. Who told you it was so good?
I already gave you the run down on this lamb ragu, forever ago in March. And since, there’s been hearty lamb stew and fall off the bone lamb shoulder and ack! no photos to prove it. But believe me when I tell you they happened and they were glorious and ack! no photos to prove it. I can only test Kyle’s growling stomach for so long. At times I think he’d like to chuck my camera against a wall. Plus, not everything makes for pretty pictures. So yeah, hearty lamb stew and fall of the bone lamb shoulder, both of which resembled…I digress.
Read more…
June 7, 2010
Roasted Tomato, Olive and Fontina Pizza
I was craving margherita. Simple, bright and basil-y. Trouble is my basil’s not quite there yet and the local tomatoes are far from ripe, if they’ve even made their green appearance. So to spare myself the mealy, bland grocery store tomato imports I decided to impart big flavor on, well, mealy, bland grocery store tomato imports. This works if, like me, you’re too impatient to just wait until July and August when Ohio tomatoes make their grand and glorious debut. Roasting is the simplest way to elevate any vegetable to new and glorious…well, you know what I mean. These would make for a great twist on margharita, but I decided to shake it up a bit with some Italian fontina and green olives.
And by the way, do you have a pizza stone? No? Well get thee one, pronto. I’ve tried various pizza “pans”. Ones with holes and vents and special powers but nothing comes close to creating crispy bottoms like a stone. You can see in the photo that ours is nearly black from use. Ok, so we eat a lot of pizza.
Read more…
May 26, 2010
Seared Salmon with Lentil Tabbouleh
So look, I’ve been busy. Though not busy cooking, unfortunately. Is May practically over? What happened? Where? Who? Huh? Yeah, I can’t really tell you where May has gone because I’m done near stumped myself. (Wasn’t I just describing this Spring blooming scene, like last week?) And this little ol’ blog has sort of been pushed to the back burner. My Google Reader is out of control with unread feeds. My to-make list is stained with coffee cup rounds, having been used as a coaster and not for weekly inspiration.
While I can’t explain this out of control time-space continuum we’ve experienced, I can tell you I’m tired of take-out. And peanut butter toast. And Annie’s mac and cheese. Oh, and ice cream for dinner. Yes, that happened. Well, we’re both tired of these things. Kyle, fearing the worst, doesn’t bother to ask what I’m making, but instead asks where he’ll be stopping on the way home from work. May, is this a sign of what’s to pass in the coming months? Please say no. I miss my kitchen.
It wasn’t a difficult decision. That is, what to cook when the opportunity finally presented itself. We were both craving fresh and healthy. Though anything that didn’t come out of a box, take-out bag or (eep!) frozen carton totally qualified. This fit the bill perfectly.
Read more…
May 18, 2010
Lemon Risotto with Leeks, Peas and Tarragon
I first made risotto in college. It was this recipe, as a matter of fact, which still makes occasional appearances in our kitchen. It’s one of Kyle’s favorites. (I’ve determined his affection for it is related to one or more of the following: A) It tastes darn good and screams comfort food in every way imaginable. B) His dear wifey sweats and stirs over a steaming pot for 30 plus minutes all in the name of a better-than-leftovers-or-another-turkey-sandwich dinner. C) It comes to us via Giada and, well, I’ll leave you with that.) It was my first “advanced” recipe. You know, the step above omelets and homemade pasta sauce (what, you mean pasta sauce does not come from glass jars?). In other words, not that advanced. Really, it’s a breeze provided you’ve braced yourself for a steamy half hour over a pot and an upper arm workout. A little patience goes a long way.
This lemon risotto is lighter and perfect for the season. Comforting enough for these brief May cold fronts and accompanying chilly drizzle but bright enough to enjoy well into the early summer(!) months. I’ve often overlooked tarragon but really need to include it in my herb arsenal. I love how it pairs with lemon here.
Read more…
May 4, 2010
Swiss Chard Pesto
Last year I made the mistake of setting a potted basil plant outside in early April. It must have been deceivingly warm and for whatever reason I was convinced we wouldn’t see the likes of frost until, oh, October. I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact that I’m terribly impatient. The toaster isn’t fast enough. Needless to say that basil plant had to be nurtured back to life indoors. Lessons learned. One, don’t fall for Ohio’s Spring teasers and two, wait until at least the middle of May to move herbs outdoors. I can hardly wait for overflowing, rampant, what-the-heck-am-I-to-do-with-all-this? basil plants. Because then there is no excuse not to make pesto.
I’m certain most of you know pesto is not limited to fistfuls of basil leaves. All sorts of other lovely green things can take its place. Bright herbs like parsley and cilantro are a shoo-in. As are greens like spinach and kale and swiss chard, which are perfect for pre-out of control basil season. Not to mention all of the nutritional perks these dark green leaves pack. They make for a veritable superpesto.
Read more…
