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BBQ Masala Yogurt Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb
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BBQ Masala Yogurt Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb

I forget where we were but Lyn picked up the butterflied leg of lamb and said this would be just right. So in the carriage it went and a hunting through the cook books when we return I went. Something different was on my mind. I found this in the Food Network cookbook but they called for 5-6 lbs. and I had a 3 pounder so I cut the recipe below in half. I had no idea what Masala was but the ingredients look good to me.

They called for broiling but I used the grill.

BTW – Masala means “blend”. There are many different kinds of masala but the term refers is some combination of black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chilies, fennel, mace and nutmeg.

Ingredients

  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 – 3” piece of peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tsps. ground turmeric
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 – 3” cinnamon1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp. ground coriander plus 2 tsps.
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, plus 1 tsp.
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ½ medium onion
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt (We used lactose free “Green Valley” check it out)
  • Zest of one orange
  • 1 butterflied leg of lamb 5-6 lbs.
  • 3 tsps. kosher salt
  • Grilled Naan flat bread

How

Process garlic, turmeric, ginger and water to a paste in small food processor. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Ass the cinnamon and bay leaf and stir fry until the cinnamon unfurls, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic paste, coriander, cumin, curry powder and cayenne and stir-fry until browned and almost dry, about 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into a large shallow baking dish and cool slightly. Using the large holes in a box grater, grate the onion into the paste. Whisk in yogurt and orange zest.

Pierce the lamb all over with a fork. Cut the lamb in half following the natural seam that runs across the center of the meat. Put the lamb in the marinade and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, tuning occasionally if possible.

About 45 minutes before cooking, take the lamb from the frig. Depending on your grill and prep to get ready work preheat the grill to high. I like to place a sheet of tin foil over the grill while heating up, this burns off anything that was left on leaving ashes, then I scrap let it heat back up to desired temp and then wipe with oil on a paper towel or cloth, using tongs, just before placing anything on the grill.

When ready place the lamb on the grill turn the heat to medium, season with 1\2 the salt and grill until just charred, about 15 minutes. Turn the lamb season with a rest of salt and grill until meat reaches 1300 for medium rare. Transfer to platter cover loosely with tin foil and let sit rest for about 10 minutes.

Slice the lamb across the grain salt and pepper to taste server with flat bread.

My first bite I thought was too much curry but the second bite gave me the real flavor and it was not only moist, tasty and tender but a very good choice for something different.

Another 2 heads bobbing approval from Lyn and Steve.

Other lamb recipes from Steve

Leftover Lamb Flatbread Pizza drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses

Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary

Lamb Stew with Spring Veggies

Leftover Lamb Flatbread Pizza drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses
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Leftover Lamb Flatbread Pizza drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses

We had cooked a leg of lamb and frozen the leftovers. I took out of freezer for one of our weekday meals and when I opened the frig and saw it staring at me my gut started to say what do I have in here to make an interesting meal. Leftover spaghetti sauce (Lyn secret recipe), Tandoori NAAN All natural flat bread, feta cheese, pine nuts, scallions, fresh oregano, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate molasses . Note: The cherry tomatoes not in the frig of course but always on the counter, just started had the first two from the patio mmmmmmm nothing better. Ok inventory taken now what I asked myself looking at the clock Lyn would return soon from work she has the 50 mile commute and I have the 3.2 mile commute she does not get how difficult it can be stuck behind a school bus as opposed to 1-2 hours of stop and go traffic. Anyway… sauce on stove with minced lamb and some chopped fresh oregano added, brought to bubble and then turned off. Meanwhile I sliced scallion whites and greens, quartered the cherry tomatoes, slightly roasted a handful of pine nuts, crumbled the feta, and preheated oven to 400◦. I spread the sauce over the flat bread top with the other ingredients then drizzle with pomegranate molasses and into to oven for about 10 minutes or until I thought looked done.

The unique sweet taste of the molasses was a perfect complement.

Turned out great hot or cold.

Sorry I do not have any measurements I kind of went into auto mode isn’t that what leftover meals are all about?

