Rack of Lamb

This Easter I plan to make a Rack of Lamb.  Here is a killer recipe.

When my boys were little their Grandmother would watch them eat these and be amazed.  She would say to me, “Megan, your boys eat lamb chops like other children suck on lollipops!”

1 8-rib lamb rack

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 garlic clove, crushed

Fresh ground pepper

This is enough for 2 people - I find we can all eat about 4 per person and each rack comes with 8 ribs so increase your amounts according to your number of guests.

Always take your meat out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Whisk all ingredients together.

Coat lamb rack on both sides.

Broil 5 minutes each side.

Turn oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (for rare).  Turn over 1/2 way through.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before carving.

Careful not to make these too rare - I find if you are doing more than 1 rack in the oven you need to adjust this recipe.  For instance, I made 3 racks last night - I broiled on 1 side for 10 minutes - turned over and broiled on the other side for just 5 minutes and then turned oven from broil to 400 degrees and cooked another 10 minutes.  They were perfect!

Cream of Chicken Soup

Spring is here and it's time for the Augusta National Golf Tournament.  They serve this soup with corn bread on the side - oh, man is it good.

Serves 10-12 people

1/4 cup butter

1/2 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2  tablespoon flour

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock*

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

1/2 lb. (approx. 1 boneless chicken breast) cooked and diced

Kosher salt and white pepper

Sauté onion, celery, and carrot in butter until tender, do not brown.

Add Dijon mustard and cook for 1 minute - whisk.

Add flour and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat - whisk.

Add stock gradually, whisking until thickened and smooth.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Strain soup into another pot (this step is not crucial if you don’t mind vegetables in soup).

Finish soup with heavy cream and add chicken meat.

Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

*Of course, homemade chicken stock is the best but I don’t know many people who make their own chicken stock - hell, I don’t even do that!

Key Lime Pie

I have been watching the HBO mini series MILDRED PIERCE starring Kate Winslet.  Personally, I still prefer the black and white 1945 version with Joan Crawford.  But watching the show has inspired me to add a pie recipe to my blog.

Serves 6

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)

4 egg yolks

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup Key limejuice

1/3 cup sour cream

Whipped cream (optional)

8” pie plate

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter in a bowl.

Press evenly on the bottom and sides of an 8” pie plate. 

Chill while preparing the filling.

Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow - 7-10 minutes.

Add the milk, limejuice and sour cream and beat until blended.

Pour into the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until center feels set when touched.

Cool on rack and chill in refrigerator.

Serve with fresh whipped cream on the side.

Grilled Salmon with Ginger Sauce

REVISED APRIL 21, 2011
A friend made this and noticed there wasn't as much sauce and I realized being IRISH I always add more alcohol than a recipe calls for!  So feel free to add more WINE than my recipe shows.

Last night I watched the french movie MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON and loved it.  If you haven't seen it you should.  I've decided to post a recipe that I learned in Paris.

Guests love this dish.  I learned it in Paris from Chef Samira. What works so well for entertaining is you can make the ginger sauce earlier in the day.  

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup shallots, minced - about 4 shallots

1/2 cup white wine (could go up to 1 cup)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 tsp. garlic, minced - about 3 cloves

4-6 tablespoons ginger root, grated - about 4 inches of ginger root

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

6 salmon fillets, 5-6 oz. each

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium pan.

Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add wine and cook another 2 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients except salmon and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Cover salmon fillets with some olive oil and grill for about 3 minutes on each side.

If not grilling you can sauté in olive oil in a sauté pan.

Place grilled salmon over sauce and cook a couple of minutes just to heat through.

Or you may prefer to pour the sauce over the salmon.  

Meatballs

My father, (Poppy) used only top quality ground beef not the combination of beef, pork, and veal.  Whenever I make these now I get a little teary eyed – I miss Poppy.

Makes 25 meatballs

2 slices white bread, stale

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated finely

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped finely

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 small onion, grated or chopped very finely - approx. 1/4 cup

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground veal

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 large egg, beaten

Fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 quart Tomato Gravy – see Fuggedaboutit Tomato Gravy

Spaghetti or whatever pasta you like

Pulse bread in Cuisinart - or chop in very small pieces.

In a small bowl toss breadcrumbs with milk, squeezing out excess.

In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, and garlic.

Add the meat to this mixture.

Add the beaten egg and mix with your hands (if you can stand it) until all combined.

Season with fresh pepper and mix again.

Using your hands form the meat mixture into golf balls.

Place on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Heat 1/2 the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add meatballs not too many at a time.

Turn occasionally until golden brown on all sides about 6 minutes - do not over cook.  Make batches adding more oil if needed.  Drain on a paper towel.

Add your meatballs to your pot of gravy to finish cooking through another 30 minutes.

Serve with spaghetti or some other type of pasta.

Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 6-8

2 Eggplants

Kosher Salt

1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons Flour

2-4 eggs

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 cups Tomato Gravy – see Fuggedaboutit Tomato Gravy

2-3 Mozzarella - please use fresh and not the bag of shredded

Flat Leaf Italian Parsley

Fresh ground pepper

9”x13” baking dish

Turn oven on 350 degrees.

Peel eggplants and slice approximately 1/2" thick.

Place on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt - let sit approx. 2 minutes.

Wipe eggplant slices, turn over and sprinkle other side with salt - let sit approx. 2

            minutes more and wipe again.  This takes the bitterness out of the eggplant.

In a pie plate or shallow bowl place Italian breadcrumbs and flour.

In another pie plate or shallow bowl place the eggs and beat with a fork.

On a cookie sheet spread olive oil.

Put each eggplant slice into beaten egg mixture - flip to cover.

Put each eggplant slice into breadcrumb and flour mixture - flip to cover.

Put each eggplant slice onto greased cookie sheet.

Drizzle some olive oil on top of each slice.  Could use olive oil spray.

Place in oven 5-6 minutes - turn over - drizzle a little olive oil over each slice (or spray) and bake another 5-6 minutes.

Take out of oven to cool.                  

LAYER your eggplant parm - you can use a lasagna pan that measures approx. 9”x13” depending on how many eggplants you used.

1. Spread gravy in bottom of pan.

2. Add a layer of eggplant.

3. Add gravy on top of each eggplant.

4. Arrange slices of mozzarella on each slice.                                                                                 

5. Go back to step 2. for a second and final layer of eggplant.

You can add fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley to top and some pepper - more for decoration. Cover with tin foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Fuggedaboutit Gravy

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic crushed

1 can plum peeled Italian tomatoes - 28 oz. (put in blender)

1 can tomato paste - 6 oz. (start with 1/2 or 3 oz. - add more if you like it thick)

Dried herbs - herbs are according to taste - some like basil, parsley, and sugar combination while others like oregano and crushed red pepper for a spicy sauce.

My family likes:            1/2 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. dried basil, with 1 tsp. sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Gently heat olive oil - do not burn - approximately 1 minute.

Add crushed garlic - sauté approximately 1-2 minutes- again do not burn.

After putting cans of tomatoes in blender - add to pot with olive oil and garlic.

Cook about 10 minutes.

Add can of paste - if you like thick gravy add all 6 oz. - experiment - if after adding paste you think it’s too thick add a little water.

Cook another 10 minutes on low heat.

Add your herbs and some salt and pepper (remember you can always add more later).

Cook uncovered another 10 minutes.

Taste and correct for seasoning.

Serve with your favorite pasta.