Exotic Roasted Lamb Neck & Bean Stew

Adapted from Occasionally Edible and a few other sites via Google Search

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Stovetop time: 30-40 minutes
Roasting Time: 1 hour

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2lb/905g lamb neck bones (preferably with some meat on them)
2 cans (19oz/540ml) Northern or Romano or Navy beans, drained & rinsed. Note: Occasionally Edible recipe actually calls for 2 cups dried Northern beans, soaked overnight & drained)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3-4 large cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can (28oz/796ml) plum tomatoes, drained & chopped - or, as I do, mushed between your fingers
½ - ¾ tsp red chili pepper flakes
½ cup dried mixed wild mushrooms soaked in ½ cup or so boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop the mushrooms, reserving the cooking liquid to add to the stew.
2 cups water or broth plus the reserved cooking liquid
Salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp Aleppo Seven Spice blend (from Epices de Cru) or whatever your favorite mild & rich scented spice blend)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
2-3 large handfuls of leafy greens, coarsely chopped (Swiss Chard, beet greens, or spinach) (Optional)2-3 grilled sausages (this time I used turkey fennel), grilled and sliced 1" thick
1 tbsp fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley or cilantro/coriander, finely chopped for garnish

Directions:
1. In an oven proof Dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the butter and brown the lamb bones on all sides (about 5-8 minutes). Add the garlic cloves and chopped onions and continue to cook for 3 minutes or so (the onions should begin to brown). Stir occasionally.

2. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, chili pepper flakes, 1 tbsp Aleppo spice blend, mushrooms, drained beans, water or broth and mushroom cooking liquid. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning. I usually add a little more Aleppo at this point. Add the red bell peppers and toss.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F/170°C and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup in case of spills).

4. Transfer the covered Dutch oven to the lined baking sheet and roast for about one hour, Check after 40 minutes to see if beans are tender and there’s enough liquid – not soupy, but not dry either.

5. For the last 10 minutes: coarsely chop leafy greens like beet tops, spinach, or Swiss Chard and add to the stew. Taste for seasoning.

I like to serve this over couscous to sop up the fantastic sauce.

Surprise Baked Mac 'n Cheese

Adapted from iCookbook iPad App

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 10 minutes plus time to boil the pasta

Baking time: 20-25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 (10oz/284ml) can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Kraft Tex – cheddar, mozzarella & Monterey Jack with Jalapeno peppers)

1 small roasted chicken breast - boneless & skinless, diced (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups penne (or corkscrew pasta)

Topping:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 - 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and butter a large ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish (1 ½ quart/litre).

2. Boil salted water in a large Dutch oven and cook the penne until it is not quite al dente. Slightly undercooking is the way to go since the dish will continue to cook and absorb sauce during the baking. I hate mushy pasta on my plate. Drain and quickly rinse under cold water to stop the cooking while you prepare the sauce.

3. In a small skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter mixed with the oil (to keep the butter from burning). When melted, toss in the panko crumbs. Toast for a minute or two and set aside.

4. Mix the soup, cheeses, diced chicken, milk & pepper into the prepared baking dish. Stir in the pasta. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. It’s ready when the sauce bubbles around the edges and the top is golden.

6. Remove from the oven and let it rest, uncovered on the counter/table for 10 minutes. This will let the dish “set” and still be hot.

Serve with a simple green salad.

Kid Friendly Salmon Cakes

From Annabel's Essential Guide to Feeding Your Baby & Toddler iPhone App

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill time (in freezer): 3 hours to overnight
Cook time: 8 minutes or until golden and the salmon is cooked
Makes: 4 patties

Ingredients:
3 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium potato (7oz/200g)
6oz/170g raw salmon fillet, skinned and chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp sweet chili sauce
2 tsp ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
5 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs (I used sweet potato panko crumbs)
Canola oil for frying
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups spoon sized Shredded Wheat (I used the one with bran)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 hard boiled egg, sliced across
Sugar snap peas (or sweet pea pods)
Radish sliced into circles
Parsley leaves
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked

Directions:
1. Boil the potato, skin on until soft (about 20-25 minutes). Drain & peel.

2. Boil the egg: My method: use a pot big enough to make sure the entire egg is covered with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat (about 3 minutes) and remove the pot from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 20 minutes before placing the egg in cold water. Gently crack the egg shell and let it sit in cold water for five minutes before peeling. This lets water in between the shell and the egg and makes peeling easy.

3. In a large bowl, mash the potato and add the sliced scallions, chopped salmon, 3 tbsp Parmesan, mayo, ketchup, chili sauce, lemon juice, dill and bread crumbs. Mix well and divide into 4 patties. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight to marry the flavors.

4. Place the shredded wheat in a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. Add 1/3 cup Parmesan and pulse to combine.

5. Prepare breading station: shallow bowl for beaten eggs; plate for shredded wheat mixture; clean plate large enough to hold all the fish patties in a single layer.

6. Shape each patty into a fish by squeezing about 1/3 of the way, forming a tail. Gently place the “fish” in the egg mixture and then onto the shredded wheat. Lift the “fish” and place the unbreaded side down in the egg mixture. Dip into the breading again and make sure the entire “fish” is covered with breading. Transfer to the clean plate and repeat the process for the rest of the patties.

OR: just dip the patties in the egg and then shredded wheat to form the coating.

7. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the fish cakes for 3 minutes until golden brown and flip. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes or until golden and the salmon is cooked through.

To serve: Fancy ocean scene…Place the fish in the center of the plate. Place a slice of egg (with yolk) for the eye, half a pea pod for the mouth, parsley leaf for fin. Above the fish place some radish circles for bubbles. Below the fish, plate some peas for the ocean.

