Monthly Archives: February 2013

A Meal From Marrakesh

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Lamb to me has always tasted like hoof. A dirty hoof at that. Recently, however, I have started to enjoy lamb, although I am not sure what that says about my palette. Apparently, I now dig hoof.
So, with my new-found interest in lamb, I gingerly went forth with a very Moroccan-inspired lamb dish Sunday night — lamb tagine with chickpeas and apricots.  I am now a lamb lover. The standout of this dish is the sultry, tantalizing sauce that perfumes your house (and quite frankly, all of your clothes and hair) with a bevy of warm spices — cinnamon, cumin, ginger and cardamom, just to name a few. I can only imagine how the scent might compare to the  heady aromas that linger in the markets of Marrakesh. Quite frankly, I was ready to go out and buy belly dancer pants and finger cymbals. But that’s a whole other story.

This truly was a delicious dish, one that my husband immediately pronounced as worthy of a remake.
I followed the recipe almost exactly except for one simple alteration to lighten the dish: I poured out most of the rendered lamb fat after browning the meat and before adding the remaining ingredients. The result? A silky sauce sans grease.
Another highlight of the dish was the couscous, which was a big surprise to me. Normally I find couscous dull and not worth the calories, but not this time. I found an Israeli whole wheat toasted couscous that was chewy, nutty and beautifully complemented the dish. I could eat a bowl of this couscous topped with berries for breakfast.

Israeli Couscous

Israeli Couscous

I urge you to try this recipe, even if you and your palette haven’t quite yet figured out where you both stand on lamb. Just get yourself a rockin’ pair of finger cymbals first.

Weekly Menu — 2/9/2013

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Week of February 9th

Saturday:
  • Dinner with dear friends at their home. I am told we will be enjoying duck — quack! Although I won’t be cooking dinner tonight, I will spend some time in the kitchen today making rubs, sauces and marinades for the upcoming week. 

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Sunday:

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Monday:

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Tuesday:

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Wednesday:
  • Leftover lamb Tagine
  • Greek salad

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Thursday:

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Friday:
  • We are off to Vegas baby! The next menu will be up when we return. 

Pork Tenderloin with Allspice Dry Rub

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Simple but fabulous! Another winner from Julia Child. Although this doesn’t need a sauce, I often like to serve it with plum chutney or roasted grapes. This time around, I will try a roasted lemon-shallot chutney.

Ingredients:

3-to 4-pound boneless pork roast with a good marbling of fat, or two large tenderloins for the grill
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme or sage leaves
1 bay leaf, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press.

Preparation:

Dry the meat well with paper towels. In a bowl or a mortar, mix the remaining ingredients together and rub into the surface of the pork. Place in a covered dish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times if the marinade is a short one; several times a day if longer.

Heat oven to 325 degrees, or a grill to medium-high. Scrape off the marinade and dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels.

For roasting, place meat on a rack in a shallow pan and turn often until just cooked through, about 30 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.

For grilling, place tenderloins on oiled grate, cover, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Cover meat with foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Cauliflower

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Don’t be afraid to try the garlic with this dish. Whole, roasted garlic cloves have a very sweet, mellow flavor.

Ingredients: 

1 to 2 heads of cauliflower, separated into florets

1 to 2 TBSP olive oil

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)

Several whole garlic cloves, peeled (optional)

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss all ingredients together except the cheese. Spread in one layer on a cookie sheet and roast, stirring occasionally until tender and starting to caramelize, approximately 30 minutes. If using cheese, sprinkle over cauliflower and return to oven to finish roasting, another 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut

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This dish will forever remind me of my mother-in-law, who scrunched her nose at it and pronounced it as “too prosciutto-ey.” How is that even possible? Please ignore her.

This is a dish I would order over and over again from a restaurant menu. If you enjoy prosciutto and you like fish (heck, even if you are on the ho-hum side of fish), do yourself a favor and make this dish. It’s almost as easy as ordering take-out but oh so much more satisfying. It’s simple, dinner-party worthy and just takes a few key ingredients: buttery delicate fish, salty pig, white wine and fresh herbs — it’s hard to go wrong here. Once again, I sent my husband to Frank’s Seafood Market for the fish and I continue to be amazed by the quality and value. How could it be any fresher? Only if I caught it myself, that’s how.

Flash in the pan time

Flash in the pan