lamb chops, smashed potatoes and asparagus

lamb is my "desert island" meat. my "last meal" meat. you know, the one meat you'd eat for the rest of your life if you had to make a choice? well, that's lamb for me, i just love it. i grew up eating lamb and have always loved it. sometimes my mom served it with mint jelly, but not usually. we ate it roasted and grilled, always with lots of earthy spices to bring out the intense flavor and play up the gaminess that some people aren't used to. last year at my company christmas party, we were served lamb chops in a sweet sticky sauce that i coudln't get enough of. i asked the waitress what was in it and she brought me news from the chef - it was a guiness reduction sauce. i knew i needed to recreate the recipe, and i set to it straight away. i can safely pass on the recipe now, as my husband announced last night at dinner that he could "drink the sauce". these chops pair nicely with roasted garlic smashed potatoes and cinnamon roasted asparagus, so those recipes follow as well. the asparagus is a staple in our house, we have it prepared this way at least once a week. the potatoes are so good you'll want to eat them with your hands while they are still in the pan on the stove, and sometimes i do.


grilled lamb chops in a guiness reduction sauce
ingredients:
frenched lamb chops (you should have between 3 to 4 per person, but more is always welcome)
salt
olive oil
1 bottle of guiness
2 cups of brown sugar
fresh sprig of rosemary

equipment:
grill pan

directions:
in a small saucier or small pot, heat one bottle of guiness and the rosemary sprig until boiling. remove rosemary and add in the sugar and mix, using a wooden spoon to tame the froth that will appear as the beer boils down. keep this pan at a low boil to reduce, stirring often, until it it thickened slightly. remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly - this will continue the thickening process. set this to the side to be used after the lamb is cooked.
let the lamb chops come to room temperature. heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on a grill pan on almost high heat - the idea is to sear the meat and let it come to medium rare after removed from the heat. separate the chops if they are in a rack, and then salt both sides of each chop. sear them on each side for about one minute to one and a half minutes. remove from the heat and set aside. if you would like to have medium or medium well chops, cook just a little longer, though, i encourage you to try them rare as the beauty of lamb is lost if it is overcooked. once the lamb has set for a few minutes, dip the meaty part of the chop into the sauce, plate them, then drizzle a little extra sauce over the top of each one. serve warm over the potatoes below.

notes:
these lamb chops are a real treat, they are both fancy and comforting at the same time, and are actually quite simple to make. serve them when you have a special guest to dinner and feel free to smile coyly when they ask how you made them.


roasted garlic smashed potatoes
ingredients:
large head of garlic
olive oil
salt
6-8 yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons butter

equipment:
potato masher

directions:
slice the top off of a head of garlic and drizzle the entire thing with olive oil then sprinkle with salt. wrap in a bit of foil and cook in the oven (i used my toaster oven because it uses less energy) at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes. set aside to cool.
clean, peel and slice the potatoes and put them into a large pot full of cold water. bring the pot to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. drain. in the pan the potatoes were cooked in, heat the butter over low heat until melted. remove each of the roasted garlic cloves from the skin, discarding the skin. heat the cloves of garlic for about 30 seconds in the butter, mashing slightly. add in the potatoes and about 1/2 of the cream and continue to mash. keep adding the cream until the potatoes are a nice creamy consistency, trying to equally distribute the garlic through the potatoes. serve and enjoy.

notes:
these are the ultimate mashed potatoes. they have chunks of garlic and potato running through them, and that texture makes them so "homemade". the garlic gets sweet and soft, and fully flavors the potatoes without overwhelming them. they aren't low fat, but you could substitute margarine and milk for the butter and cream if you are watching your diet. you can substitue other types of potatoes, i've used russet potatoes, red skin potatoes and sweet potatoes as well as the yukon golds.


cinnamon roasted asparagus
ingredients:
one bunch asparagus
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
cinnamon

equipment:
sil pat

directions:
rinse the asparagus well and dry it. snap the ends off (you can cut them if you'd like, but if you hold the end and the middle of the asparagus, and snap, it will snap where the dry bit ends...perfect each and every time.) coat in a drizzle of olive oil, salt and a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon and evenly distribute on a sil pat lined roasting pan.
roast in the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes. serve right away to retain the crisp bite.