Scallions are most commonly referred to as green onions in the United States. They are a variety of young onions with a long, thin white base that has not yet developed into a bulb and long straight green stalks that look like giant chives. Both the white base and the green stalks are commonly eaten. (about.com)

The pomegranate is a focal symbol in the legend and lore of many different cultures. Some hold that it was the pomegranate which was the fruit of temptation (remember the Punic apple?) leading to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden in the Bible.
With its abundance of seeds, the fruit has long been a symbol of fertility, bounty, and eternal life, particularly to those of the Jewish faith. Many paintings of the Madonna Virgin and Child prominently display a pomegranate. Ancient Egyptians were buried with pomegranates in hope of rebirth.
The Hittite god of agriculture is said to have blessed followers with grapes, wheat, and pomegranates. The seeds were sugared and served to guests at Chinese weddings. When it was time to consumate the marriage, pomegranates were thrown on the floor of the bedchamber to encourage a happy and fruitful union.
Berber women used pomegranates to predict the amount of their offspring by drawing a circle on the ground and dropping a ripe pomegranate in the center. The amount of seeds expelled outside the ring allegedly prophesied the number of her future children.
Mohammed believed pomegranates purged the spirits of envy and hatred from the body and urged all his followers to eat goodly amounts.
When Persephone was held captive in Hades, the Greek goddess of spring and fruit swore she would not partake of food until her release. However, she could not resist the tempting pomegranate, consuming nearly the entire fruit before halting herself and leaving only six seeds uneaten. It is from this story that believers think our yearly cycle of six months of growth and harvest followed by six months of winter is derived. (about.com)

Related articles
Tomatoes mean spring time to me
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Tomatoes mean spring time to me

Every spring my head fills with the vision of tomatoes of all sorts growing in my garden. Last year I grew the most expensive tomatoes, not because of the variety, seed or careful cross-pollination of my favorite plants. NO! Last year was the year of the critters rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and ground hogs. The Fisher Cat* was out and about feasting on duck eggs across the street but he had no taste for the critters. I suppose it was the first year that we had no dogs around to mark their territory and leave me with poop patrol. Every year one wonders which little bug will attack your beautiful vegetables but I never expected the critter wars of last year. One day coming home from work I noticed two ground hogs sitting in the middle of the garden enjoying their buffet. They had no preferences flowers, veggies, herbs gone to the ground. They were there first and I could have what was left was the expression on their faces, I did not faze them. I tried everything to keep them away Fox urine, pinwheels, hair and ended up with chicken wire, which kept the ground hogs at bay but that meant fair game for the little critters. The year before I had an unspoken agreement with a chipmunk he would pull off and eat one tomato until it was gone then move to the next usually took a few days to complete the cycle, I was amazed he did that. I thought that was a fair deal I had more than I could use. Last year it was a bite or two then on to the next and the next and I am sure you get the picture. I suppose he felt safer with the cage and the rest of his family around him. Then some plight wiped my Roma tomatoes and there went my roasted tomato soup. So after the war was waged and lost I ended up buying them from the local stand or grocery store. Oh well this year we will stick to cherry tomatoes and on the deck. Lyn thinks I am fooling myself chipmunks can climb, but I just have to try I have always had a garden and its spring I have cleaned out the field mouse condo (BBQ) so here we go again. Don’t get me goin on the birds and my blueberries……

Tomato, a nutritious fruit commonly used as vegetable, is another wonderful gift of Mayans. The vegetable has grabbed the attention of millions health seekers for its incredible phytochemical properties. Interestingly, it has much more health benefiting qualities than that in an apple!

Early Morning Sunshine

Fun tomato facts about eating

  • American habits. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans eat between 22- 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year. (More than half of those munchies are ketchup and tomato sauce.)
  • Popularity. The tomato is America’s fourth most popular fresh-market vegetable behind potatoes, lettuce, and onions.
  • Increasing popularity. Americans have increased their tomato consumption 30% over the last 20 years (mostly in processed forms such as sauce, paste, and salsa).
  • Toxic? While tomatoes are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, their leaves are actually toxic!
  • How will you take your tomatoes? As of 2007, Americans spend more on salsa than tomato ketchup.
  • Processed tomatoes. Americans consume three-fourths of their tomatoes in processed form.

Fun tomato facts about growers

  • The average Joe. 93% American gardening households grow tomatoes.
  • Fresh tomatoes. Fresh-market tomatoes are grown in all 50 states.
  • Biggest worldwide producers. The largest worldwide producer of tomatoes is China, followed by USA, Turkey, India and Egypt.
  • Biggest U.S. producer – processed tomatoes. California produces 96% of the tomatoes processed in the U.S.
  • Biggest U.S. producer – fresh tomatoes. Florida is the number one producer of fresh market tomatoes (except in 2008).

