Month: October 2010

Moroccan Spiced Lamb and Couscous with Garlic, Fresh Mint and Preserved Lemon

/ Ren

Local, pastured lamb (Menzie’s Farm, Harper, TX) is ground and tossed with diced onions and freshly-ground ras el hanout, then seared in clarified butter with homemade harissa.  Served over stock-simmered couscous with garlic, fresh mint and Jenny’s  Moroccan preserved lemons..

Moroccan Spiced Lamb & Couscous with Garlic, Fresh Mint and Preserved Lemon

 

For the Ras el Hanout (recipe by Christine Benlafquih)

2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cardamon
2 teaspoons ground mace
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Blend all of the spices in a bowl. Transfer to an air-tight glass jar and store in a dry, dark place for up to several months

For the Harissa (recipe by Christine Benlafquih)

12 to 15 dried red chili peppers (approx. 1 1/2 oz. or 100 g)
3 or 4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds (optional)
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
olive oil

Remove the seeds from the dried chili peppers and place them in a bowl. Cover them with very hot water and leave to soften for 30 minutes to an hour.

Drain the chili peppers, and gently squeeze out excess water with a paper towel. Using a mortar and pestle (or a blender or mini food processor) grind the chili peppers, garlic, salt and spices to a paste. Add the lemon juice and just enough olive oil to moisten the harissa, or add additional olive oil to thin it.

Store unused harissa in an airtight container in the fridge. For long storage, lightly top the harissa with a little oil before covering.

For the Lamb

1 lb freshly ground lamb
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
1-1/2 tablespoons harissa

For the Couscous

1 cup couscous (Israeli whole wheat is particularly nice)
2 cups vegetable stock or filtered water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
half of a Moroccan preserved lemon, diced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the couscous and garlic and stir to coat.  Continue cooking until garlic is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Add stock or water, increase heat and bring to a low boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add mint, lemon and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, remove from heat and let stand 8 minutes.  Fluff with a fork before serving.

To Prepare

Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Pinch off pieces of lamb about the size and shape of a ping pong ball and sauté in butter until golden brown on all sides.

Stir in harissa and toss to coat.

Place couscous in bowl and arrange lamb over the top.  Pour some of the harissa butter over the top and serve hot with additional ras el hanout, lemon and mint.

Ras El Hanout is a complex, aromatic Moroccan spice blend.  Most recipes include cardamom, nutmeg, anise, mace, cinnamon, ginger, various peppers, and turmeric, but 30 or more ingredients might be used.

Ras El Hanout’s literal translation from Arabic is “head of the shop,” meaning “the best (or top) of the shop.”

Related Articles
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HELL NO GMO!

/ Ren

Genetically modified foods… are they safe?

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) doesn’t think so. The Academy reported that “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.

Before the FDA decided to allow GMOs into food without labeling, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored.

Related Articles

For more articles and information, please visit OCA‘s Millions Against Monsanto Campaign page or their Resource Center on Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

Garlic-brined Heritage Pork Chop with Red Onion-Apple Salsa (special diet)

/ Ren

Kristina from GirlGoneGrits.com recently reached out to local food bloggers for help in coming up with recipes for the wife of a California gentleman who has been placed on an extremely restrictive diet.

Working from a very short list of allowed ingredients (i.e., chicken or pork but not halibut or tuna,  only 45 grams of carbs/day and no dairy whatsoever), the challenge was to come up with something both highly flavorful and densely nutritional.  Additionally, I wanted the recipe to be both easily sourced and fairly simple to follow..

 

Garlic-brined Heritage Pork Chop with Red Onion-Apple Salsa

 

For the Brine

1 oz (by weight) coarse sea salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican if available)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin (freshly toasted and ground if practical)
1/4 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke (optional)
2 cups filtered water

Place water into a saucepan and heat to a rapid boil.  Remove from heat, add salt and stir until dissolved.  Add remaining ingredients and allow to stand until completely cooled.  Refrigerate until chilled.

For the Chops (allow 1 per person)

8 oz bone-in lean, center cut pork chop (I’m using my favorite Red Wattle chops from Farmhouse Delivery)
chilled brine

Trim chops of most cover fat (diet restriction) and place in a dish or zipper bag along with chilled brine.  If chops are thin, refrigerate 2-3 hours. If thick, refrigerate 3-4 hours.  In either case, turn chops over about halfway through the brining period.  In addition to adding flavor, the brining process will cause the chops to take on as much as 15% water weight, helping to ensure a tender, moist product.

For the Salsa

2/3 cup cored (and optionally peeled) fresh apple, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/3 cup red onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup fresh tomato, cut into 1/2 inch dice (yellow heirlooms are especially nice)
1/2 small jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, torn
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 teaspoon raw cider vinegar
a pinch of sea salt and black pepper to taste
a pinch of unrefined sugar if needed (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

To Prepare

Remove the chops from the brine and pat dry on all surfaces (don’t squeeze).  Allow to stand while you prepare the heat source (outdoor grill or indoor grill pan [easiest]).

Sear meat over medium-high heat until well-marked, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Stand chops on end and place in a 400 degree oven until just done (about 10 minutes for thick-cut chops).  If using outdoor grill, stand chops on end away from flames, cover and finish until just done  (the goal is to allow most of the remaining fat to render and drip away [diet restriction]).

Remove chops from heat and allow to stand a full 5 minutes before serving with the crisp and cool apple salsa.

Sesame-grilled Tombo with Shiromiso-Dashi, Coriander and Red Dulce

/ Ren

Fresh Tombo (pole-and-line-caught US Pacific albacore tuna) is briefly marinated in mirin, ponzu and sesame seed oil before being indirectly-grilled over a roaring wood fire.

Served rare/medium rare with a flavorful broth of white miso and dashi with bits of red dulce, fresh coriander and flecks of rooster sauce, these 1-1/2 inch thick steaks were grilled for just under 2 minutes per side, then rested 5 minutes before plating..

 

Sesame-grilled Tombo with Shiromiso-Dashi, Coriander and Red Dulce

 

Fishery researchers generally agree that the Northwest Pacific albacore population is a healthy stock at the current time. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program considers the North Pacific albacore fishery to be “eco-friendly”, in that there is very little by-catch and no impact on fishery habitat.  Unlike some other tuna species, albacore do not usually swim with dolphins – and for this reason there is not a dolphin-associated albacore fishery anywhere in the world.  Because the catch consists mostly of younger, smaller specimens, Northwest Pacific tombo tend to be much lower in mercury than those caught elsewhere in the world.

Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Chili-Cherry BBQ Sauce

/ Ren

Local (Richardson Farms via Greenling), pastured pork tenderloin fillets are rubbed with a mixture of toasted cumin & coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, garlic and salt, then pan-seared in mesquite-smoked bacon fat.  Served with a BBQ sauce made with red wine vinegar-deglazed pan drippings, crushed dark cherries, stock, tomato paste, chili molido, bay and onions..

 

Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Chili-Cherry BBQ Sauce

 

“The origins of both the activity of barbecue cooking and the word itself are somewhat obscure. Most etymologists believe that barbecue derives ultimately from the word barabicu found in the language of both the Timucua of Florida and the Taíno people of the Caribbean, which then entered European languages in the form barbacoa. The word translates as “sacred fire pit.”

“The precise origin of barbecue sauce is unclear.  Some trace it to the end of the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus brought a sauce back from Hispaniola, while others place it at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century.  References to the substance start occurring in both English and French literature over the next two hundred years.”