Olive oil

Roasted Baby Roma Tomatoes
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Roasted Baby Roma Tomatoes

 It was a Saturday morning 7:45 AM and I dropped Lyn off for her appointment and drove across the parking lot to Stop and Shop to grab most of what we needed for the week in groceries. The store was empty not being my typical store I was unfamiliar with the layout and so where many of the employees out of three asked none knew where the raisins were. I have taken to a full beard these days and one kid kept pushing me toward the razors.  Anyway I could not find a small box of cherry tomatoes so I grabbed a huge 2 labs box of Baby Roma figuring I would think of something. I did and during halftime yesterday I roasted most thinking I would make a small batch of tomato soup. Lyn made a corn salad it was soooo good but she can’t remember how and I threw a few in my Avocado Tuna Fish Melt and store the rest for a now very small batch of soup.

Baby Roma Tomote 

Ingredients:

  • About 2 pounds of Baby Roma Tomatoes
  • Olive Oil
  • Dried Basel a good couple of big pinches
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes

 Roasted Baby Roma Tomatoes

How:

Spread tomatoes on roasting pan or cookie sheet cover with parchment paper.

Drizzle with olive oil

Sprinkle salt and pepper and pepper flakes

Toss to coat

Place in 450 degree oven and roast 30-40 minutes until desired doneness

Two Leftover Soups – Rotisserie Chicken and Brisket Barley
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Two Leftover Soups – Rotisserie Chicken and Brisket Barley

Lyn got the Flu, you know the one that they just declared an emergency in Boston for the over 700 reported cases, have tents set up outside hospitals in the south you know the Flu that is taking over our nation as the global warming (is real, no it’s not) affects our weather. I am sure that if you listen close enough to the talk shows and pretend real new stations you will hear something like it’s not actually a flu that is causing this it is more that the cost of oranges has risen effecting the supply of vitamin C and if the government would just stop taxing orange skins this would not have happen. Anyway…….

I bought a rotisserie chicken the other day was running late and needed a quick meal when I gazed the aisle of fried food or old pasta dishes and the thought of well-preserved food in the frozen aisle I settled for the rotisserie chicken with the thoughts of making a quick soup for Lyn with the leftovers. The time came to make it and when I pulled it out of the frig noticed the left over brisket the gears started to turn. Chicken soup and beef barley soup.

Note: I really did not measure anything

Chicken Soup

  • Chop a few stocks of celery
  • Chops a small to medium onion
  • A couple of carrots sliced bite size
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
  • Small handful of dried Basel
  • Couple of bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper ( I start with a little and add to taste when done)
  • Large can of low sodium broth
  • Cut up the chicken into 4 pieces
  • Water

Leftover Chicken Soup

How:

Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil until the onions are tender

Add the garlic stir until you can smell about 30 seconds

Add basil and stir then add broth

Add chicken

Add water to cover

Bring to boil and simmer until done at least 45 minutes

You can cook rice or noodles to serve with

Freezes great

Beef barley soup

  • One carrot rough chopped
  • A few mushrooms rough chopped
  • Small Onion chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic chopped
  • About 1 teaspoon dried oregano it was a good pinch
  • Left over brisket about 1 to 1 ½ cup chopped
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1/4 heaping cup barley

100_1202

How:

Saute the onion in olive oil until soften add garlic until you smell about 30 seconds.

Combine everything else in a pot bring to boil reduce to simmer for about an hour

Serve with cilantro on top cause my wife like that

Add barley and simmer for about 30 minutes

You could ad any vegetable you want and if you like crunchy add last 30-20 minutes of simmering.

Barley

barely

Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. Its appearance resembles wheat berries, although it is slightly lighter in color. Sprouted barley is naturally high in maltose, a sugar that serves as the basis for both malt syrup sweetener. When fermented, barley is used as an ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages.

Stuffed Eggplant Milanese Con Formaggio
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Stuffed Eggplant Milanese Con Formaggio

This is a great dish and I had been craving something warming and when I saw eggplants on sale I grabbed one. After preparing I looked at Lyn and said that was a lot of work. She smiled and said it is an act of love. It was well worth it and I better freeze some quickly I already found a way to have it make my plate three times now.

