Confusing Meat Cuts and Braised Rosemary Lamb

When it comes to choosing cuts of meat I'm not that great. Okay, okay I do know breast, thighs, loins, chops and minced meat, the basics, that's a start no? But hear me out before you judge please, I promise I have good excuses. First excuse, language barrier. I have yet to learn all the cut names in Czech, they just don't stick in my brain. Excuse number 2, I never learned about cuts and their proper names in either English or Spanish. That is because I only started cooking about 4 year ago and we were living in Europe. Last excuse is that the cuts are different in Prague than they are in the states, and I think Mexico. My husband who worked at a butcher shop as a teenager, in the states, verified that the cuts are indeed different. See all good excuses and now you can judge me for not working harder at learning the names in Czech, haha!

You can imagine that one of the reasons I like to do our grocery shopping together with my husband is to make sure we have decent cuts of meat to eat. When I go off by myself to pick up some meat its best to stick with fish and the few cuts I know, unless I'm feeling adventurous. Sadly for my husband I'm very curious about food. The other day I saw lamb at the grocery store and it's not an every day occurrence, woohoo happy dance! Plus it was organic meat, double happy dance! Without much more thinking about it I took the lamb home. On the walk home I was daydreaming about how soft, tender and juicy it was going to be. I showed my hubby what I bought and he broke the news to me that is was Lamb shoulder. Of course I looked at him completely perplexed and said yeah but it's going to be good right? Oh.

We both started doing some research online about the best methods to prepare this cut and all the sites suggested braised. Braising is a great technique to use on cuts that are tougher or chewier, aka cheaper cuts. But it is also a technique I like to use with other more expensive cuts. Of course good spices must be used and the results are always tender and juicy meat. We ended up with succulent lamb shoulder chops that were so tender, juicy, and the meat just fell off the bone. No fatty or tough chewy texture at all, the lamb was just awesome! Enjoy and try my recipe with any lamb cut of your choice.

Braised Rosemary Lamb Shoulder Chops
Ingredients:
2 lamb shoulder chops, weighed 550 grams or 1.21 lb
1 medium onion, cut into 1/8ths
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
6 whole allspice, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup or 118 ml vegetable broth, low sodium and no MSG

1. Preheat the oven to 150c / 300f. Over medium heat melt the butter in a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes then add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan contents and set aside. Turn heat to high, Pat dry the lamb then place in frying pan. Brown on both sides. Turn heat off. Mix the onion spice mixture back with the lamb.

2. Place the lamb and pan contents into a baking dish and pour the broth over the lamb, place in center of oven. The lamb will need to cook for 3 – 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and breaks up easily.

Do not let the baking dish dry out, add a little more water or broth as needed. Reserve the pan juices and serve as a sauce over the meat.

I served our lamb with some mashed potatoes, my Love Handle Mash Potatoes , and some garlic baby spinach.

See mistakes always have a way of working themselves out and an inexpensive cut of meat if cooked correctly can still be tasty. Amen, let's eat!

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Feeling SAD and Preserved Meyer Lemons (With A Twist)

I suffer from SAD and that makes me sad (you saw that silly joke coming didn't you?). SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder better know to some as the Winter blues. It is a temporary or seasonal mood change which has some of the same symptoms as mild depression and it is most common in the northern hemisphere. Basically me no likey the dark grey Autumn and Winter days. Ha! go figure we choose to live in the northern hemisphere. While I consider myself a happy person with no worse mood changes than any other typical woman (except when my Latin temper kicks in, that's another story) it is these dark grey sunshine-less days that make me want to sleep more, and make it harder for me to concentrate or get motivated to do much. Even so I am not one to stay in bed or lay around even if I'm ill, I can't stand not doing something.

I'll have you know my diagnosis came from very reputable and prestigious Doctors, Dr. Google, Dr. Wikipedia, and WebMD. Don't you just love the internet ? (And I say this with the most sincere form of...Sarcasm!) You can look up anything and instantly get diagnosed with the most life threatening diseases out there. For instance you could look up... let's say a paper cut and come back with a rare diseases called papercuteosis. Oh no! you may just have to take the day off work because it can be contagious, as a matter-of-fact while you are calling your boss to tell him/her you can't make it into work today you are being quarantined. Perhaps my husband is right when he says I should stop looking up everything on the internet. Wait, did I just say he was right? I hope he doesn't read this or I wont live it down.

