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.

Lamb Tagine

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

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.

Please see my Weekly Menu sidebar for all of the following recipes.

Velvety cauliflower soup
Yum! I love this first course soup. It is such a beautiful color and seems so sinfully creamy despite containing only olive oil and a curl of Parmesan cheese on top (the original recipe does call for butter, but I have made both versions and cannot tell the difference). Toss in a few seared scallops and you have yourself an elegant main course.

Creamy cauliflower soup with Parmesan cheese curls

Kale salad with feta & orange vinaigrette
My favorite thing about this salad? You can make the entire thing ahead and it gets even better after a few days in the fridge. Leftovers make terrific lunches with grilled chicken, poached salmon or tuna. This also packs a serious vitamin, fiber and antioxidant punch.

Kale salad with roasted squash

Mussels with tomatoes, anise & wine
So fast and easy. Just be sure to allow the bivalves to breathe so they don’t die on you and cook them the same day you buy them. Vary the sauce by using onions instead of fennel, red wine instead of white or butter, garlic and broth in place of the tomatoes and anise liqueur.

Mussels swimming in Pernod

I hadn’t originally planned on making a vegetarian curry this week. However, when I overheard my husband on the phone, sweetly offering up his “chicken” nachos to our vegan friend hosting a Super Bowl shindig, I had to step in with something. As an aside, I do use the word “chicken” here loosely given that my sweetie pie likes to dump CANNED chicken over his nachos. I guarantee you, If a vegan is going to cheat, it most certainly won’t be with chicken out of a can.

 
But I digress. The Penang curry came out warm and comforting in all of its vegetable glory, but I am looking forward to tossing in shrimp or chicken chunks when we enjoy the leftovers. I do admit, however, that I completely ignored the recipe. I used homemade curry paste in addition to a squirt of sambal oelek, omitted the peanut butter and added kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, broccoli and shiitake mushrooms. I ladled the whole mess over brown rice and served it with small bowls of freshly toasted coconut, crushed peanuts and lime wedges.

Penang vegetable curry

No menu this week as I am currently lounging on the beach, beverage and book in hand. I will return to my postings next week. Be prepared for a light and slimming post-vacation menu.

Bon Voyage!

My dear husband last night asks me if I will make him popcorn. Couldn’t be easier. Hell, we’re talking about microwave popcorn in a bag. Our microwave even has a “popcorn” button. So what do I do in my Friday night, it’s-been-a-long-week stupor? I go ahead and push that popcorn button and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Why am I not hearing a pop?

What the hell?

There is no popping. Perhaps the bag is defective.

Oh wait. I never bothered to put the bag in the microwave to begin with. Oops. Can’t nuke popcorn without the popcorn. Let’s hope things go much better with my menu this week.