Mary made a little lamb...

Jeanne, cover your ears. Jess said this was the best lamb meal he's EVER had. As with any ambitious meal featuring meat, we got the lamb at John Dewar's in Newton Centre. This was a beautiful piece of meat (no snickering.) And it should have been since it was barely less expensive than having it at a restaurant. Our portions were much bigger. Or I should say Jess' portion was bigger. Of the eight ribs, Jess had five and I had three. I didn't mind at all. Frequently after cooking a big meal, I'm not terribly hungry. I think its the adrenaline or maybe the heat that kills my appetite. God knows there's not much that will.

I didn't really follow a recipe for the lamb... I made sure that the meat had been out of the fridge long enough to come to, or close to, room temperature. I rubbed it with olive oil, fresh thyme, some garlic, a little lemon zest, salt and fresh ground pepper. Probably most importantly, I used a reliable thermometer to make sure the meat was cooked to the desired temp. I have one of the kinds with a probe that stays in the oven, and a digital read out that stays on the counter top with a metal cord in-between. This really makes it easy, since you don't risk cooling your oven down every time you want to check the temp.

Our sides were terrific and perfectly complemented the meal. Italian cous cous is like Israeli cous cous only bigger (which is like normal cous cous, only bigger.) It's also more rustic or wheaty--it has a taste of its own. It doesn't just soak up other flavors. It's also not as fluffy and doesn't soak up as much liquid. For a veggie, we had creamed spinach. The recipe I used was rather light, so the meal was not too over the top. A moderate amount of cream, some onion and just a hint of nutmeg. I’ve posted the recipe here.

Enjoy the pictures that follow. Particularly the ones of Jess picking the lamb carcass apart like a jackal.

I Cooked Rudolph

Maybe I have some sort of subconscious issue with religious holidays. Earlier this year, I cooked rabbit for Easter. Monday night, I cooked Rudolph. It wasn't actually reindeer, just venison that we bought from our butcher. The Easter bunny thing was intentional, but Jess and I purchased the D'ARTAGNAN venison tenderloin oblivious to the irony. Only on the drive home did it dawn on us that we were about to pan-sear a Christmas icon.

Let's talk about the sides first.... We had a simple, fresh-herb salad with balsamic vinaigrette. We made the vinaigrette with some really nice, syrupy balsamic vinegar that we also picked up at the butcher. Delicious.

Even more delicious were the Baked Cheese Grits. I've made these once before, and they came out too soupy. This time I figured out the issue. The recipe calls for "Old-Fashioned" grits. Here in Boston, I have only been able to find quick grits and instant grits. Instant grits are an abomination, so I bought quick grits. What I hadn't taken into account previously was that quick grits require less liquid than old-fashioned grits. It's a 5-1 grits to water ratio for old fashioned, but just a 4-1 ratio for quick. This adjustment fixed the soupiness, obviously. Less obvious was another tweak I made. Instead of cooking the grits in water, I used chicken stock. YUM! I think even my showers would be improved if I could use chicken stock instead of water.

Now for the deer.... Deer meat is dark red, almost like liver, with very little intramuscular fat. The tenderloin is especially lean, and will become tough if cooked the slightest bit too long. Everyone recommends pan searing the tenderloins, whole, just until rare and then slicing them into medallions. I opted for medium-rare, and thanks to Jess' advice, they were cooked to the perfect temperature. For an added touch of decadence, I used ghee instead of plain butter. It's basically clarified butter and its advantage over ordinary butter is that you can get it really hot without it smoking. I also prepared "Hunter's Sauce" to accompany the medallions. I haven't eaten a lot of game, so I thought this would be a wise move.

I'm going to be blunt here. Deer is gamy. I'm not talking lamb magnitude gamy. I'm talking third-world-country gamy. My first few bites were very enjoyable, but the gaminess seemed to accumulate in my mouth. As the meat cooled, it tasted funkier still. As we tried to enjoy the meal, I pondered aloud what dog might taste like. Jess speculated that he had probably been served dog, secretly, during his travels overseas. At the end of the meal, we concluded that venison just isn't our cup of tea. It definitely does not taste like chicken. But Cheese Grits cooked in chicken broth ROCK! Recipe follows in next post...

Recipe: BAKED CHEESE GRITS

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups quick grits (or 1 cup old fashioned)
4 3/4 cups (or 5 cups if using old fashioned) chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated Vermont cheddar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in grits and salt. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook 8-10 minutes for quick grits, 20-30 minutes for old-fashioned. Consistency should be roughly like runny oatmeal. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 quart souffle dish. Add cheese, stirring until melted and blended. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and cayenne. Stir gradually into grits. Transfer grits to souffle dish and smooth the top. Bake 50-60 minutes; toothpick inserted in center should come out clean. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

New Favorite Vegetable Side-Dish!