Seriously, SAD is a real disorder and I need some Santeria or Voodoo to bring on the sunshine and make me feel better on these grey days. But I don't know either so I'll have to create my own sunshine. I'm going to start with lemons, because they just brighten things up on their own. I love lemons with their lip puckering and slightly sweet fresh taste, always leaves me satisfied. I don't think it's a coincidence that many citrus ripens in the Winter months. I think mother nature knows that we all need their vibrant colors and delicious tastes to get us through the Winter. Just looking and smelling lemons or any other citrus immediately leaves me reminiscing about sunny days, it is like holding a little sunshine in my palm. I want to preserve them to get me through the remainder of the Winter. Many of you are already talking about Spring arriving, but for us it's quite a ways off and there are many rainy days coming too, blah!

I adapted this Preserved Meyer recipe from Epicurious.com. I made some changes to the original recipe, cut it in half, I used a combination of sweet (Meyer) lemons with Spanish Mesero (primofiori) lemons, you could really use any variety you choose. The other change was that I also sliced off both ends from all the lemons. Plus I added a little twist which you can see below. This recipe is great because it only takes 5 days before you can enjoy the lemons, and they will keep up to 1 year in the refrigerator. I'm going to be patiently waiting.

Preserved Meyer Mixed Lemons
Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Preserved-Meyer-Lemons-102747

11/4 lb or 560 g lemons, I used 6 very small lemons (Meyer or any variety of your choice)
1/2 cup or 118 ml fresh lemon juice (from 21/2 lemons)
1/3 cup or 90 g coarse sea salt

large bowl
sterilized jar (I used 2 small jars)
boiling water

1/8 cup olive oil, to use on the 5th day

1. Choose lemons that are semi-firm but not unripe, don't have bruising or other imperfections. You could also buy organic lemons or if you buy regular make sure they don't feel sticky and that they are cleaned properly. Thoroughly and properly rinse the lemons. I suggest starting by measuring out the lemon juice needed, then set aside. Bring some water to a boil, once boiled place the remaining lemons in the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool.

2. Have the sterilized jar ready. Once the lemons have cooled enough to handle, cut off both ends on each lemon. Next slice each lemon into 8 wedges, remove the seeds and place the wedges in the bowl. Pour the salt over the lemons and mix well. Pack the salt coated wedges into the jars then pour the lemon juice into the jar.

Seal and either leave on the counter or place in the refrigerator. During the next 5 days shake the jar to help distribute the salted juice. On the 5th day add 1/8 cup of olive oil and refrigerate. They will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 year.

I also made a variation with a little twist, I added fresh tangerine (mandarin orange) peel. Follow the recipe exactly as above but add as much fresh tangerine peel as you like. I can't wait to taste the different flavors!

I will keep you posted in the coming week on the results. What is your sunshine or feel good comfort food that always puts a smile on your face ?

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Baharat Spiced Beef Stew (A Wacky Stew)

Baharat Spiced Beef Stew, one whacked out stew! What's so wacky about it you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's mix of Eurasian with a dash of central European, a pinch of Hungarian, and a splash of Indian mish-mash fusion throw it all in kinda stew. (That was a mouthful!) So as you can see this was one of those meals where whatever I had in the refrigerator and spice cabinet went into the pot. I have to admit that I love cooking this way, and most times I end up with great results that lead me to experiment in ways I wouldn't have if I had planned ahead. This experiment mish-mash was a hit! We both really liked the hearty, warming stew that was spiced so well with the dominant flavors coming from a delicious spice called Baharat.

*You can buy it here*

Baharat (Bahārāt) is a spice mixture commonly used in Arab, Persian and Turkish cuisine. *Bahārāt is the Arabic word for 'spices' (the plural form of bahār 'spice'). The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb, fish, chicken, beef, and soups. Additionally, it may be used as a condiment, to add more flavor after a meal has been prepared. On CHOW.com Baharat is explained as usually containing hot spices (such as paprika, chiles, and black pepper), sweet spices (such as allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom), warm spices (such as cumin and coriander), and resinous herbs (such as savory and mint). There are several varieties with different combinations of spices. In North Africa, crushed dried rose petals may appear in the mix. It flavors lamb, beef dishes, and tomato sauce.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
10.5 oz. or 300 grams lean stewing beef, cubed
3 small carrots, sliced diagonally into 4 pieces
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 small leek, thinly sliced and only bottom white section
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 small sweet red pepper, roughly chopped (can substitute with 1 red bell pepper)
8 very small potatoes, halved (I didn't peel them)

