Rack of Lamb with Cilantro Mustard Seed Crust

Rack of Lamb with Cilantro Mustard Seed Crust

Adapted from  Eating Well.

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1-pound rack of lamb, trimmed of fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon canola oil
New Mexico Chile Sauce, (recipe follows), heated

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Mix the cilantro, mustard, mustard seeds and garlic together in a small bowl. Season your meat with salt and pepper before searing the meat. You can use a small cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet for that, but I went straight to my grill. Cook on the grill, meat-side down, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t let it spend too much time on the grill  — you’re simply searing here, so you don’t want to overcook it.  You can break out the meat thermometer, but I was strict about following the time indicated on this recipe and it came out perfect.  Take it off the heat and spread the mustard mixture over the browned side. Transfer lamb to a pan or skillet and then into the oven.  Roast it for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 140°F (rare) or until the lamb reaches your desired doneness. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes (don’t skip this step!) before carving the rack between the ribs with a sharp knife. Spoon some New Mexico Chile Sauce onto 2 plates and top with lamb, or spoon the sauce over the ribs (or both!). Serve immediately.

New Mexico Chile Sauce

Adapted from Eating Well.

2 plum tomatoes
2 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded (see Tip)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Roast the tomatoes in a heavy dry skillet (cast-iron works well) over medium heat, turning them until their skins are blistered and blackened in spots (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a cutting board and steam them by covering with a kitchen towel. Once they cool, peel and coarsely chop them.

While the tomatoes are cooling, toast the chiles in the same pan over medium heat until they’re fragrant (about 20 to 30 seconds on each side). Once they’re cool, tear them into several pieces.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add onion and mushroom.  Stirring frequently, cook until the veggies are tender (2 to 3 minutes). Throw in the garlic and oregano and cook for another 30 seconds. Add broth and the cooled tomatoes and chiles and bring it all to a boil. Cover, reduce to low and let it all simmer, for a half hour.

Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and puree it. If you want it really smooth, pass the blended sauce through a fine-meshed sieve back into the saucepan. Heat while stirring, and season to taste with lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.

Tip: be sure to remove the chilies’ seeds or the sauce’s flavors will be overwhelmed by their heat.
To make ahead: You can cover and refrigerate the sauce for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Originally published in “‘Racking’ My Brain To Impress A Foodie”

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Oven Steamed Stuffed Artichoke

Oven-Steamed Stuffed Artichokes

Note about prepping the artichokes: When the artichokes are par-boiled, the center leaves and choke can be removed far more easily than trying to remove them raw. It also yields a more tender finished artichoke.

2 large artichokes (or 3 medium ones)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot
2-3 garlic cloves
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan or other hard cheese
1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1-2 teaspoons herbs of your choice (thyme, oregano, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare artichokes for stuffing: Cut the stems off the bottom of the artichokes (so they can sit flat in the pan later) and reserve. Slice off the top inch or so with a sharp knife, and snip the remaining sharp leaf tips off with scissors. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the artichokes, using a plate or bowl to keep them submerged. Lower the heat to a gentle boil for about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, then rinse again.

When they’re cool, gently spread apart the artichoke and pull out the center cone of leaves. It should come out all in one piece. Then gently scrape the center inside down to the smooth choke. If you see symmetrical small dots, you’re not done — keep scraping, but be gentle so as not to cut into the choke. You want the inside bottom to be smooth, not dotted or bumpy. You need a pretty sharp spoon for this, like the edge of a thin metal measuring spoon, or a grapefruit spoon.

Prepare stuffing: Heat butter and oil in skillet on medium-high. Add the shallot, garlic, bread crumbs, herbs (but not the parsley), salt and pepper, and cook for about five minutes until they’re mixed and browned, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and grated cheese.

Stuff artichokes: Spoon about a tablespoon or two of stuffing into the center cavity, and then gently spread apart the leaves and spoon about a teaspoon or so of stuffing between each leaf. Drizzle each artichoke with two or three tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with remaining grated cheese, and set in an appropriately-sized baking dish.

Cook stuffed artichokes: Pour one cup of water into the dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake in a 400-degree oven until a leaf can be pulled out easily, and/or you can easily pierce the artichoke base with a knife (this can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes, depending on the artichokes’ size.

Originally published in “Never Fear Artichokes, The Tastiest Thistles”

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Plantain And Sofrito Collaborative Quiche

Plantain And Sofrito Collaborative Quiche

Makes one 9-inch quiche

One prepared or homemade 9-inch pie crust
One large, medium-ripe plantain (medium-brown, but not too soft and blackened), sliced
Vegetable oil, for frying (you’ll need about 1 inch of oil in your pan)
1/4 cup  sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste (or substitute one large tomato, seeded and diced)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half or milk
salt and pepper to taste

Fry the plantains: Heat a good inch or two of oil in a pan, drop in the plantains, and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 to 4  minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Make the sofrito:  Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, garlic and bell pepper until they start to soften. Add the tomato paste and cumin, stir, and cook till the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Take off the heat, throw in the chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.

Assemble the quiche: Beat eggs and milk together in a large bowl. When the plantains and sofrito are no longer hot (i.e., cool enough to avoid curdling the eggs), stir everything together, season with salt and pepper and pour into the pie crust.

Bake the quiche in a 375-degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the center is set.

 

Originally published in “Collective Quiche Goes Pan-Latin” 

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photo credit to Aaron Otis Photography 2014


July
Watermelon is the perfect summer food. It hydrates, it cools, it's sweet and juicy. We have some great ideas for your table, including a salad, ceviche cups, popsicles and cocktails. Get ready to beat the heat with us!