Since Lyn is still on her special strict diet I have to fend for myself, so I had a small eggplants and I cut the ingredient in half.

Prepare first

Ingredients

  • 1 –  28 oz. can Pastene kitchen ready crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil

How: Place oil in pot mix the seasoning in and heat slightly mix in the add the sauce bring boil and then to simmer

marinara sauce

Eggplant

Ingredients

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 eggs Beaton with 1 teaspoon grated cheese and ¼ teaspoon Bell seasoning.
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive Oil for Frying (about 1 cup) add as needed.
  • ½ lbs. of provolone and mozzarella cheeses

How: Slice the eggplant ¼ inch thick. Lay out on paper towel and sprinkle with salt. After the moisture comes to the surface (little water bubbles) pat dry with paper towel. Flip and repeat. This takes a while we went shopping. There are other methods to draw out the moisture you can Google them.

Dip eggplant in flour, shake off excess and then into egg mixture to cover and shake of excess. Slowly brown on both sides. Set aside.

100_1196  100_1203  100_1205

Stuffing for eggplant

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 3 table spoons grated cheese
  • 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon bell seasoning
  • Salt and pepper

How: Mix together and mix in ¼ cup hot water to moisten.

100_1207   100_1209

Prepare the casserole

Cover the bottom or baking dish with sauce

Make first layer of eggplant

Spoon the stuffing over the eggplant

Spoon a little of the sauce

Place ½  of provolone and ¼ slice of mozzarella cheeses on top

Layer the rest of the eggplant

Cover with provolone cheese and sprinkle with grated cheese

Pour marinara sauce to fill casserole. Cover tightly with tin foil. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes.

100_1214

Whole Grain Mustard Encrusted Tenderloin Roast.
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Whole Grain Mustard Encrusted Tenderloin Roast.

Twas the Saturday before Xmas the gifts were all wrapped.

The son was coming home and the wife was all smiles.

Yet there was still a big problem, no meal was in play.

All factors were weighed out, all cost taken in to account.

She’s was breaking her strict diet the choice was too hard to make.

There was Meyer Lemon Brisket or Pan Seared Filets or Tenderloin Roast or Almond-Crusted Salmon.

The process has now taken over a week.

Her head was spinning what would she have me make?

I looked at a lot of recipes to get the idea how to cook this meal in the end I went with my gut almost simple but added a twist when I saw the jar of Trader Joe’s whole grain mustard in the pantry. I grew up with a roast beef that had silvers of garlic inserted in the layer of fat on top and was covered with yellow mustard then roasted, I think Paul of Paul’s Market (used to be in north Falmouth MA)  taught her how giving away his trade secrets to her warm smile. Anyway these days I have gotten more adventurous but found that back to the basic with this cut of meat works best. We by passed Wholefoods and went to Wegman’s they have pretty good quality and the prices seem lower. I hate shopping there just too many people all pushing and shoving, but every once in a while won’t hurt me. We still have to try the 6 AM shopping time we hear the aisles are pretty open at that time. Anyway….

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. center cut tenderloin roast
  • 1 jar of Trader Joe’s whole grain mustard – opened
  • Kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil

tie with twine

How:

Preheat the oven to 425 degree with rack in middle. I used convection cooking this time it affected my cooking time

Rinse and paper towel dry the meat

Season liberally with salt and pepper let and bring to room temp or there about

Pat dry again

Tie with twin every ½” or so to keep the roast evenly shaped for even cooking.

Don’t tell them but I trimmed the skinny side off the roast and stuck in freezer and will make a pan seared oven roasted filet meal at a later date for me, only for me just for me!!

Rub olive oil all over the meat and then season again with some salt and pepper

Spoon the mustard on roast and rub to cover liberally using as much as is required. I think I used about 1/4 to 1/3 cup

rub with mustard

Bring meat to room temperature or there about

Place meat on rack in shallow pan if convention or roasting pan if not

Roast until temp is 120 degree for rare 125 degree for medium rare

Most of the recipes I saw said cook for 25 minutes but it took me about 40-45 minutes in convection oven. Lyn says maybe because it cooks from inside out in convection.

Remove and let sit for 15-20 minutes uncovered.