1 tbsp. Turkish Bahart spice
1/2 tbsp. sweet Paprika for mild stew and chile (Cayenne) powder for spicier stew
1 tsp. ground Turmeric powder
1 tsp. cumin seed
salt & black pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp. sunflower oil or olive oil
4 cups of beef broth or 1 low sodium (no MSG) beef bouillon cube dissolved in 4 cups water

Optional toppings:
thinly sliced green/spring onions or fresh cilantro

1. Pat dry the beef with paper towels then set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot, brown the beef then remove from pot and set aside. In the same pot fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and leeks and fry for 2 min. Then add the rest of the vegetables and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot and sprinkle all of the spices into the pot. Stir the pot to distribute spices well and throughout the ingredients.
2. Pour the broth into the pot, cover and under medium low heat simmer until the vegetables are soft and the beef is tender. If needed you can add more water depending on how watery or how much broth you prefer the stew to have.

Serve: The stew can be enjoyed on it's own as a filling lunch or a light dinner. It can also be served with crusty bread or steamed rice on the side.

As you can see the Eurasian flavor comes in from the Turkish Baharat that was the foundation of the stew flavor. The Indian comes from the cumin and the turmeric. The central European comes from the leeks and potatoes so commonly used in local cuisine. The Hungarian comes from the paprika that can be used and from the sweet Hungarian red peppers used in the stew. They are called Kapia and are also very common in other Central European countries. The photo below is an orange Kapia,I didn't have any red Kapia lefotver to shoot, but they look the same.

Have any of you ever used Baharat blend? and If so which variety,I'm curious if the Tunisian version with the rose petals taste like flowers? (By the way this was one of the recipes included in the Spicie Foodie 2011 Calendar. You can see it on the sidebar.)

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Homemade Potpourri and a Winner!

Before I announce the lucky winner of the Le Cruset mortar and pestle set , courtesy of CSN stores , I would like to share another great way to us a mortar and pestle. You all know how much I love all spices and can now see how much I love and use my mortar and pestle. I'm always looking for ways or ideas that require me to put my mortar and pestle to use, and making potpourri is definitely one of my favorites. I love potpourri it makes the house smell so good, looks pretty and it has a very relaxing effect to it. But one day I read the package contents of a potpourri mix and I was surprised to see some unidentifiable ingredients, eek ! I am not a fan of prepackage foods because of the chemicals and preservatives they may contain, and I certainly would like to limit the exposure to my family and home of harmful chemicals in potpourri and other fragrance sprays. So I decided that I would start to make my own homemade potpourri with the ingredients I had in my kitchen.

This is the first potpourri mixture I made, as a matter of fact it's the one I make most often. One of the best things about this potpourri mixture recipe I'm going to give you is that you should have all the ingredients in your kitchen without incurring any additional cost. This would also make a great gift idea, (personally I appreciate gifts like this that have a more personal touch to them) . When I make this potpourri mixture I use it two ways, the first is just leaving it in a nice decorative bowl to sit and release its amazing fragrance. The other way, and probably my favorite way, I use this is by putting it in a potpourri pot or an aromatherapy pot/lamp with some water that uses a candle to heat up and release the scent faster. It's your choice how you want to use this amazingly fragrant and chemical free homemade potpourri mix.

( Recipe is for a small batch but can easily be doubled or tripled for your individual needs. )
Your ingredients:
12 whole cloves
1 or 2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6 all spice
3 whole cardamom pods
1 small piece of nutmeg
dried orange/lemon peel or homemade dried orange/lemon zest
optional - dried rose petals
Mortar and Pestle
potpourri bowl or small decorative bowl or aromatherapy pot

Place all of your spices inside the mortar and pestle and lightly pound the spices. You only want to crush and break them up into smaller pieces not powder.

Next combine with the rose petals and place inside a potpourri bowl or decorative bowl to display.