Early Morning Sunshine

Health benefits of Tomato

Tomatoes are one of the low calorie vegetables containing just 18 calories per 100 g. They are also very low in any fat contents and have zero cholesterol levels. Nonetheless, they are excellent sources of antioxidants, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Because of their all-round qualities, dieticians and nutritionists often recommend them to be included in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.

The antioxidants present in tomatoes are scientifically found to be protective against cancers including colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic tumors.

Lycopene, a flavonoid antioxidant, is the unique phytochemical present in the tomatoes. Red varieties are especially concentrated in this antioxidant. Together with carotenoids, it has the ability to protect cells and other structures in the body from harmful oxygen free radicals. Studies have shown that lycopeneprevents skin damage from ultra-violet (UV) rays and offers protection from skin cancer.

Zeaxanthin is another flavonoid compound present abundantly in this vegetable. Zeaxanthin helps protect eyes from “age related macular disease” (ARMD) in the elderly persons by filtering harmful ultra-violet rays.

The vegetable contains very good levels of vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as α and ß-carotenes, xanthins and lutein. Altogether, these pigment compounds are found to have antioxidant properties and are take part in vision, maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin, and bone health. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids is known to help protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

In addition, they are also good source of antioxidant vitamin-C(provide 21% of recommended daily levels per 100 g); consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.

Fresh tomato is very rich in potassium. 100 g contain 237 mg of potassium and just 5 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure caused by sodium.

They contain moderate amounts of many vital B-complex vitamins such as folates, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin as well some essential minerals like iron, calcium, manganese and other trace elements.

More interesting facts

Tomato History from Veggie Cage®

What’s New and Beneficial About Tomatoes From WholeFoods

Did you know that tomatoes do not have to be a deep red color to be an outstanding source of lycopene?

*New England Fisher cats

Are one of the largest members of the Mustelid family, which includes species like the mink, weasel, otter and skunk. These are noted nocturnal animals and therefore very hard to observe. They are however active during both daytime as ell as night time and that too, mostly during the time just before sunset and just before sunrise, when it mainly searches for food. Their cry is similar to that of a high pitched one of a child’s and therefore can sound very eerie in the nights.

Looks so nice almost cute

Not so much

Intersting Facts About Lemons
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Intersting Facts About Lemons

Hi I found these tidbits while surfing today do you know any others? Add to comments!Did you know?

Lemon juice has been very useful in solving various digestion related problems. When mixed with warm water, it can give relief from heartburn, nausea, bloating, belching and parasites. Regular intake of lemon juice can take care of constipation problem, by clearing the accumulated bowels. Lemon is also helpful for the liver as it helps the liver in producing more bile, which can in turn speed up the process of digestion.

When Life Gives You Lemons … Some Lemony Tips to Use

  • A room      temperature lemon will yield more juice than a cold one.
  • Fresh lemon      juice can be frozen in ice cube trays and saved for later use.
  • Meat can be      tenderized by marinating it in lemon juice.
  • Put lemon      wedges inside a chicken and bake for a tasty meal.
  • Squeezing      lemon juice on steaming vegetables will keep the colors bright.
  • When using      the lemon peel, such as for lemon zest, wash it thoroughly first.
  • Lemons can      be kept in a refrigerator crisper for about four weeks.
  • Lemons with      green tinges will be more sour, as they haven’t fully ripened yet.
  • Did you know      that one lemon tree can grow 3,000 lemons in one year?

The Meyer lemon, is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange. The Meyer Lemon is a favorite of chefs and gourmets. It is slightly sweeter than the classic commercial varieties (Eureka and Lisbon). Its soft skin develops an orange hue when fruit is fully ripe, and its distinctive, mystical flavor combines lemon with a hint of tangerine. It is easy to grow, compact, and notoriously prolific in its blooming and fruiting. The tree often flowers twice a year, such that both fruit and flowers can be present all year long. What’s more, it does not need a lot of heat to ripen the fruit. Check this out The Best Damn Lemon Cake

Some Signs of Spring
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Some Signs of Spring

Spring brings red breasted robins, cardinals, asparagus, winter hardy herbs, and soil turning preparing the garden….. Last year the neighborhood ground hogs discovered our garden and there was no stopping them, one of the bad sides of now being a petless household. The fish just don’t patrol outside as the dogs did. I love the signs of spring don’t you? Anyway…