Roast and let stand

Slice in ½ inch slices

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While this is cooking you can prepare your sides, in this case smashed garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetable in a butter sauce. Oh I had put the mashed potatoes in the turned off oven to keep warm and forgot to leave a pot holder on the handle when I took back out to put in serving dish. OW! Cooking battle scars are so much fun.

This was surprisingly easy to prepare and the roast melted in your mouth this got the three heads bobbing approval since Mike was here to share.100_1157

Passes Mustard from Trader Joe’s archives

Trader joe's

In the world of mustard, you’ll find everything from mild yellow to fiery hot brown, as well as varieties with added herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. What you won’t find anywhere other than Trader Joe’s is a mustard quite like our Whole Grain Dijon Mustard.

whole-grain-mustard

Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Dijon Mustard is made in the countryside just outside the city of Dijon, ancestral home of this style of mustard. We work with a mustard maker (moutardier) that’s been crafting quality Dijon mustard since 1840, and while the production techniques have been modernized over the years, the recipe is centuries old – so old, in fact, that it’s classified as à l’ancienne, or ancient. The ancients apparently knew how to make mustard. It’s made with carefully selected, all natural ingredients like brown mustard grains and just the right amount of white wine. Rather than completely grinding the mustard, as is common, the seeds are left whole in this version, giving the condiment a little crunch to go along with its pungent-yet-smooth flavor. Excellent on sandwiches, it’s also a rousing addition to salad dressings and sauces for chicken or pork. We’re selling each 12.3 ounce jar for the excellent price of $1.79, every day.

Culinary Curiosity: While associated with the French city of Dijon, Dijon mustard is not a protected designation under EU rules. Thus, many a mustard is called “Dijon” or “Dijon-style” when in fact it may be made elsewhere. Our Whole Grain Dijon? True to its name and historical origins, it’s made in Dijon, the historical capital of Burgundy.

Tex-Mex Muffaletta
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Tex-Mex Muffaletta

This is a recipe that Lyn and I found in some magazine years and years ago, although it has been a little while since I made she brought it up after I told her what my Super Bowl game day recipe was going to be. This is a good one for a help yourself party or event.

We’ve Stuffed our version of this traditional New Orleans sandwich with deli thin slice smoked chicken and Monterey Jack Cheese combined with as Lyn and I call it a the sandwich with the corn salad.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup tomato sauce
  • 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. grated lime zest
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 1 ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 6 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 yellow, red and or green pepper diced (nice to mix colors)
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 1 larger tomato diced
  • 6 scallions chopped
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
  • 1 round loaf crusty bread, 9” in diameter, 1 ¾ lbs
  • 1 Lb. deli-sliced smoked chicken breast, divided into 3 equal piles (can use turkey if you want)
  • 8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese. Shredded about 2 cups divided into 3 equal piles

How

Salad

In a bowl mix the first 9 ingredients and then whisk in oil. Add the next 5 ingredients. Set aside

Sandwich

Slice top 1/3 from the bread and set the top aside.

Pull out center leaving ½” thick shell.

Spread 1/3 of pepper mixture on bottom, top with 1/3 of chicken and 1/3 of cheese.

Repeat layers with remaining pepper mixture, chicken and cheese.

Replace bread top

Warp with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours. Server sliced in wedges

This takes about 25-30 minutes to prepare not counting the 8 hour frig time that is.

Serve with some chips and GRONKACAMOLE, Pig Skins  and Beer what else!!

How to put together

slice

QUICK TIP

Use leftover bread from this sandwich to make croutons, bread crumbs or panzanella (Italian bread salad).

Cut top third of bread off and remove all leaving 1/2" cust

Cut top third of bread off and remove all leaving 1/2″ cust

layer with 1/3 corn salad, then 1/3 turkey then cheese continue finishing with corn salad

layer with 1/3 corn salad, then 1/3 turkey then cheese continue finishing with corn salad

