Portland Foodie

I grew up in a family that never ate lamb. I'm from Oklahoma, and that translates into beef, beef and more beef. Once I reached adulthood, I had the opportunity to try lamb and discovered I liked it. But once I started cooking it at home, I found I LOVED it. The bottom line is that lamb is one of those meats that really needs to be cooked correctly in order to be enjoyed. Fortunately, it's not at all difficult to cook.

The American Lamb Board is hosting a contest for the best lamb recipies and offered me a butterflied leg of lamb in exchange for a recipe and a post about my experience.  Last week, I grilled that leg of lamb...it was phenomenal! It was super simple, too...see below for the recipe.

2 cups strongly brewed coffee (cooled)

2 cups red wine (Chianti or Pinot Noir work well)

¼ cup molasses ½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp finely ground coffee

2 tsp cinnamon

3 garlic cloves, outer peel removed and smashed

2-3 tsp salt

1 leg of lam, boneless and butterflied

Add and mix together all of the above ingredients in a large container. Remove lamb from package and add to marinade fat side up. Do not trim fat. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

Use a chimney starter to light coals. When coals are ready, prepare charcoal grill using indirect heat method by adding the majority of coals to half of the grill, leaving the other half empty. If you are using a gas grill, light only half of the burners.

Before grilling, take lamb out of the refrigerator and out of the marinating liquid. Remove garlic cloves and pour remaining liquid into small saucepan and reduce over medium heat. Let lamb come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes) before grilling. Once the liquid has reduced, it can be used as a basting sauce. Use a brush to apply during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Place lamb on grill, fat side down, on the side that has no coals. Flip every 10-15 minutes until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 130 degrees. Depending upon the size of the leg of lamb and the temperature of your grill, it can take between 30 minutes to an hour for the lamb to reach medium rare. Remove lamb from grill and place on cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve thin slices against the grain. Serve.

TIPS: Don't overcook lamb, it's best served medium rare. Also, don't remove fat from the lamb, it helps the meat stay moist and flavorful.

I am in the process of starting my digital publishing venture, Garden Shorts Publishing. Through it, I hope to bring lots of amazing gardening and food content to those of us who have digital readers, smart phones and tablets. 

 

I've just release two new ebooks about growing, preparing and harvesting beets and potatoes. Both of which have lots of user friendly gardening information and recipes. Next week, I will have a gardening basics ebook up and ready to go...so stay tuned!

 

This is one of the recipes in the book. Potato and Green Bean Salad is one of my all time favorites!

 

Potato and Green Bean Salad 

Submitted by Gwen Kenneally of Back to the Kitchen

www.gwenkenneally.blogspot.com/

3 pounds new or red bliss potatoes
4 cups green beans, trimmed
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1-teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4-cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups olive oil + extra to coat potatoes for roasting
2 shallots finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork and arrange them on a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When cool enough to touch. Cut into quarters. Sauté green beans, walnuts and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In a small bowl whisk together oil and balsamic with garlic and shallots in a serving bowl toss the potatoes with the green bean mixture. Pour dressing and gently toss thoroughly. Let stand at room temp for one hour and toss again before serving.

As I've said before, beets are high on my list of favorite veggies. They are relatively easy to grow and prepare...which makes them perfect for a lazy gardener like myself.

This recipe is made with yellow beets. Primarily because red beets would stain the whole salad red. But feel free to use whatever type you prefer. White beets would also be a good choice here. Of course, if it's Halloween...

Beet, Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

Salad:

3 medium yellow beets, peeled

3 medium carrots

1 head of cabbage

1/2 red onion

Dressing:

3/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1 small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor, shred beets, carrots, onion and cabbage and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl add vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot, thyme and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Stream in 3/4 cup of olive oil, whisking at the same time to emulsify. Pour dressing over salad ingredients, toss, and refrigerate for an hour or so before eating.

**Now you can purchase Growing, Preparing and Storing Beets as an ebook for only $2.99. Head over to Amazon and download it to your ereader or tablet device pronto.

