Tag: olive oil

Salad NiÃ§oise

Niçoise simply is to do with the city of Nice in the south of France. Salad Niçoise, arguably its most famous culinary export, is characterised by ingredients common to that part of the country close to the Mediterranean rim – tomatoes, eggs, green beans, potatoes, black olives, garlic, anchovies, and, of course, olive oil. It’s the perfect summer salad on a gloriously hot summer’s day – and a lovely, quick, light lunch.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Skill level: Easy peasy
Costs: Mid-price

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Gordon Ramsay’s Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb ? F Word Series One

Gordon Ramsay made this tasty looking rack of lamb on the first episode of the first season of The F Word^[1]. Like many of Gordon’s recipes, the primary herb ingredients are rosemary, thyme and garlic. This is sure to be a scrumptious meal for fans of Chef Ramsay’s cooking.

Ingredients for the Lamb:

2 large racks of Lamb cut in half with 3 bones per serving
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Ingredients for the Crust:

4 slices of stale bread made into crumbs.
7 Tbs. grated parmesan (roughly 1/2 a cup)
Sprig parsley
Sprig thyme
Sprig coriander
Sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons English mustard (or sub with dijon)
splash of olive oil

Preparing the Lamb:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It should actually be 392 degrees, but don’t worry about getting that technical unless you have a digital oven.

Place lamb on cutting board fat side up. Lightly score the fat layer with a sharp knife. Next, generously sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Mop up the excess seasoning with the rack of lamb, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated.

Heat some olive oil in an oven safe pan. Seal the lamb by holding each side in the oil long enough to develop color (careful not to burn your hands). Gordon Ramsay says, “it’s simple mathematics, no color, equals no taste”. Quite simple indeed! Make sure you brown that lamb.

Transfer the pan with the lamb into the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes. Prepare the crust while the lamb is cooking.

Preparing the Crust:

Place all of the ingredients for the crust except the mustard into a blender and pulse several times until it looks nice and green. Make sure you don’t over do it with the olive oil, just a splash.

Pour the mixture into a deep dish (bowl or plate) and set aside.

Putting it All Together:

Remove the lamb from the oven and brush generously with mustard. Dip the lamb into the crust mixture coating it completely. Dip several times to ensure an even coating. Allow meat to rest for a bit.

Place it back into the oven for 3-4 minutes when you’re ready to serve.

Gordon serves the lamb with potatoes boulangère and courgettes provençal, but you can serve with anything you find fitting. I’ll gladly post the recipe for the side dishes if someone wants it. Just ask for it in a comment.

Let me know how this recipe turns out for you.

EDIT: I’ve added one of the side dishes, Gordon Ramsay’s Potatoes Boulangère^[2]. I will add the other soon and update this post with it’s link.

References

^{^} F Word (www.amazon.com)
^{^} Gordon Ramsay’s Potatoes Boulangère (gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Leftover Turkey Manicotti – “Little Muffs” for the Day After the Day After

Manicotti, which means, “little muffs” in Italian, has to be
one of the best ways ever for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

The moist
filling will bring the driest bird back from the dead, and you can literally
add anything that can be chopped up.

Leftover green bean casserole? Throw it in. Peas and
Onions? You bet’cha. Cranberry Sauce? No, don’t be ridiculous. Anyway, thanks
to the absence of cheese, tomato, and pasta on the usual Thanksgiving menu,
this concoction will erase any connection with the aforementioned feast.

One portioning note: The recipe below made six crepes, and
if you make yours slightly smaller, the filling recipe will make six nicely
sized manicotti.

I went low-carb and used all the filling to make four
portions, but you should probably just fill all 6 crepes, or even double the
recipe to get 12. I think you’ll want leftovers of the leftovers. So whether you make manicotti with the last of the holiday
turkey, or just use the technique to recycle other meaty meals, I hope you give
this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 crepes:

2 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp olive oil

olive oil for cooking crepes as needed

For the filling:

1 cup chopped turkey or anything

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 tsp dried marjoram

1/8 tsp red chili flakes

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

For the rest:

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

2 tsp olive oil

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for top

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley, garnish