notes:
this asparagus goes with everything. the cinnamon brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables, as does the roasting, but the salt balances it all out so that it stays fresh. you don't need to use the sil pat, but it cuts down on sticking and allows you to use less oil.

crepes with ham, spinach and beschemel

crepes are the ultimate pancake. little mini indulgences that can be enjoyed in so many ways. my love of crepes knows no bounds, and most people who know me well are aware of the lengths i would go to have one. they can be filled with a myriad of culinary delights, but my favorite crepe was from the creperie at the paris hotel and casino in las vegas. i was on a vacation with my mother (another crepe afficianado) and we popped in to have a snack. this is my rendition of that meal. enjoy!

crepes
ingredients:
1 cup flour (i use arnold's white whole wheat)
1 and 1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus a tiny bit more

equipment:
crepe pan (or a well-seasoned 8" pan)
whisk
glass measuring cup with pouring lip
tongs

directions:
whisk together the egg and milk until well incorporated, then add to the flour and mix again. once all of the ingredients are combined, add the melted butter and mix further still. if the mixture is too thick, add more milk to thin it out. it should be quite runny indeed. melt a small amount of butter in a pan on medium high and then wipe most of it out. using the measuring cup, pour three tablespoons or so into the pan and swirl it to coat the bottom. allow to set for about a minute, and then using tongs (or your fingers if you are adventurous) flip it and allow it to cook for another 30 seconds or so on the other side. repeat until all of the batter is gone. these don't need to be warm to be good...so feel free to double the mixture if you have a large party dining with you.

savory crepe filling
ingredients:
2 bags spinach
1/2 # shaved black forrest ham
gruyere cheese, grated fine

directions:
sautee the spinach in a little olive oil. if you like, you can add some fresh grated nutmeg to the greens, it perks them up just a bit. once the crepes are complete, lay one out on a plate and layer with shaved ham, then spinach, then grated cheese. roll the top and bottom under and flip over (so that it is sitting on it's seam) and top with beschemel. don't know how to make beschemel? keep reading.

beschemel
ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of flour (i used the same flour as for the crepes)
several cups of milk
grated cheese of your liking
black pepper

equipment:
heavy saucepan
whisk

directions:
melt butter in the saucepan and then add flour. you want this combimation to resemble a paste (think almond paste) and it should cook for about a minute to diminish the "fresh" flour taste and allow the butter to get a little nuttier. after that, add the milk, i usually start with about 2 to 3 cups of milk, it seems like a lot, but it will thicken. whisk this regularly (you don't have to stand there and stir the whole time, but don't leave the room either) until it is thick. you may need to add more milk if it gets too thick. it should be creamy and pourable. remove from heat and whisk in a handful of cheese. technically it is beschemel with no cheese, but cheese makes everything better. for this dish, i used the gruyere from above. add in some fresh cracked black pepper and enjoy.

notes: my dinner guest at this meal was a vegetarian, so in place of the ham, i used sauteed oyster mushrooms in butter and salt and pepper.
any combination of meat and veggies, or all veggies and any sauce can be used for these. this is simply my favorite.
these crepes can be used for both savory and sweet applications. if you'd like to use them for a dessert, fill them with fresh berries and top with fresh whipped cream.

my mom's chili

chili is such personal food...usually reminding us of home, and of cool winter days gathered around a steaming bowl with family. a true comfort food is so hard to give a recipe for because most already have one, and would never stray. however, since this is my blog, i've decided to go ahead and list the recipe my mother gave me. i've altered it here and there to suit my tastes, but it is generally the same. i should mention that it is high on the "canned food" radar, and i am normally one for fresh ingredients. however, in order to protect the sanctity of family traditions i always make this the way my mom taught me and haven't tried to "fresh"en it up.