More about the book:

Beets are one of the unsung heroes of the edible garden. Learn how to grow, prepare and harvest these jewel-toned beauties with guidance from one of America's hottest new gardening authors. Growing, Preparing and Storing Beets is full of great garden knowledge, as well as recipes to tantalize your taste buds. Plus, it's written in a portable format, so download it on your smart phone, tablet or ereader and take it out to the garden (or to the grocery store) with you!

If you are like me, you've lived most of your life feeling intimidated by the thought of serving lamb. Though I have ordered it in restaurants, I have generally avoided bringing it in to my kitchen. Lamb cooked properly, it is a delectable delight, cooked poorly, it is a gamey, tough mess.

Recently, I had the good fortune of meeting a Lebanese woman, for whom lamb had always been a central source of protein. She shared with me that the key to cooking lamb is to braise it...that is, to let it cook low and slow, letting the meat break down and absorb all of the wonderful flavors of the cooking liquid. I decided to set aside my trepidation and give it a try. It was fabulous!

The thing about braising is that it is more of a methodology than a strict recipe. The amount of liquid and seasoning will vary, depending upon the size of the cut of meat. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is to make sure that the braising liquid is halfway up the side of the meat when you slip it in to the oven. Also, it's great to use a heavy pan like a Dutch Oven to help with even heat distribution.

Basic Braised Lamb

Start by selecting a cut of meat. Generally, a leg or portion of a leg is best for this recipe...this is not the time to use a rack of lamb. Then, gather the following ingredients:

Leg of Lamb

Olive Oil

1 bottle of good red wine (try a French Bordeax, Italian Chianti, or Spanish Rioja)

8 oz good beef stock

1 head of garlic, cut in half

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and quartered

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs of celery (with leaves), chopped

4 dried bay leaves

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 Tbsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

Start by bringing the Dutch Oven to temperature over medium heat. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Thoroughly salt and pepper the leg of lamb. Add olive oil and the leg of lamb to the pan. Brown on all sides.

When lamb is browned, add wine and stock until it reaches halfway up the side of the lamb. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and oregano. Add a teaspoon of salt and a teasoon of ground black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Cook the lamb in a 275 degree oven for 2 to 3 hours (depending upon size). Remove from oven and take lamb out of the remaining liquid. Set aside. Strain remaining liquid and serve au jus.

*photo by adactio

 

Recently, I made the move to gluten free eating. I was worried that when I did so, I would be giving up all of the things I loved...bread, bread and more bread. And while it is true that I don't have a good substitute for bread yet, I have successfully changed most of my cooking to the point that it is almost impossible for anyone to tell the difference. 

On Thanksgiving, I decided I would try and make my first gluten free cornbread stuffing. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic...as well as really easy. Give it a try yourself and see if I've made you a believer. :)

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

Cornbread

*Note: this is a different preparation than the directions on the package. 

1 package Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, milk, salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk together. Add cornbread mix and stir until well combined. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Remove from oven and set aside until cool. 

Preparing Stuffing

1 1/2 (or 3/4 cup) of butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1 white onion, diced

4 celery ribs (leaves on), chopped

6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried sage

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

3 eggs

2-3 cups stock

Cornbread from previous recipe

In a large saute pan, melt butter and olive oil together over low medium heat. Add onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook the vegetables slowly, avoid browning. After 5 minutes, add oregano, thyme, sage, fennel, rosemary, salt, pepper and celery salt. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until celery is softened. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. In a very large bowl, crumble the cornbread from the previous recipe. In a separate bowl, break three eggs and whisk together. Once vegetable mixture has cooled, add to bowl, stir a bit, then add eggs and 2 cups of stock. Stir together. Moisture level should be similar to oatmeal, but not runny. Add additional liquid as needed. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. 

And that's it! A very easy Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think.

