Braised lamb shoulder blade Chops ala osso bucco

Braised lamb shoulder blade chops

This method produces incredibly tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb with a rich, savory sauce. •

Ingredients •

• 4-6 lamb shoulder blade chops
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence seasoning
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
• 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 cup red wine or stock
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 cup red wine or stock
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (optional, can substitute balsamic vinegar)
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Season the lamb chops generously with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.
3. Sear the lamb chops on both sides until well-browned (about 3-4 minutes per side), working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan.
4. Remove the chops from the pot and set aside.
5. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for another minute until fragrant.
7. Pour in the red wine (or stock) and pomegranate molasses (if using), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
8. Return the lamb chops to the pot, nestling them among the vegetables.
9. Cover the pot and braise in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until the lamb is fork-tender and falling off the bone.
10. Remove the pot from the oven, skim any excess fat from the sauce, and season to taste.
11. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

2. Slow cooker

Soy Glazed King Mushroom

 

INGREDIENTS

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon honey
• ▢ 1 clove garlic (grated or very finely minced)
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 pound king oyster mushrooms
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 scallion
• 
  

INSTRUCTIONS

• First, prepare the glaze by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Then stir in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, grated garlic, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
• Carefully slice the mushrooms lengthwise into ¼” thick slices.
• Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium high heat, and generously brush with vegetable oil. Add the first batch mushrooms in 1 layer, leaving them a little space to breathe so the mushrooms fry rather than steam. 
• Pan-fry for about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Repeat for another 2 batches to cook the rest of the mushrooms. 
• Add all the cooked mushrooms back to the pan, pour in the glaze, and immediately turn off the heat. Toss the mushrooms in the glaze using the residual heat of the pan. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

Steakhouse Kebab

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flap steak.

Marinade meat for 1-2 days

Cook meat on high het on cast iron grill pan (or grill) 1-2 minutes per side 

Serve with potato salad

Sauteed Kale

 INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
• 1 large bunch kale, stemmed, with leaves coarsely chopped
• ½ chicken stock
• 1 medium tomato (optional)
•  Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and red-pepper flakes to taste
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (or orange juice)

PREPARATION
Cook bacon in hot pan. Add garlic, then tomatoes if using and cook until soft.
Add kale to the pan, turn the heat to high and add the stock. Use a spoon to toss the greens in the oil and stock, then cover and cook for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, until it is soft and wilted, but still quite green. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated, another 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and peppers, add vinegar and toss to combine.

• 
  

Smothered Pork Chops

FOR THE PORK CHOPS

 1 pound bone-in pork chops, 1-inch thick
 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or seasoning salt
 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
FOR THE ONION GRAVY
 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
 pinch of salt
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
 1/4 cup heavy cream
 chopped fresh parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Season pork chops with seasoning salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter is melted.
3. Add pork chops to skillet and sear for 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. If skillet isn't big enough, cook the pork chops in batches.
4. Transfer to a plate and keep covered.
5. Return skillet to heat and add a tablespoon of butter; melt over medium heat.
6. Stir in sliced onions and add a pinch of salt.
7. Cook onions for 12 minutes, or until very soft and caramelized, stirring frequently.
8. Add garlic and fresh thyme; continue to cook for 30 seconds.
9. Pour in chicken broth and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
10. Whisk in heavy cream and simmer for 1 minute.
11. Return pork chops and all the pork juices to the skillet.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until pork is completely cooked through and sauce has thickened.
13. Remove from heat; garnish with parsley and serve.

Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1 ½ teaspoons smoked hot paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
5 pounds skirt steaks
Vegetable oil (for rubbing)
Freshly ground pepper 

DIRECTIONS

Step 1
Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt; keep warm.

Step 2
Rub the skirt steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely charred and medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks across the grain. Spoon the Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro onto a large platter and top with the steak. Spoon the paprika butter over the steak and serve right away.

Make Ahead
The paprika butter can stand at room temperature for up to 4 hours; reheat the butter gently.

Kefta Dinner

Ingredients

Pita breads

for the kefta
1 pound ground beef 

1 pound ground lamb
1/2 medium sweet onion (chopped very fine or grated)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoon cumin
3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Metal or bamboo skewers

for the rice

1 cup basmati rice

1 3/4 cup water

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chicken buillon

salt to taste

for the cucumber salad

2 cups mini cucumber, cut in semicircle disks

1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes or cut tomatoes on the vine

2 tbsp roughly chopped red onions

1 tsp finely chopped mint

1 tsp finely chopped parsley

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

for the mint yogurt

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
1 medium cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Mix all of the kefta ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and cover. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer to allow the flavors to blend.
2. Make mint yogurt sauce. Place yogurt, mint, garlic, lemon juice, cumin  in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 30 minutes, then serve, or transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a week.
3. Make the rice.  Add the oil in a small saucepan, add the rice and cook over medium heat until it starts to toast lightly (this will take a while since the rice is wet) then add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, lower the heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes.  Cover then remove from the heat and let it set aside. 
4. Preheat broiler.
5. While preheating oven, make cucumber salad. Combine all salad ingredients to a bowl.
6. Make kefta kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinders or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold it to the skewer.
7. Cook kebabs approximately 5-7 minutes each side, total of 10-14 minutes.
8. Serve kebab immediately with the rice, pita bread cucumber salad and mint yogurt sauce.