Over 10 years ago we moved from 14 Yale drive to the quiet woodsier side of Milford. The houses were more than a house height apart and when we moved in there was only 1 other family in the neighborhood. Yes perceived quiet? Now it is full of neighbors and the kids fill the warm summer like temps with their laughs and screams. As we laid in bed last night I said to Lyn that this is going to be a loud summer all the kids are now or fast approaching the teenage years.  Even as we lay in bed listening to some girls walk past “OMG you sat in his lap, I can’t believe she did that OMG…giggle…giggle like I mean…..as they faded down the street they were slowly replaced, no drowned out by our favorite sign of spring. Missi used to call it the poor man’s nature sound track.

So today,  I am starting you with a youtube video that you should listen to. (There is no video footage, just sound). If you are not from the northeast, you are probably going to wonder what the heck you are listening to. The noise on this video is made by baby frogs – commonly called peepers around these parts. And with a warmer day they are the first signs of spring we outside of Boston get. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKV5KsoDUQg

I love this sound! For me, it means spring is on its way and summer is not too far behind – days of gardening, drinking iced tea, cutting the lawn, wearing shorts, no shoes and throwing open my windows once more. That is until the peepers get so loud you have to shut the windows and turn on the AC.

So what lesson can these peppers give you? Who cares they drive us nuts at night.

The interesting thing is that while these peppers sing like this at night, one or two still go on singing during the day. But the birds pick up just about the time the peepers go to sleep.

So the lesson is from peeps to chirps life is but a song.

Reality check
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Reality check

I am trying to see how I am doing, so far just a few comments not that I expected hundreds this early on or ever, and I am just overwhelmed that I have 67 followers between Facebook and my blog I could not imagine when I began that anyone would be interested in what I cook or write about.

I am learning things everyday about writing recipes, taking pictures, cropping pictures the list goes on….

I need your help.

What I am looking for is how am I doing, any suggestions, what might you like to see, what improvements would you suggests, what should I stop doing? I have so many recipes that I don’t prepare any more but they were/are good, should I share those? I could go on but I won’t….

I am asking is that if possible, would you could you make the comments on the blog site not Facebook, I know it’s an extra click and wait but hey it’s for a friend right. Use the comment section at bottom of recipe and let me know what you think. Exchange ideas to try. Rate the dish if you tried it, there is the “Rate this” section below the Title then others might think to try.

But most importantly I encourage you to enjoy cooking and eating and watching for that smile on someone’s face when they take the first bite and shake their head.

Thanks so much!

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Of course everyone has thier own idea of what a handful of or a pinch of is.

1/3 cup. How do I measure up to you?

Patti sent me a chain letter the other day, normally I would have just hit the delete button but it was from Patti so I looked. The jest was to send a recipe to the next person on the list and then remove that person and add yourself to the bottom (only 2 people to start with). After doing that you were to send the starter email out to 20 of your friends. I bought into it (sorry guys) and gladly sent out a recipe. Well this started a conversation going between my brother, sister and myself about measurements. “I can’t send a recipe because I don’t measure anything”. I will admit I understand where they were coming from although I start with a recipe on new things I quickly move away with a handful of this, a pinch of that and a half palm full of ….eyeballing I guess is the best way to describe. My first try I measure as the cook says, I figure I should at least taste what they created.  I like to talk about what I made last night at to anyone that will listen and sometimes they ask for the recipe. It was not long that before I knew that this much in the palm of my hand was about a teaspoon and a handful was close to a cup of chopped herbs and ½ if crumbs or similar. A small grab and twist of fresh cilantro was about 2 Tablespoon minced…. I think you get the idea. So whether you measure or not and you like to share recipes it does not take long to figure out how your handful measures up. This is not me throwing a guilt trip on them they just got me thinking.

Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.
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Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.

Sometimes it was so hard to get your kid to eat something you would try anything, airplane, train in the station whatever well Lyn and I were into an Asian phase and mike was having no part of it. He was still into the stage that nothing could touch on the plate yet he would gobble down shepherd’s pie Anyway one of us told him it was chicken made with jelly beans and he bought it, notice how I protected whoever said this. It is funny because they are not sweet in any form whatsoever. These have been a hit whenever I have made them jellybean or not.This came from a book that I bought maybe 25-30+ years ago and stuck the recipe has change a little but not much. Try them I think you will like.

Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.

You can use the whole wing – separating tip from drumette but we prefer just the drumettes, it is worth it to us to spend a little extra buy just the drumette.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. chicken pieces.  Note: If I am using less I still make the same amount of marinade.
  • 1/3 cup light soy sauce.
  • ¼ cup peanut oil.
  • 1 Tbsp. Chinese wine if you don’t have I have used dry sherry.
  • 1 clove garlic.
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt.
  • ½ tsp. finely grated fresh ginger I have used ¼ tsp. powered in a pinch but really prefer the fresh.
  • 2 tsp. five spice powder.

How

Wash the chicken and dry well with paper towels. In large shallow dish (something you can use to marinade in) mix soy sauce, oil and wine. Using a broad flat knife crush the garlic to a pulp with the salt and add to the soy mixture with the ginger and five spice. Mix well. Add the chicken and turn to coat all sides. Cover and marinade for at least an hour. Again as mentioned in other recipes, I like to marinade overnight or at least 6 hours fix in the Am ready for dinner.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Remove chicken from marinade put in single layer in roasting pan that has tin foil covering bottom and sides( help with clean up). I find that laying tip to bottom tip to bottom allows you to fit more in a pan, they nestle together. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of the marinade over the chicken. Roast about 45-50 minutes turning once half way until the chicken is brown and crisp. Basting every 20 minutes or so with the marinade.  Finish off quickly under the broiler to get that extra crispy finish but watch them so they do not burn.

Variation use whole drumsticks need a little longer to cook 50-55 or even thighs take about an hour. I tried but did not like it as much using a whole chicken rub the marinade over the chicken spoons some inside the cavity. Wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1-2 hours then roasted as above on a rack. The flavor did not carry as well as the wings so wings it was.

Had to have some for the game, just a taste!

  Had to have some for the game, just a taste!

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Oh don’t tell Mike about this!

Interesting fact crushing the garlic to a pulp in the salt mellows the intensity of the flavor or at least I read that the other day. Does one believe everything one reads?

Herb Rub Flank Steak
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Herb Rub Flank Steak

I love flank steak you can do so much with it tonight we are trying a stir fry, recipe to come. Anyway this is one of my favorite especially around late spring early summer when my rosemary is growing and calling me to run my hands along a sprig. I just love the smell it leaves on them. We tried many different combinations and came up with this but as I said we like to experiment so send me ideas you think might work.

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak with Sweet Potato Pancake and Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ to 2 lbs. beef flank steak.
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried crushed if your house is too dry and it just never last the winter.
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp. dried, crushed.
  • 3 table Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried, crushed.
  • Yes you should see my deck in the height of the summer.
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced about 1 ½ tsp. minced.
  • 1 ½ tsp. paprika (try with the different kinds each adds a slightly different kick).
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt.
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper.
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. extra virgin Olive Oil.

ingredients

How

Trim fat from the meat. Score both sides of the steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow cuts at 1 inch intervals, set aside. In a small bowl mix the rosemary, marjoram, oregano, garlic, paprika, kosher salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Stir in the oil until combined. This makes your rub.

rub

Divide the mixture roughly by half, spoon mixture over one side of steak and rub in with your fingers. Repeat on the other side. Come on give it a good massage it is a rub.

give it a roob rubbing all sides

I like to wrap it with plastic wrap then put on plate but you can put in a shallow dish unwrapped as long as you can cover it tightly. Place in refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours, got better results the longer I waited.

wrap in plastice wrap

Grilling: Ok I have done both but I mostly use a gas grill but since I am a nice guy you can grill directly over medium coals. Grill 17 to 21 minutes uncovered or until medium doneness about 160° turning once halfway. For gas grill I found preheating grill to high, reduce heat to medium. Place on grill over heat.  And grill as above Ha fooled you, both about the same.

Transfer to a cutting board cover loosely with tinfoil let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, slice very thinly across the grain. Some say across and at an angle you try it an let me know which way you prefer just remember across the grain.

slice and serve (2) slice and serve (1)

Grill Tip:

  • I keep tin foil shinny side down on the grill while preheating this really cooks anything that was left on last time and turns it into easy to remove ashes.
  • Wipe down with veggie oil on a wad of paper towels held by tongs.
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Hello World

I think I enjoy the cooking more than eating. There is nothing better than to watch the smile grow after someone’s first bite.