WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY...

Johnny eats Lamb!  I think it's the one meat Ashley doesn't like, and being the Spartan that I am...Lamb is naturally running through my veins.  Tonight I utilized some farm box brussel sprouts, a wild rice blend and two beautiful New Zealand Lamb Chops simply prepared on the cast iron skillet and finished in the oven topped with a red wine pan sauce....I miss my wife very much...but boy oh boy did I love making and eating this dinner!

order -
rice on stove to a boil then to a simmer, set timer to 40 minutes
brussels in at 35 minutes
start the lamb with 25 minutes to go
about 17-20 minutes of cook time for lamb to cook - then another 15 to rest
pan sauce


Pre heat your oven to 400

Half cup of this brown and wild rice blend and a full cup of chicken broth...bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover for 40 minutes.

Here is a little trick...get a paper towel wet and wring it out...THEN put your cutting board on it...this will make sure the board doesn't move and more importantly increase the chances of you keeping all of your fingers.

There will never be a 10 year old kid who would take a picture of brussel sprouts like this and do it from a place of pure love...but here I am, 30 years old, wishing I would have eaten my brussel sprouts...

We cut the end off, then slice it long wise in half and toss it into the bowl...rinse and repeat.

Toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper and get it onto a parchment lined pan... into the oven for 35 minutes at 400 degrees

Get the lamb out of the fridge about 40-60 minutes before you cook this baby...get it patted dry with paper towels and really get it seasoned on all sides with salt and pepper.  Do this about 20 minutes before you cook it to let the seasoning really set in...

whole foods side bar:

ok...whole foods IS very 

expensive, but you really do 

get what you pay for...this is 

New Zealand Lamb...look at the 

beautiful red coloring, the marbling, 

this whole foods lamby was very much 

worth it... 

Get your shallot sliced in preparation for the pan sauce...

It's important to take your THYME when making your food...

Canola oil into the pan and get it hot on medium heat...once the ripples start put your lamb down and let it sear for about 2-3 minutes...flip it, sear for a couple 2-3 more minutes and finish it in the oven for 5-6 minutes.

Flip to a fresh part of the pan because it will be hotter than the side we just finished cooking on.

Get the lamb out onto a plate and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes covered with foil.  Time for sauce.

Pour out the excess oil from the pan and get it back onto the stove over medium heat. 

Add the shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes, until they get a little brown, then add the wine and some broth...about 1/4 cup each

Use the edge of the spoon to scrape up the very important brown bits...let this reduce a little and cook for about 10 minutes.

SPROUTS ARE DONE!

Finish this sauce with a tbs or two of butter and the leaves from the thyme tree from way up there...

The lamb was sweet, the brussels were nice and salty and crispy and the rice serves a nice way to lap up some of the pan sauce...and the wine...hey you can't let it go to waste right? 

AVGOLEMONO THAT WOULD MAKE YIA YIA PROUD

Avgolemono literally means egg lemon in Greek.  This soup is one that as kids we ate fairly regularly whether it was Yia Yia, Nouna, or my Mom's.  All of them have their differences, but all were delicious.  Although this is not one passed down from the ages, I feel that it would get a nod of approval from the discerning palates of my family.  This recipe calls for chicken breasts, we used bone on to try to coax out a little more flavor.  Also, we added another 2 cups of stock in the beginning to create a more soup like dish.

Recipe:

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
1 small carrot, peeled
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bone on skin off chicken breasts 
1 cup long grain brown or brown and wild rice blend
2 eggs
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste



Ok, get your 8 cups of broth and the veg to a boil, then add the chicken and bring it down to a simmer.  Cover the stock for 40 minutes and watch the bears game for a while.

Little salt, little pepper

After your chicken is done cooking, take out the breasts and put them on a plate or cutting board for shredding later.  Meanwhile, drain the soup into a bowl to make sure to get all of your vegetables out.  back into the pot with the soup...down the garbage disposal for the veg.

Bring the soup back up to a simmer and add one cup of long grain brown and wild rice blend.  This one in particular has long grain basmati rice in it, which when cooking gives off a sweet aroma of corn roasting.  And it tastes good too!

Covered and simmered for 20 minutes...pull the chicken and add it in for another 5 minutes after the first 20.  Little salt, little pepper....

                                                                           Authenticity side bar:  This is where the Greek

recipe differs greatly.  Typically they will boil an

entire chicken and remove it, roast in the oven

 to serve on the side with the soup.  don't know if

is better or not, you'll have to ask your Yia Yia.

Now for the egg portion of our show....get two eggs into a mixer and get them going on medium until they are nice and frothy.

While those are frothing get your lemon juice ready...scoop out the seeds for Pete's sake!

Add your lemon juice to the frothy eggs while whisking on medium low

THIS IS WHERE THE LEGEND CARRIES ON!  With the egg lemon mixture on low whisk, slowly add one cup at a time of the hot soup...BUT!  YOU MUST MAKE A LITTLE KISSING SOUND WITH YOUR LIPS WHILE POURING IT IN OR THE WHOLE THING WILL BE A DISASTER!  IT WON'T WORK AND I BEG YOU NOT TO QUESTION ME ON THIS ONE...JUST MAKE THE KISSING SOUND OR THE WHOLE INSTITUTION OF THIS SOUP IS DONE FOR.  IT'S NOT YIA YIA OR NOUNA OR MOM'S SOUP WITHOUT THE KISSING, JUST A PILE OF MIXED INGREDIENTS THAT WILL PROBABLY DISINTEGRATE BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!  FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GREEKS MAKE THE KISSING NOISE!

KISS WITH BOTH CUPS OF SOUP...THE FATE OF AVGOLEMONO DEPENDS ON IT!  After the 2nd cup of soup has been added and mixed in...add the egg lemon mixture back into the soup on the stove.

Phew...that was intense! Finish this baby off with the parsley make sure to season with salt and pepper and TASTE before you serve.

Usually there is some Yia Yia bread to dip into the soup, but since we had none of that and some left over biscuits from the morning, we improvised...The biscuits we damn fine, could have used some Yia Yia bread though...

Our wonderful friend Meghan brought us some cookies for dessert...BAD GIRL!  (thanks for the cookies!)