replace the top

replace the top

wrap with plactic wrap tightly and refrigerate 8 hours

wrap with plactic wrap tightly and refrigerate 8 hours

remove wrap

remove wrap

Slice

Slice

Serve

Serve

Layers are nice presentation

Layers are nice presentation

Related articles
Muffaletta
by

Muffaletta

While working for Twentieth Century Fox I spent 2 years in New Orleans. Went from 169 to 189 lbs, learn to suck-dat-head pinch-dat-tail (crawfish) learn that “y’all” is singular just like “you guys” is in the Northeast and most especially how to slow down and enjoy.  Here is a New Orleans original – the Muffaletta – is a deliciously melodious collaboration of cured meat, provolone cheese, olive salad and sesame seeded, white fluffy bread that is the sandwich’s namesake. Thank Sicily for the round sesame bread but the ingenious sandwich is a New Orleans invention. In 1906, Central Grocery, right in the French Quarter, developed the sandwich and has been the muffaletta headquarters ever since.  This is where Lyn and I discovered it on one of our Sunday morning ritual to the French Quarter for chicory coffee and beignets, the Sunday paper and a trip to the Zoo with a picnic lunch. We tried one for our picnic and it was soon added to the ritual. People stood in line on a daily basis for the sandwich, as well as the in-house made olive salad (a pickled concoction of olive, celery, carrot, cauliflower, olive oil and Italian spices). I wonder if it is still there. Make this New Orleans original sandwich at home with Chef Emeril’s recipe. It’s a great game day sandwich.

Muffaletta

Ingredients:

  • 5 ounces pimento-stuffed olives (1 cup), sliced, plus 2 tablespoons of liquid from the jar
  • 6 ounces chopped giardiniera (pickled Italian vegetables) (1 cup), plus 1 tablespoon of liquid from the jar
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers, plus 2 teaspoons of liquid from the jar
  • 3 ounces pitted Calamata olives (1/2 cup), sliced
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • Pinch of dried thyme
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large loaf seeded Italian bread (about 1 1/4 pounds), split width wise  – halfway between top and bottom
  • 1/4 pound sliced fresh mozzarella
  • 6 ounces sliced capocollo or prosciutto
  • 1/4 pound sliced Genoa salami
  • 1/4 pound sliced mortadella
  • 1/4 pound sliced mild provolone cheese
  • Pepperoncini, for serving

How:

In a medium bowl, stir the pimento-stuffed olives with the giardiniera, capers and their respective liquids. Add the Calamata olives, garlic, shallot, oregano, parsley, thyme and crushed red pepper. Stir in the olive oil and let the mixture stand for 1 hour.

Olive Salad

Open the Italian bread on a work surface. Spoon the olive salad on both sides of the bread and spread evenly. Arrange the mozzarella slices on the bottom half of the bread, then top with the capocollo, Genoa salami and mortadella. Arrange the provolone cheese on the top half of the bread, covering the olive salad completely.

Building the sandwhich

Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
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Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

When I was younger oh so much younger than today, sorry could not resist, I did some landscaping on Cape Cod. For those of you familiar with the cape, back then it was very much a summer vacation area and one of the functions we would provide was a nice garden full of those fresh vegetable and such for the owners to enjoy during the summer. One thing we always put in was Brussels sprouts, knowing that it was a September harvest and who would be enjoying these long after the residents were gone for the winter and we came back for our promised turning of the soil etc. etc. There were other crops but this is about the sprouts just the sprouts.

 

Ingredients

  • About 3 pound Brussels sprouts
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Lemon juice 1-2 Tbsp.
  • Poppy seeds 1 tsp.
  • Lemon zest

 

How

Preheat the oven to 450.

Clean up the Brussels sprouts cutting off the ends and removing the outer leafs.

In a shallow baking dish or roasting pan, toss the sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper until combined. Roast, stirring occasionally, 15 to 18 minutes.

Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and add lemon juice and toss just before serving.

Garnish with lemon zest.

A variation I have done is cutting the sprout in half then following the steps above.