Grownup version needing no decoration – serve the fish patties with a wedge of lemon and a simple salad.

Roasted Herb & Garlic Spatchcock Chicken

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Summer Grilling issue

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 (3½-4 lb/1½ - 2kg) whole chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-5 large cloves of garlic, peeled
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
Large pinch of red chili pepper flakes
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 500°F/260°C with rack in middle.

2. In a food processor or mini chopper, pulse the garlic, lemon zest & juice, herbs and red chili pepper flakes to form a paste. Set aside.

3. To “spatchcock” a chicken: lay the bird on the breast (back up) and cut out the spine from neck to tail, using kitchen shears. Lay the bird breast up and press down on the breast bone to break it and flatten the chicken more evenly. You might even want to cut out the top of the breast bone, leaving the skin and meat intact.

4. Rinse the chicken under cool water, pat dry and season the cavity side with salt and pepper. Turn the skin side up and gently slip your fingers under the skin from the neck and form a pocket as far as you can. Stuff with herb & garlic paste evenly under the skin. Repeat for the thigh starting from close to where the backbone used to be.

4. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add the sliced onions down the centre forming a bed for the chicken. Place the chicken, skin side up over top and use the remaining herb paste over the skin.
Note: I place the backbone in as well so that I can save all the roasted chicken bones in the freezer for future stock making.

5. Roast at 500°F/260°C for about 35 minutes & test with a meat thermometer. The chicken is ready when the thigh registers 170-180°F/76-80°C. Be forewarned… it will get very smoky, but well worth it.

Lemony Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Adapted from Seafood

Printable Recipe

Prep/Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 box (10oz/300g) penne (or whatever your short favorite is. Try whole wheat for a healthy change)
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-3 large cloves of garlic, very finely sliced (I used my microplane to get them paper thin
Zest & juice of one lemon
Handful of fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1lb/500g large – extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Large pinch of red chili pepper flakes
½ tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Cook the pasta in salted water in a large Dutch oven and drain. Reserve ½ cup of cooking water in case you want your sauce a little “sauce – ier”.

2. In the meantime, Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until the onions soften. Stir in the garlic and lemon zest and cook for another minute.

3. Stir in the parsley and shrimp and raise the heat to medium high. Cook until the shrimp turn pink (2-3 minutes) add the lemon juice, chili pepper flakes and toss. Taste for seasoning. We needed a little extra lemon juice.

4. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, toss well and taste.

Handfuls of Sunshine Smoothies

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients
½ cup (or one small handful) frozen blueberries (picked them myself last August)
½ cup (or one small handful) frozen mango chunks
½ cup non-fat plain yoghurt (I used thick Greek style)
1 tsp honey
Orange mango juice (or whatever your favorite “wake up” juice is) to cover the rest of the ingredients. The amount depends on how thick or thin you like your smoothie.

Directions:
1. In a blender combine everything and give it a whir. Pulse until the mango has been crushed.

2. Check for consistency. If it’s too thick, add a bit more juice or some milk. If it’s too thin add some yoghurt or more fruit. Taste – it might need more honey.

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

From Bon Appetit , April 2011

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes Can be made ahead or eaten right away
< Serves 2- 4

Ingredients:
1 (19oz/540ml) can, chickpeas, rinsed & drained
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp fresh flat leaf/Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of kosher or sea salt

Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss, taste & adjust for seasonings.

Indian Minced Lamb Kabobs

From Canadian Living: The Barbecue Collection

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Fridge time: 2 – 24 hours
Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ cup raw cashews
1-6 hot peppers, seeded & chopped (we like ours mild so I went with 1)
½ onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp vegetable oil (book called for melted butter)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp black pepper (book called for white)
¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp garam masala (I used Kashmiri masala from Epices de Cru, the book also suggested making your own – ¼ tsp each ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg & black pepper)
1 ½ lb/750g ground lamb
1/3 cup fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped

Directions:
1. In a food processor, puree the cashews, hot peppers, onion, ginger, and oil. Whisk together the egg and yolk and add to the cashew paste along with the rest of the spices (everything up to the lamb). Pulse until blended.

2. Transfer to a large bowl add the lamb & cilantro and blend well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. With moistened hands, shape into small sausages. The book suggests ¼ cup measure and threading each lengthwise onto a skewer. Since I didn’t have any skewers, I just shaped them into sausages and placed them on a hot BBQ grill that I had oiled first.

4. Grill, covered over medium heat, turning once or twice until no longer pink inside (about 12 minutes). I used a spatula to carefully turn them so they wouldn’t crumble.

Serving: I served them with warm naan bread and a Indian Spiced Coleslaw

Indian Spiced Coleslaw

From Canadian Living: The Barbecue Collection

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Fridge time: 30 minutes to 4 days
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
8 cups shredded cabbage ( I used a small cabbage and didn’t exactly measure)
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (the book called for 2 green hot peppers)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp black/brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp balsamic apple cider vinegar (the book called for malt vinegar)
½ tsp salt (I just used a pinch)
Pinch of granulated sugar
½ cup fresh cilantro/coriander leaf, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions:
1. I shredded the cabbage and carrots in my food processor, but you could finely slice the cabbage with a mandolin or good sharp knife. I pulsed the jalapeno pepper and onion in the food processor. The entire slicing/chopping process took 2 minutes… I love my new Cuisinart with 2 bowls and multiple shredding/slicing blades!

2. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

3. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard & cumin seeds. Fry until mustard seeds turn grey and start to pop (about 1 minute). Scrape out and pour over the cabbage mixture.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, salt & sugar. Toss with cabbage. Let stand for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 days in the fridge.

5. Just before serving, toss in the chopped cilantro and mint.