 

It has been ages since I've posted to Portland Foodie. Partially due to technical difficulties with my domain provider and partially because all of my foodie efforts went into the writing of my book, Grocery Gardening. I've been feeling a bit guilty over the neglect of my site, and thought this would be the perfect time to bring it back to life! After all, Thanksgiving is foodie Nirvana...

To celebrate the re-invigoration of said blog, I am sharing a yummy turkey breast brining method and rhubarb orange compote recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

Brined Turkey Breast with Rhubarb Orange Compote

Brining and Roasting Turkey

2 turkey breasts  

½ gallon of water

¼ cup kosher salt

2 oranges, zest and juice

1 bunch of fresh sage leaves

6 bay leaves

handful of whole, cracked peppercorns

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

In a large container, add cool water and salt. Stir until salt is dissolved. Add orange zest and juice, sage leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Immerse turkey breasts, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 165°. The amount of time varies significantly dependent upon the weight of the turkey breast. Using a thermometer is the safest way to gauge the doneness of the meat.

Rhubarb Orange Compote

2 cups rhubarb, chopped

1 orange, zest and juice

1 tsp dried sage

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp grated ginger

pinch of salt

Add contents to a saucepan, cook until rhubarb falls apart and flavors meld. Pour over roasted turkey and serve.

Photo by mccun934

My friend, Jayme Jenkins of AHa! Modern Living sent me this link for cucumber-infused gin (via Cocktailia). I thought it sounded absolutely divine! See below:

For this infusion, I thinly sliced a medium-sized cucumber, using half for each of the one-pint mason jars you see pictured. Fill the jar with gin and shake well, shaking again two or three times per day while the cucumber is in the spirit. (head to the website for more information)

via www.cocktailia.com

I started thinking about what I have on hand and what would go well with gin...one of my favorite spirits. Here's a quick list of my ideas:

• tomatillos
• peppers (milder peppers like Ancho)
•  blackberries
• blueberries
• limes
• rhubarb
• beets
• basil
• oregano
• rosemary
• nasturtiums

Alright, I added a few herbs and a flower in there for good measure. :) I am certain not all of these will work, but I am determined to try a few of them this summer. Instead of infusing the old standby vodka, try infusing gin this summer and let me know how it turns out!

It's that time of year again where I start waxing rhapsodic about my love affair with rhubarb. And though it isn't as popular as some spring edibles, it has a fanatic following. Just ask @cityslipper (Daniel Gasteiger) who is rhubarb-obsessed...in fact, he was so obsessed that we chose his recipe suggestions for inclusion in Grocery Gardening (which, btw, is on sale for $13.97 right now, just follow the link to the left).

Anywho, I have written about rhubarb cake, rhubarb bread, rhubarb raspberry and strawberry sorbet, and ginger rhubarb and pear topping.  This time, I thought I would share some rhubarb infused drink recipes I whipped up for my book. Ready to tantalize your taster? I thought so.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup and Cocktails:

2 cups rhubarb, cleaned and chopped

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

Add ingredients to a saucepan and cook until mixture reduces by a third. Rhubarb will be completely soft and sugar dissolved. Strain through cheesecloth to remove all fibers, save rhubarb to use in baked goods.

Rhubarb Mint Cooler

Fresh mint leaves

Ice to fill

1 oz vodka

3 oz club soda

1 tbsp rhubarb simple syrup

In a tall glass, add mint leaves and muddle to release the oil. Add ice, vodka, club soda and rhubarb syrup. Stir to combine.

Lemon Rhubarb Soda

2 cups rhubarb

1 cup of sugar

2 cups water

2 lemons, zest and juice

lemon thyme

ginger ale

Simmer rhubarb, sugar, water, lemon zest, juice and thyme together until sugar dissolves and rhubarb is soft, cool. Remove thyme twigs, add remaining contents to a blender. Whir until smooth and frothy. Pour equal parts of rhubarb mix and ginger ale over ice.

Of course, I have also written about my gardening experiences with rhubarb...Head over to Gardener to Farmer for a series of poignant gardening posts.