by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces, Vegetables
With recommended pairings from my favorite book, The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg, I combined Lamb with rosemary & garlic; Potatoes with rosemary, garlic, sour cream and chives, and added in “pea puree”, combined with cooked onions, garlic, chives and creme fraîche.
For the lamb:
- 3 lamb tenderloins
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp on chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 cloves of garlic
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Place all of the ingredients in a plastic bag and add the lamb and move around to make sure the lamb is covered evenly with marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. To cook the lamb place 2 tbsp of butter in iron skillet on high heat. Add salt and pepper to the lamb, and place lamb in skillet, sear all sides and cook until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees (for medium rare). Remove from skillet and allow the lamb to rest for 5 minutes. Internal temperature should be around 140-145 degrees.
For the potatoes:
- ⅓ cup of olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of rosemary
- 3 cups of new potatoes cut in half
- salt
- ½ cup sour creme
- 1 tsp chopped chives
Set oven to bake at 400 degrees. Mix olive oil, rosemary and garlic in large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and toss so potatoes are covered with oil mixture. Add potatoes to cookie sheet or large oven proof pan. Sprinkle salt on potatoes. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked. If you want to crisp them a bit, turn oven to broil and broil them for a few minutes until browned.
For the Pea Puree:
- 1 bag of frozen sweet peas
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- ⅓ cup créme fraîche
- salt
Cook the peas in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook stirring 3 -5 minutes until softened. Add in strained peas and cook for another minute. Transfer all ingredients including the chives to a food processor with an S blade. (my favorite is the Brevile Sous Chef) and puree until smooth. Place into a bowl, and slowly fold in the crime fraîche. Add salt to taste.
Plating:
Place a nice smear of the pea puree onto the center of the plate. Add the roasted potatoes on top of the puree on one side, and the lamb on the other side. Sprinkle lamb with parsley, add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives to the potatoes. And voilà! Dinner is served!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Salads, Sauces
Here is a simple recipe I found for homemade Caesar dressing. It’s really easy to make and this batch can last in the fridge for a few days. It’s not too fishy or garlicky.
Ingredients:
- 4 Cloves of minced Garlic
- 1 tsp of Anchovy Paste
- 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp of dijon mustard
- 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup of mayonnaise (favorite is Hellmann’s Real)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add in the mayonnaise, cheese, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. I normally add the croutons to the lettuce before adding the dressing, as it softens them up a bit. When adding dressing to your romaine lettuce, start with a small quantity. A little goes a long way, and you want to make sure your salad does not get too soggy or over dressed. You can then add thin slices of parmesan, and your sliced chicken to each plate. (I’ll be sure to include my favorite breaded chicken milanese recipe for you to try next).
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Fish, Sauces
This is one of the few recipes my mom brought with her from Sweden. The name actually comes from the way salmon was prepared back in the old viking days. The Salmon back then with all the spices were buried in a “grave”, for curing. It is simple to prepare. It basically takes care of itself for 3-4 days.
Ingredients:
- Two 1.5 lb. filets of salmon with skin on preferably mid-section – need to match when placed together (skin side out)
- ½ cup (organic) sugar
- ½ cup salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or cracked) larger chunks
- 1 tsp ground white peppercorns
- 3 cups of chopped dill with stems (to make a thick blanket on all sides)
Directions:
Mix sugar, salt and pepper. Rinse and pat dry the salmon filets. On a piece of tinfoil, thick blanket of dill the same size of the salmon, then you sprinkle liberally ⅓ of the salt/sugar mixture. Place first piece of salmon, with skin down. Then cover with the top of the salmon with ⅓ dill and sprinkle liberally with another ⅓ of the salt/sugar mixture. Place then next salmon filet, on top with skin to the outside. Place last ⅓ of dill and last ⅓ of the salt/sugar mixture on top of the skin of the 2nd piece. Cover with another piece of tinfoil, and seal the edges of the foil loosely so it has some air to breathe (since it’s not quite dead yet…still needs to be buried ;-). Place salmon in a plastic bag. Next place the bagged salmon in a shallow dish and add a heavy weight on top, you can use an iron skillet or flat stone if you have access to one. Place salmon with weight in the fridge for 4 days, turning over salmon once a day. When slicing the salmon be sure to slice against the grain in super thin slices.
Sauce:
Coming soon – I have to get some help from my mom on this, that has never written it down.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Sauces, Vegetables
Here is a fun, lighter spaghetti dish with ricotta, mozzarella, basil, garlic, cherry tomatoes and parmesan. My son loves ricotta and if he has his preference he would pretty much add it to anything.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 6 cloves chopped Garlic
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes (slices in half)
- ½ cup chopped Burrata (or fresh mozzarella cheese)
- ½ cup of whole milk organic Ricotta cheese
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (chili)
- 1 cup Roasted tomatoes sliced
- 1 box of spaghetti (barilla or other Italian brand)
- salt as needed
- 10 leaves of fresh basil sliced
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Boil pasta water (making sure to salt after boiling). In a small sauce pan, add the oil and garlic and cook at medium heat, making sure garlic does not brown. Mix together cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta, red pepper flakes, and roasted tomatoes. Add ¼ tsp salt and stir. Cook pasta. Strain pasta, saving some of the water. Add olive oil and garlic to ricotta mixture. Stir in pasta to mixture to coat spaghetti well, add additional salt if needed. Serve into shallow pasta bowls, sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese and serve. Makes 4 Servings.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of soy sauce
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves of crushed garlic
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2-3 pork tenderloins
Directions:
In a mixing bowl whisk brown sugar with soy sauce until brown sugar dissolves. Slowly add in the olive oil, whisking to prevent emulsifying. Add in the garlic and ginger. Place all ingredients into a large ziplock bag and add the tenderloins to the bag. Make sure all parts of the tenderloins are covered with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for up to 2-3 days (but not longer than 3, as the pork will get too salty). Remove Pork from the bag and place the reserve the sauce in a sauce pan. Grill the pork on high heat (on BBQ Grill) or broil the pork, to get a nice crust on the outside. You can also sear the pork in an iron skillet to get a nice crusty outside, then bake at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 140. I like my pork medium rare, so I normally pull it out at 135 (internal temp), and let rest 5-10 minutes until it reaches 140. This is great served with Asian Slaw and Sesame Sushi Rice with Cucumbers and Avocado, or sautéed ginger carrots. Optional – Slice meat on to each place and sprinkle with apples (instructions below).
Sauce:
- remainder marinade from above
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp water
While the pork in cooking, cook the marinade on medium-high heat, so you cook down any of the raw pork juice. Add in the broth, and cook down till reduced by half. In a cup combine the flour and water, mixing so it turns into a paste, making sure there are no clumps. Slowly whisk in the flour to pan, making sure there are no clumps. Your sauce will be come thicker, if it becomes too thick, add some more chicken broth. Pour over sliced pork loin.
A little added accouterment: Sautéed apples with butter and brown sugar.
- 1 apple chopped into ½” cubes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Place butter in iron skillet until it bubbles, add in the apple and toss in pan for 4 minutes, add in the brown sugar until melted and covering apples. Add the apples to the pork.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Sauces, Vegetables
This is a great Sauce you can serve with Roasted Potatoes, Peas and Salmon.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 oz. Crème Fraîshe
Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, dill and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Then simply add the pureed mixture to the Crème Fraîshe, stirring in gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. You can now add this under your potato and pea medley (just a dollop on the plate), or add on top of a nice sautéed salmon.