ingredients:
1 large can campbell's tomato soup (family size)
1 large can crushed tomatos
1 can tomato paste
2 cans dark kidney beans
1 # ground beef
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
several tablespoons chili powder
1 box elbow macaroni
several cups grated cheddar cheese
salt

equipment:
large heavy pot
strainer

directions:
in a large pot, bring the olive oil up to medium high heat. sautee 3/4 of the chopped onion until slightly soft - reserving the rest for a topping - and then add in the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until brown. strain beef to remove exccess fat and return to the pan. add in the soup, tomatos, paste, beans and chili powder and lower the heat to simmer.
meanwhile, heat a large pot of salted water until boiling. cook the pasta until al dente and then strain.
continue to simmer the chili for a while longer, allowing the flavors to incorporate. the longer it simmers, the better it tastes, anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour and a half is good. be sure to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure that there is no burning. to serve, half fill a bowl with macaroni and then fill to the top with chili. top with cheese and/or onions and even sour cream. the chili will improve each day in the fridge...though it won't last long.

notes:
my husband eats his chili over crumbled cornbread, which adds a nice sweetness.
to make this dish vegetarian, i would add in large chunks of tomato, corn and a few different varietys of beans.
for a great dip, line a bowl with cream cheese and fill the center with steaming hot chili, top with grated cheddar cheese and serve with corn chips.
if you'd like to make this dish while you are at work, simply perform the first few steps and put all of the ingredients into a slow cooker instead of a pot. keep it on low while at the office, but be prepared for a few burned bits on the sides/bottom.

grilled eggplant parmigiano

this recipe was inspired by my husbands grandmother. she was a lovely baltimore italian grandmother, and as such, loved to cook and to eat. she made wonderful dishes that my husband grew up with and cherished. when she passed away we realized that she had never written down her recipes, and being an independent woman, never shown anyone how to make them either.
it broke my heart to know that he would never taste her dishes again, and so, i made a valiant effort to recreate two of his favorites. this is one, the other is zucchini bread and he loves them both. during the summer we buy the eggplants at the farmer's market and they are sweet and meaty. in the winter we make due with the store bought variety from the supermarket. we rarely let a month go by without having this dish.
this is the perfect dish if you have a vegetarian to dinner and another guest who loves meat. it's very filling, but good for you as well.

ingredients:
2 large, or 3 medium eggplants, peeled
3 to 4 cups of low moisture mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup of parmigiano reggiano, grated
3 cups of tomato sauce
basil, torn
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

equipment:
a good knife
cheese grater/microplane
grill pan
casserole dish

directions:
peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise so that they are about 1/4" thick. salt them and let them sit for about 10 minutes. rinse them off and pat them dry. (this is to help remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant...if you are in a hurry, you can skip this step, though it won't taste as good.)

oil the grill pan and heat on medium high. lay the eggplant on the grill pan and carefully monitor their cooking so they don't burn. you want them to get good solid grill marks though.

while the eggplant is cooking, grate both cheeses and prepare the casserole by putting about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom and using your fingers to spread it around. preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
once the eggplant has been grilled, layer slices of eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. repeat this step until you have no more eggplant and top with parmigiano reggiano.
bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese on the top is golden brown.

notes:
you can use either jarred tomato sauce or your own...either way it will be good.
feel free to grill some asparagus or sautee some spinach to add in, both would be yummy.
if you don't need to keep it veg-friendly, carnivores would appreciate some thinly sliced prosciutto

so fresh and so clean...

a brand new blog. how exciting!
this is my second blog, which makes it even more exciting. the first, pink lady knits, is dedicated to all things knitting. this will be dedicated to all things culinary.
each week i will be posting the menu and hopefully a recipe or two. most of my recipes are franken-recipes, meaning that they were inspired by something, but altered so much that they no longer resemble the original. i will always credit the original, however, because inspiration is important. and i don't want to be sued for copyright infringement.
i grew up just outside d.c., i live in baltimore, i am married to an attorney, i have two cats and a dog and i love to eat.
welcome.