Alternatively you can place the potpourri mix inside a potpourri or aromatherapy pot to burn. Done! just sit back and enjoy the lovely all natural fragrance as it fills your home. Ah now isn't that relaxing.

OK and now the moment you've been waiting for! First I want to say thank you to all of you that participated and thanks for your lovely comments I wish I could send each and everyone of you a prize. Drum roll.............. the winner is comment number ,32 - 5Star Foodie!(The winner was chosen using random.org )

Congratulations Natasha 5Star Foodie! I will be contacting you by email to get your shipping information. I am also excited to see your recipe using your brand new cherry red Le Creuset mortar and pestle set!

Thank you Jason and CSN stores for the opportunity and for making our lucky winner a very happy person today! For those of you that didn't win you can purchase it here .

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Thai Green Curry Paste, home made

A couple of weeks ago I received a message from Cassie at Chow Bella, asking about a curry powder and green curry, I told her I would share this Thai Green Curry paste recipe for a delicious Fish Curry I make. (First I will post the curry paste and then I'll follow it up with the fish curry.) The recipe, I have used for a couple of years now, is from the "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon. I am not as familiar with making green curry paste, so I have always just followed the directions without needing to make adjustments to the recipe. The recipe as it is has worked wonderful in making several different dishes that call for it.

Your Ingredients:

4 large green chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 small brown onion
1 tbs chopped garlic
2 TBS chopped fresh coriander, all including root
2 tsp. chopped lemon lime peel
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon grass
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp shrimp paste ( 2 tsp fish sauce)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs oil

1. Chop the onion,garlic,coriander, lemon peel, and chillies. Remove the stems from the chilies, and for a milder version remove the seeds or spicier version leave them. Next place all the vegetables , spices and the oil into a blender. Blend until you have a thick paste. If it's too dry add either a bit of water or more oil to smooth out the paste.

2. Scoop onto a container and it's ready to use. Or you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week maybe longer or in the freezer for up to 2 months. (This paste should make enough for 2 recipes.) Now you are ready to use in any of your favorite Thai dishes!

This is the book I got the Recipe from, but she has a lot of delicious recipes to try.

The Complete Asian Cookbook

**UPDATE**

This recipe was #4 on Foodbuzz top #9 on Feb. 20, 2010 *

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Malaysian Meat Curry Powder

Today I'm posting a curry powder recipe that you will need for the next recipe I will be posting. It is Malaysian meat curry powder, and a new curry powder in my spice shelf. Malaysian cuisine is new to my dinner table, but it's one that I have been curious about. Having never made Malaysian curry I need to do a Google search on what spices go into this meat curry powder. The recipe below comes from Rouxbe, an online cooking school. It is an excellent site that features delicious recipes and instruction videos. They also offer memberships to access more learning material.

Your ingredients:

10 whole cloves

10 whole black

peppercorns

4 whole cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick (about

2-inches/5 cm)

4 whole dried red chilies

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1. First we will be toasting the spices, Rouxbe suggest to do it according to size,because the spices will toast at different rates. In a pan with medium heat add the cloves, cardamom and peppercorns. Toss a few times, and as soon as they begin to smoke and release their fragrance, set them aside to cool. Next toast the cinnamon stick and dried chilies, then toast the coriander seeds. And last we will toast the cumin and fennel seeds together.

2. Once the spices have cooled down, you can either grind them in a spice grinder or in a pestle and mortar. Grind all the spices except the turmeric, reserve it for the last minute. Grind until you have a fine powder or until you get the desired graininess you want. ( I leave mine a little grainy, but that's my personal choice.) Now you can add and mix the turmeric powder with all the other spices.

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Red Thai Curry Paste ~Krung Kaeng Phed

In Thai cuisine curry paste is an essential ingredient to prepare many dishes but of course the main dishes being curries. There are several paste, red, yellow, green, Panaeng and the more Indian influenced Massaman curry paste. I've made them all except the Panaeng, which I will try and then post. The first Thai curry paste recipe I have is for red curry paste. This recipe is from my cookbook called , "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon . Home made red Thai curry paste is very easy and fast to make, you may get addicted to making your own and not buy prepackaged again. There is nothing wrong with the couple of prepackaged ones I've bought, but I like making my own to control the spiciness and make sure all the necessary ingredients are included and none left out. Of course there's the preservatives used, yuck, which I try to avoid as often as possible.