Brussels sprouts – Wholefoods.com

What’s New and Beneficial About Brussels Sprouts

  • Brussels sprouts can provide you      with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will use a steaming      method when cooking them. The fiber-related components in Brussels sprouts      do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive      tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place,      it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of      your cholesterol levels. Raw Brussels sprouts still have      cholesterol-lowering ability — just not as much as steamed Brussels      sprouts.
  • Brussels sprouts may have unique      health benefits in the area of DNA protection. A recent study has shown improved      stability of DNA inside of our white blood cells after daily consumption      of Brussels sprouts in the amount of 1.25 cups. Interestingly, it’s the      ability of certain compounds in Brussels sprouts to block the activity of      sulphotransferase enzymes that researchers believe to be responsible for      these DNA-protective benefits.
  • For total glucosinolate content,      Brussels sprouts are now known to top the list of commonly eaten      cruciferous vegetables. Their total glucosinolate content has been shown      to be greater than the amount found in mustard greens, turnip greens,      cabbage, kale, cauliflower, or broccoli. In Germany, Brussels sprouts      account for more glucosinolate intake than any other food except broccoli.      Glucosinolates are important phytonutrients for our health because they      are the chemical starting points for a variety of cancer-protective      substances. All cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates and have      great health benefits for this reason. But it’s recent research that’s      made us realize how especially valuable Brussels sprouts are in this      regard.
  • The cancer protection we get from      Brussels sprouts is largely related to four specific glucosinolates found      in this cruciferous vegetable: glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin, sinigrin,      and gluconasturtiian. Research has shown that Brussels sprouts offer these      cancer-preventive components in special combination.
  • Brussels sprouts have been used to      determine the potential impact of cruciferous vegetables on thyroid      function. In a recent study, 5 ounces of Brussels sprouts were consumed on      a daily basis for 4 consecutive weeks by a small group of healthy adults      and not found to have an unwanted impact on their thyroid function.      Although follow-up studies are needed, this study puts at least one large      stamp of approval on Brussels sprouts as a food that can provide fantastic      health benefits without putting the thyroid gland at risk.
Buttermilk-Marinated 1/2 Turkey with Caramelized Onion Gravy – Trial Run
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Buttermilk-Marinated 1/2 Turkey with Caramelized Onion Gravy – Trial Run

About 2 weeks ago whiles cooking, I was turned and asked Lyn, I wonder how turkey would be marinated in buttermilk. I had used butter milk with many of my chicken dishes and always love the results, tender and juicy. So why not Turkey, let’s try it for Thanksgiving. She smiled and said that is a good idea but I hate to try an experiment on that day why not try it first. I personally feel she was secretly hoping I would get discourage and go with a beef tenderloin roast. I did not. I “Googled” turkey and buttermilk and was surprised that others had beat me to it, I was not the genius I thought.  Armed with their ideas we marched to Wholefoods because they were the only ones who had a half turkey before the big day. With half a turkey and a quart of butter milk in my arms I was happy as live turkey after thanksgiving something new to try.

Ingredients:

  • Half (1/2) fresh or thawed frozen turkey (about 6-7 lbs)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of butter (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to rub the turkey with
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • Touch of gravy master

How:

Wash and pat dry the half turkey. Place the turkey, breast side up, in an oven-roasting bag.

Add the hot sauce, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper to the buttermilk container; shake to combine.

Pour the buttermilk mixture over the turkey. Seal the bag, transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate, turning the turkey over once, for at least 4-5 hours. I suppose you could do it over night.

Remove the turkey and pat dry inside and out. Rub the skin with 1 tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Let rest at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees . Tuck the wings behind the back of the turkey. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Roast, basting once with the pan juices, for 1 hour. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and roast, basting every half hour, until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees when inserted into the thigh, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. If the turkey is over browning, tent with foil. Remove from the oven, tent and let rest for 30 minutes.

Gravy

While this is cooking

In a large pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat, add optional butter. Add the onions, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and browned until caramelized, about 35-45 minutes. Add the flour cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil. Stir in a touch of gravy master. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve the gravy with the turkey. I was lazy but a nice touch might be to blend the end results together.

Note: The skin was nicely colored, crisp and tasty the meat was really juicy and tender even the breast.

****************************************************************************************************************

Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left over from churning butter from cultured or fermented cream. Traditionally, before cream could be skimmed from whole milk, the milk was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time, naturally occurring lactic acid-producing bacteria in the milk fermented it. This facilitates the butter churning process, since fat from cream with a lower pH coalesces more readily than that of fresh cream. The acidic environment also helps prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, increasing shelf-life. However, in establishments that used cream separators, the cream was hardly acidic at all.

