Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction. Holidays. Family.

“Live in each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,  and 

resign yourself to the influences of each.” Henry David Thoreau

This season of my life i have truly cherished the moments spent with my sister in the city of san francisco. painting. drinking wine. coffee. riding our bikes to the nearest market.  cooking together in her quaint and cutest little kitchen. . . with no measuring cups.  .  .  we guess in blue dixie cups haha. it gets the job done! . . . and very well.  if I do say so myself  ;  )  

Easter. It could have passed by as any other day, but i have a strong conviction that the thing that makes holidays special and important is not that they are pre-marked on some standard mass- produced calendar, but the potential they have to bring family together to create new memories and share special moments. Notice i use the word potential. because its not guaranteed. it doesn't just happen. Family/ relationships & actually taking that potential of making a holiday into a "special day" requires effort. maybe some degree of planning to organize the family for a get -together. or  going out of your way to prepare an extra special meal. saving $$$  for  a flight to "be there" for that milestone moment.  buying a card or gift. or even as simple as saying something (that person might already know, but. . . ) you don't normally say. like, how thankful you are to have them in your life, and how much you love them. etc. etc. the possibilities are endless. point is: Exceptional, Extraordinary, Beautiful and Strong family relationships (or relationships in general) don't just happen. There is one guarantee though; however you choose to show your effort,  or whatever it is you choose to do,  It'll be worth it, because: 

In the end, nothing, absolutely NOTHING is more important in life than the people  we love, and the special moments we spend with them. 

ok, so together, my sister and I cooked up a fancy-schmancy Easter Dinner  for our special little family;  even though our family wasn't completely complete, it was complete in that moment. 

and the food was BOMB.com haha, No but really, it was absolutely delectable.  

de·lec·ta·ble/diˈlektəbəl/

Adjective:

(of food or drink) Delicious. Extremely beautiful.

ENJOY! 

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, Salt and pepper to taste

4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.

1. Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Accompanying Dishes: 

Oven-roasted asparagus: lightly drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper. Simple. 

Mashed Potatoes: From scratch. Boil potatoes. Add in butter and salt to taste. We added chicken broth instead of milk/cream for texture for a leaner and lactose-free alternative. Trust me, this substitution does not sacrifice one bit of flavor.

  

Carne en Chilito Verde

"Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all"

 ~Harriet van Horne

A pinch of this. . . a dash of that . . . 

couple of these. . .

This is what I grew up watching my mom do in the kitchen. 

Dinner was a mini-concoction. 

Only a handful of times did I ever see her follow a recipe by the book. And even when she did, the next time she prepared the dish again, it was without the book. 

A little more salt. couple more chilies. Until . . . Mmmmm.  Just right. 

Now, when I call to ask her for a recipe, the "instructions" go pretty much in that same manner.

I have to just use those directions, the memories of her cooking   . . . and experiment . . . 

until I find it myself, that : Mmmm.  Just right : ) 

The following recipe, which I proudly share,  is one of her many exquisite concoctions. 

Hope you find that Mmmm. Just right.  Buen Provecho! 

My very first Cooking Instructor. 

Ingredients: 

-28 oz can of "La Costena" Tomatillos Verdes 

(or if you want to use fresher ingredients thats about 2 lbs tomatillos, boiled until tender.  Momma Lomeli says that the canned ones are less bitter and better for this recipe. I think so as well, but of course, not as fresh as the real deal)

-4 to 6 (or more!) Chiles de Arbol Seco, Toasted and de-stemmed

(depends how HOT you want it . . . this dish is actually still delicious without them at all) 

- Beef (Strips, cut stir fry-style) 

-1/2 Onion (sliced) 

-Garlic cloves (optional)

-Salt 

"Instructions"

1. Heat up a skillet and place the "Chiles de Arbol" for toasting there. Turn to high heat and leave on there until they actually blacken (aka toast/burn) and once they do, turn to flip side and repeat. Warning: this will probably make you cough. Set Aside. 

2. Place Tomatillos in blender, with salt (start off with 1/2 tablespoon and go from there) and 3 toasted chillies. BLEND. now taste. Is it salted enough for you? Spicy enough? keep added salt and/or chiles de arbol until your liking. set aside. 

3. Place a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and sear meat (you can also add in some Garlic cloves/onions and caramelize along with the beef at this time for additional flavor. My mom prefers not to add garlic or onions to this dish . .  . But I personally don't think you can ever go wrong adding a bit of garlic or caramelized onions. . . I tossed in 3 cloves ; )   Once meat is seared, add in the green chili aka "chile verde" which was set aside in blender, and let it simmer in skillet until meat has cooked through. 

* *Typically this dish is served with mexican rice and beans, I'll usually accompany with beans (love my beans!) and veggies instead of rice, for the greater nutritional benefits of vegetables etc. 

                                 __________________________________________________

These items can typically be found in the "ethnic/hispanic" food aisles at your local grocery store. 

Chiles De Arbol 

Tomatillos La Costena

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers

A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe. ~Thomas Keller

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers

(slightly adapted from Dashingdish.com)

Ingredients

1/2 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 lb ground Beef

3 red bell peppers

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 tsp basil/oregano seasoning (or any blend of italian herbs)

1tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed)

1/2 tsp salt/pepper
1 small onion chopped/minced
3 garlic cloves minced
Olive Oil

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (or veggie of choice),(de-thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel)

Optional: 1 tsp (or 1 packet) low calorie sweetener of choice to put in the sauce~ (I like my sauce slightly sweet!)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, (for easy clean up), coat with non-stick cooking spray. Wash red peppers, and cut around the stem to remove.

2. Remove the stems.

3. Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. Set peppers on baking pan.

4. Caramelize onion, garlic & spinach in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, then add-in ground turkey/beef.  Stir and break up the turkey while it’s cooking. When ground meat is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and seasonings to the pan. Stir and continue to cook until the ground meat is completely cooked ( no longer pink) and stir until everything is well combined.

5. Scoop 1/2 cup of the mixture into each pepper.

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
7.  Remove from the oven,  let cool, and enjoy!!!


                                                   **********************************
I made this dish for a work birthday potluck. It was a ding-ding-ding! . . . winner.
One co-worker even hid a piece, before it was all gone,  to take home for dinner. Nothing more flattering than people sneaking seconds : )
Simple, savory & delicious.

A side note about Caramelizing vs Sautéing onions:
Sauté: cooked just until wilted/translucent, but not browned, the taste is mellowed but not yet sweet. 
OR Caramelized: oh-so-gently cooked (medium NOT high heat!) until lightly brown/brown. Then the sugars have caramelized and have become sweet (YUM!) . . . the more brown, the more caramelized. . . but no black. . . thats burned  : / 


The original recipe did not include onions, fresh minced garlic, or caramelization; but like the quote says, as the cook you gotta bring a dish to life! in your own way. give it some soul.
thats all folks. 
Happy Cooking