One of the ingredients is shrimp paste, I have to leave this out because I have not been able to find here. So to still give the curry paste a seafood taste I add the fish sauce. Shrimp paste also adds a redness to the paste so that's why I add the paprika, merely for color aesthetics and does not affect the taste. If you are a vegetarian you can omit both or either of the shrimp paste and fish sauce. The recipe below can be doubled or tripled, and you can adjust the heat as you like.
Your ingredients:

4-6 dried red chillies
2 small brown onions, chopped
1 tsp. / 5 ml peppercorns (about 68 )
2 tsp. / 10 ml ground cummin ( 2 1/2 tsp. / 12 ml whole)
1 tbsp. / 15 ml ground coriander ( 1 1/2 tbsp. / 22.5 ml whole seeds)
2 tbsp./ 30 ml fresh cilantro chopped ( including the stems and roots)
1 tsp. / 5ml salt
2 tsp. / 10 ml finely chopped lemon or lime peel
1 tsp. / 5ml lemon grass powder
1 tsp / 5ml ginger powder
1 tbsp. /2-3 cloves , chopped garlic
2 tsp. / 10 ml shrimp paste (Subs. 2 tbsp. / 30 ml fish sauce)
1 tbsp. / 15 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp. / 5 ml turmeric
2 tsp. / 10 ml paprika ( only for color)

1. In a small bowl pour some hot water and add the dried chillies to soak and soften them for about 8 minutes. If you are using whole spices, first grind those in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Next chop the onion, cilantro and lemon peel. Drain the chillies and remove the stems. ( If you want the curry paste a bit milder remove and discard the seeds, otherwise leave them in.)

2. In a blender add all the ingredients including the ground spices, and oil. Blend to a thick paste, if it's too dry you can add a little water or more oil.
Viola! , red curry paste ready to go and cook any delicious Thai dish. The paste will keep fresh in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or longer, in the freezer up to 2 months,that's if you don't use it up before 2 months:) By the way it does freeze well, I scoop 2- 3 big spoonfuls into small plastic bags and divide into portions that way you only need to defrost what you need for a meal.

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Garam Masala ~ Indian curry spice

Spices are the most important ingredient in Indian cuisine. One of those spices or rather spice mixture you'll come across most often in Indian recipes is Garam Masala. I've come across so many variations that I get the feeling that every family or region has their own unique recipe. These days you can find ready made mixtures in virtually any store. But the commercially prepared doesn't even come close to the aromatic freshly ground home made Garam Masala. Ground or crushed spices don't have the same aromas as their whole counterparts, ground spices have a shorter shelf life than whole and generally whole spices are cheaper. Also some of the lower quality curry brands will substitute cheaper spices for the more expensive ones like cardamom or nutmeg.

This combination of 9 spices is what has worked best for me, and since it doesn't include chili it works well for people that don't want spicy curries because you can decide how much "kick" you want it to have later.

Spice you'll need:

2 TBS. coriander seeds

4 TBS. cumin seed

1 TBS. black peppercorns

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks or 1 TBS of ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. green cardamom seed(measured after you remove the shell)

2 bay leaves

You will also need a pan, a mortar and pestle or coffee bean grinder or spice grinder.

1. Warm the pan on the stove over medium low heat, then add all of your whole spices to dry roast for a couple of minutes. Just until the spices start to release their fragrance be careful not to burn them.

2. Then you will transfer the spices from the pan to a dish to cool off for a few minutes. Now you can peel the cardamom and throw out the shells.

3. Add all of your spices to your mortar or coffee/spice grinder. I like to use a mortar and pestle to easily control how fine I want the mixture. Now time to use those muscles and start grinding the spices.

You've just made your first Garam Masala and by now your kitchen and house will come alive with all the wonderful smells. The slight sweetness from the cinnamon, the spiciness of the pepper and cloves, a hint of citrus from the coriander seeds, a little lemony scent from the cardamom. Go ahead taste it, now tell me that doesn't taste 100 times better than the prepackaged stuff?, not even a comparison.

You'll get hooked on making your own mixture, once you see the difference in your curries. You can double , triple or quadruple this recipe to have extra to store ~ just remember the ground spices will start to loose their freshness. Lots of curry recipes coming ......

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