Quick Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potato
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Quick Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potato

Lyn is on a strict diet and I am on my own for meals but she made me promise to eat healthy and none of those bachelor meals eaten over the sink to save on plates. I feel I have done pretty well for the last two weeks. Only once did I go with a meal of prepackage frozen mac and cheese from Annie’s but it was organic and not bad. I think it is hard to cook for one, not sure about you but I tend to get more inventive no creative when I cook for someone else.  But on the other hand I am more willing to try something if I know that I will be the only one eating who cares if it was a failure, one learns from them.  I started with this grilled chicken, sweet potato and roasted cauliflower on the side. Ok I forgot to take a picture with the cauliflower you caught me.

Ingredients

  • 1 skinless chicken breast split
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic rosemary oil (I had a lot of rosemary from the garden so infused some oil, 1 just rosemary and one with rosemary and garlic)
  • Some fresh chopped rosemary.
  • 1-Sweet potato and cauliflower

How

Rinse and dry the chicken very well

Salt and pepper rub with olive oil

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high and clean off the grates

Grill trying only to turn once until done about 160 degree internally about 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove, cover and let sit for at least 10 minutes

Slice against the grain

See recipe for roasting vegetables.

Cook the sweet potato in the microwave so it is partially cooked then finish on the grill

Against the Grain

I not talking about rubbing someone the wrong way, I’m talking about the way to cut most meats so that they are tenderer a better chew if you will. We read it in cookbooks all the time: “Slice thinly against the grain.” But what does slicing against the grain really mean?

  • The grain is the most important characteristic: it is the direction which the muscle fibers are aligned, and properly identifying it can make the difference between tough and tender. Take a close look at your meat, and you’ll see that just like wood, it’s got a grain.
  • Grill marks are probably the lines most often confused with grain. Many a time, I’ve seen some start slicing meat at a 90° angle to the grill marks, rather than to the natural grain of the meat (which may or may not coincide with those grill marks).
  • Can’t see the grain well sometime if you bend the piece of meat you can see it or a thin slice on the end and then look at the cross section for the direction. I can’t tell you how many times I look at the grain precooking and then after I grill it is sometimes hard to tell.
Related articles
Acorn Squash with Ground Lamb and Kale
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Acorn Squash with Ground Lamb and Kale

My brother in-law Mike (seems to be about 12 Mike’s in our families) usually has good taste in most things including food he posted this to his Facebook, I in turn pinned as it is called to my Pinterest and Lyn in turn batted her eyes and ask “Do you think you could…” So yesterday as we were drying some more Kiwi (metzah metz attempt) we went to Wholefoods to picked up so ground lamb and kale and as Lyn put it on the way home “ I am going to go home have a glass of wine while my husband cooks me dinner” Spoiled maybe but deservedly so, beside I love her ever so much.

From The Paleo Secret

Ingredients

  • 2 acorn squash halved and seeds removed (cut ends off both sides so they sit on a flat surface)
  • 1 to 1 ½ lbs of ground lamb
  • 2 bunches of kale (washed, de-stemmed and chopped)
  • 2 large onions (chopped)
  • salt and pepper
  • cumin
  • coriander
  • 4 Tbsp coconut or palm oil for cooking

Steve note: they do not give measurements I suggest from 2 Tsp to 1 Tbsp. or cumin and coriander. Also next time I am adding some cinnamon.

How

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Place acorn squash halves upside down in a baking dish and fill dish with a little bit of filtered water. Bake for 40 minutes or until soft and fork goes through easily.

While squash is baking, heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onions. Add kale and cover until it cooks down. Stir frequently. Heat oil in a second skillet and brown the ground lamb. Add salt, pepper, cumin and coriander to lamb while cooking. When kale is cooked down, add ground lamb to mixture with a slotted spoon. Stir and spoon into acorn squash bowls (once the squash halves are cooked). Drizzle with olive oil and serve. If you want extra meat, add a helping of meat mixture to the side of the bowl. Enjoy!

Other lamb recipes from stevesacooking.com

BBQ Masala Yogurt Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Leftover Lamb Flatbread Pizza drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses

Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary

Lamb Stew with Spring Veggies

Gyros Sandwich “Lambie Pie”

 

Kale

What's New and Beneficial About Kale from Wholefoods
  • Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in kale do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability–just not as much.
  • Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.
  • Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale’s glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.
  • Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale’s flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.