Tag: cooks

How to Debone & Butterfly a Leg of Lamb for Fun and Profit

As promised, here’s the video for how to debone and butterfly your own leg of lamb. Since I am going to save you a few dollars, when the butcher asks you if you want it deboned, I’d appreciate it if you said something like, “I watch Food Wishes, so I’ve got it covered.” By the way, I was only half kidding about using a fat, dull knife.

Bored cooks have been known to do this with butter knives, steak knives, pairing knives, or any other knife they think would win them an after shift beer (I’ve heard from a friend). The point is, cooks drink a lot, and you don’t need a razor-sharp blade to do this at home. So, if you’re doing a whole leg of lamb this Easter, I hope you give this simple technique a try. Have a great holiday, and as always, enjoy!

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Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage

A fun twist on eggplant parmesan – these eggplant “boats” are hollowed out and stuffed with sweet Italian chicken sausage and tomato sauce, then topped with melted mozzarella – Oh ma gaaaa!

I’ve been dreaming up this recipe since last year when I created my Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats^[1]. If you love eggplant parmesan these are going to knock your socks off! My husband loved these even more than the zucchini actually, but he’s also more of an eggplant guy. I thought these were fabulous, you gotta give them a try!

I picked up some white eggplant at the farmer’s market because they looked like the perfect size to make these boats. You could use any variety as long as they aren’t too large. The pulp that gets scooped out goes right back into the stuffing so nothing gets wasted. One boat is a complete meal and super filling, you can serve it with a side salad if you have the room!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 eggplant boat • Old Points: 5 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 7 pt
Calories: 244 • Fat: 9 g • Carb: 25 g • Fiber: 8 g • Protein: 19 g • Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 678 mg • Cholest: 50 mg

Ingredients:

2 medium (15 oz each) white eggplants, stems trimmed off and halved lengthwise
3 links (8.4 oz?) sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (I used Premio)
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes
5 basil leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
4 teaspoons grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Hollow out the flesh of the eggplant to create a boat using a melon
baller or small knife, leaving a 1/2-inch of the skin all around to
create a shell. Roughly chop the scooped out eggplant flesh.

Drop the eggplant into the boiling water and cook 3 minutes (poking it with a spoon so they stay submerged). Remove with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels on the counter.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up while it cooks into smaller pieces. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup chopped eggplant and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.

Pour 1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish and place the eggplant boats on top. Season the eggplant with salt and divide the sausage and sauce evenly among the 4 eggplant boats.

Top each with 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of Pecorino Romano cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes until cheese is melted and eggplant is cooked through.

References

^{^} Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Celebrating Memorial Day

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Memorial Day, and as usual, ask you to take a few moments in between bites of whatever grilled goodness you’re enjoying to remember all the chefs and cooks that serve so bravely feeding our troops in times of war.

I’ve said this before, but it’s the thank-you emails I get from our servicemen and women stationed abroad that I find the most inspiring of all. To be able to provide these heroes with a few moments of entertainment makes my otherwise frivolous existence seem a little less so. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America!

Photo above is from our No-Bake Cheesecake Flag Cake video.
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