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Month: January 2011

Grilled Lamb Chops with Chimichurri & Yogurt Mint Sauce

yholmes 1 Comment

Lamb chops two ways… both extremely delicious. My dinner date & fellow foodie, Scott, was the master of these two sauces and he preferred the marriage of the two. I can’t seem to move beyond the Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is Argentina’s pesto… and I’m becoming obsessed. I can’t think of anything I don’t want to put it on: fish, toasted bread, eggs, chicken, pork tacos, a garnish for soup. Chimichurri may take the lead as my favorite condiment and push balsamic vinegar to second place. It’s beautifully simple and amazingly flavorful considering the base is parsley. Add some lemon, red wine vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes and you have a flavor treasure.

It doesn’t need much love. Mix it up – slather it on anything edible – watch the bowl empty.

INGREDIENTS

For the Marinade:

  • 8 lamb rib chops (about 1 – 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Salt & Pepper

For the Chimichurri:

  • 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two. Serves 4.

For the Yogurt Mint Sauce:

  • 6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 7 ounces Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it’s a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the sauces as instructed above and set aside.

In a small bowl combine marinade ingredients: garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Rub over lamb chops and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Heat a gas grill or grill pan over high heat. Add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Vanilla and Dark Chocolate Glaze

yholmes 5 Comments

My sweet tooth is fairly tiny which makes these mini bundt cakes perfect for my house of one. Mostly everything from my kitchen goes out the back door to neighbors and friends so these made cute little packages to give away. These are super moist cakes and are super cute when you mix the glazes and toppings. If you want one big cake all to yourself, by all means just bake it longer (see directions below).

On a side note about using good ingredients, this recipe is one you can really make special. Valrhona Cocoa Powder and Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract are 2 ingredients I splurge on because they have a long shelf life and taste delicious.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup freshly brewed strong black coffee
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Vanilla glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoons cream or milk

Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in small bowl to blend, adding more milk by 1/4 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to drizzle.

Related posts: Crema.co Coffee Subscription: 80+ coffees from small batch roasters.

Chocolate glaze:

  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chop chocolate and put in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine remaining the heavy whipping cream, corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture, stirring, until mixture boils. Pour over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature then spoon over the cooled cake. If too thick, thin with a little more cream.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Spray your bundt pan with non-stick baking spray (with flour) or butter and dust with cocoa powder. The batter is very wet and dusting with cocoa powder will prevent sticking. Trust me on this, I only buttered my first pan (no flour or cocoa) and it wasn’t pretty.

Whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

In a mixer on low speed add the milk, coffee, canola oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix until everything is incorporated. With the mixer still on low speed slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once all of the flour mixture is added, mix the batter for a full four minutes on medium speed.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. If using a mini bundt pan, bake time is 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Once cool, drizzle cake with icing and top with chopped nuts or mini chips if you desire.

Lentil Soup with Sausage, Beans and Spinach

yholmes 1 Comment

The leftover Christmas ham bone HAD to be used… and not in the traditional black-eyed pea pot that I’ve never wanted to eat on New Years Day. So why not start a new tradition with a pot of lentils and cornbread instead?

Lentils are a high fiber super legume. They have excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins and protein. Did I mention all of the above is also fat free? Nothing guilty about eating this soup. I prefer the French green ones – they hold their shape and aren’t overly mushy.

Do not skip the balsamic vinegar… it’s the secret ingredient.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 carrots peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup French green lentils
  • 1 small can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 1 ham bone or ham hock
  • 5 sprigs thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 can cannellini beans
  • 1/2 package frozen spinach, squeezed dry
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 turkey kielbasa
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, onions and cook until soft about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in tomato paste and crushed red pepper. Cook 2 minutes to brown the paste. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, ham bone, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Add chicken broth then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add balsamic vinegar, cannellini beans, spinach, lemon juice and sausage. Stir contents of pot then cover again and simmer, 15-20 minutes longer, or until lentils are soft. Remove and discard bay leaf and ham bone. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with drizzles of oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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