Despite the fact that it was 80 degrees yesterday in Boston, Summer is over. Jess and I had a great season in Provincetown. The weather was great this year. I was ready to return to normal life, though. I always enjoy the change of seasons. I have also really missed my kitchen.

Last night I made Pan-Seared Tuna with Tomato-Basil Sauce along with Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic. I had made the tuna once before, with somewhat better results. Then, I used some beautiful tuna steaks that Jess' parents had actually caught the day before. (Best Tuna EVER!) Also, the tomatoes before were much better. Still, the tuna was very good. The recipe is a keeper.

The real discovery was the cauliflower. I don't know why it had never occurred to me to roast it. The florets got golden and crispy--cooked through without going mushy. It's amazing how good something simple can be. See the recipes below.

p.s. The tuna is not as thoroughly cooked as it appears in this photo. I like my tuna medium-rare. Jess likes his rare. Both our steaks were cooked to perfection, by Jess.

Recipe: PAN-SEARED TUNA WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

Bon Appétit | May 2000

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces

4 6-ounce tuna steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, parsley and garlic. Saute until onion is tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before continuing.) Discard bay leaf. Mix in torn basil. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tuna and cook until golden and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to platter. Spoon sauce over tuna.

Makes 4 servings. If two servings are desired, make the full recipe of the sauce. IMPORTANT: When searing 2 tuna steaks, use a smaller skillet--just big enough to hold them without overcrowding.

Recipe: ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH GARLIC

1 head cauliflower cut into 2-inch-wide florets
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss cauliflower with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a shallow baking pan. Roast in upper third of oven 25 to 30 minutes. Shake pan vigorously once or twice during roasting time.


Makes 4 small or 2 hearty servings. For a bigger batch, use three heads of cauliflower and double all other ingredients. Use two baking pans, one in the top third and the other in the bottom third of the oven.

Out of the Frying Pan, and Into the Parchament

O.K. I have to confess that I did not have parchment paper last night when I prepared salmon en Papillote. I'm in P-town with a modestly equipped kitchen. But you can substitute aluminum foil and it only impacts the presentation. This was the first time I'd cooked salmon. Hell, this was the first time I'd eaten salmon. I was a bit nervous--last weekend I tried poaching cod with disastrous results.

First the good news; I finally found a good place to buy fresh fish. Townsend Seafood is at the end of Fisherman's Wharf and it's the kind of place where they know what the local fisherman are catching. You can ask what's fresh, and you get an answer. (Last weekend, we asked the clerk at Clem and Ursie's what was fresh, and he said, "It was all here when I got here." Infuriating!) I'm pretty sure the local fisherman weren't catching salmon, but the fish was indeed fresh.

Now for the complications. I didn't have a recipe. I found plenty of them online, but nothing struck my fancy. Either they were too basic (Lemon and Dill) or had ingredients I didn't have or didn't like. It was late--8 PM. I had fish but no other ingredients or sides. I was hungry, and a trip to the grocery was necessary. And I was paralyzed with indecision. It was a recipe for disaster (pun 100% intended.) But I felt I had a good grasp of the cooking technique and types of veggies and herbs that people put in the pouch along with the fish. So I tarried on to the grocery.

I had in my head that an aioli or flavored mayonnaise would go well with the fish. But neither of these could be incorporated into the pouch. I thought to myself, "Coleslaw. Coleslaw has mayonnaise in it." So I grabbed cabbage and carrot and onion. (Had mayo and vinegar at home.) I wanted a starch, but couldn't think of anything appropriate. I just took my cabbage to the checkout and was on my way.

Back home, I discovered a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice in the cupboard. I grabbed that and told Jess he was in charge of it. Meanwhile I made the coleslaw.

Just then, there was a knock at our door. It was a dear friend of ours whom we hadn't seen in forever. We welcomed him in, sat and had a nice, long conversation (and some wine.) By 10PM, our visitor was gone and we were starving.

Back in the kitchen, I sampled the coleslaw and it had way too much onion. So much so that it burned my mouth. Jess started the rice. He dumped the flavor packet into the boiling water, and a horrible smell began to waft through the kitchen. The packet of rice was not the traditional flavor, but some roasted garlic crap. It had a really fake garlic smell. It was disgusting. I was unable to consume any of the rice. I felt pretty sure this meal was going to suck.

But it didn't. The fish was really great. It had a perfect texture. And the lemon and fresh basil that I layered in worked really well with the flavor of the fish. (Having never had salmon, I wasn't sure if the basil was compatible.) The coleslaw was botched. The rice was inedible. But I had broken my bad fish streak. And I have another in a growing list of fish that I actually enjoy.

I'll get my sea legs, yet