Easter Lamb Dinner

Today I made a leg of lamb dinner for Easter. I am practicing for an upcoming competition where I have to make an entree featuring leg of lamb, two vegetables, a sauce, a starch, and a garnish (minimum). I am given a limited list of ingredients to work with, which include fresh produce, dairy, herbs, spices, and dry goods. Here is what I came up with yesterday:

• Spice-Crusted Roasted Leg of Lamb (self-butchered)
• Blueberry Red Wine Sauce (sauce)
• Herbed Pommes Duchesse (starch)
• Butter Poached Carrot Curls (vegetable)
• Creamed Asparagus (mystery vegetable)
• Crispy Shallots (Garnish) 

It all turned out quite well and didn't take me too long to do - once I got the lamb meat off the bone. I didn't use recipes for any of it, just techniques I have learned and flavors I know work well together. 

Roasted Asparagus and Butternut Squash Risotto

Roasted Asparagus and Butternut Squash Risotto
olive oil
diced onion
arborio rice
white wine
boiling water
saffron
smoked paprika
ground turmeric
table salt
cracked black pepper
roasted asparagus (seasoned with oil, salt, pepper)
roasted butternut squash (cut into large cubes)
truffle oil
*quantities depend on the total quantity you wish to make and your personal tastes

Heat oil in a wide saucepn over medium heat. Cook onion without browning until transulcent. Add rice and cook for a few minutes to toast. Pour in some wine and cook au sec. Then add the water, a little at a time, stirring until rice absorbs almost all the liquid. Then add more until rice is cooked to desired tenderness. Season to taste. Ensure the asparagus and squash are hot and stir them in, taste and adjust seasonings. Finish with truffle oil.

This is an upscaled risotto recipe I cooked for a crowd. I wanted to make it vegan, but didn't have any vegetable stock on hand. I discovered using water works as long as you season the dish well. The saffron, tumeric, and squash add a nice orange color. You could of course use whatever vegetables tickle your fancy, but I like the combo of these too. The saffron and truffle oil can be expensize so they can be omitted, but they really help to upscale this meatless dish.

Cream Of Asparagus Soup

Cream of Asparagus Soup
1 Tablespoon oil
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends cut off, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 small white onion, medium dice
water to cover
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
ground ginger, to taste
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1 can (370mL) evaporated milk (I used 2%)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and asparagus and sweat over low heat, covered, without browning for about ten minutes until vegetables are slightly softened, but still vibrant. Add enough water to just cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Stir in some seasonings. Simmer until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Blend the mixture, use a blender that can hold hot liquids for a really smooth texture or a handheld immersion blender. Gradually stir in the milk while blending. For a really smooth texture, pass the blended soup through a sieve or chinois. You can make this soup as smooth as you'd like or keep some texture in it. You can also reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Bring the soup back to a boil, adjust seasonings, and stir in lemon juice. Once reboiled, this thick soup will burn or curdle easily so it is best to serve immediately or keep at a very low simmer. 

If you want a green soup, you have your choice of cream of broccoli or split pea, or this cream of asparagus soup, which is a combination of the two preparation techniques. It is prepared much in the same way as cream of broccoli, but is thicker and a less vibrant green like split pea soup. I just used the skills I learned from my soup course to make up this soup. Adjust the seasonings as you wish, I like the hint of ginger but you could spice things up with some cayenne, fenugreek, or whatever you wish. Use as much or as little as you wish. I used the juice of half a lemon, which adds a little taste but not too much tang. You can substitute whipping cream for the evaporated milk, which will make a heavier, richer soup, but evaporated milk imparts a similar texture with less calories and fat. This recipe makes about half a liter, enough for 4-6 small appetizer servings or 2-4 larger main course servings. 

Steamed and Sautéed Vegetables

Here are the vegetable side dishes I made for the supper. They aren't really anything special - I kept the vegetables simple to go with the main courses. I made steamed asparagus, sautéed porcini mushrooms, and sautéed julienne of carrots and red onion. Steaming is my favorite way to prepare asparagus - a tender, delicate vegetable whose flavor should be allowed to shine and not mask. I also think the beautiful stalks should be served whole. Grilling or griddling asparagus also works quite well, but cooking methods such as sautéeing and boiling are tricky with whole asparagus and do not allow the flavor to shine through as well. 

I chose a different type of mushroom than what we usually get - the standard button mushrooms. There isn't a huge flavor difference, and like button mushrooms, I like to sauté the mushrooms for a fairly long time, beginning with high heat to sear them and then turning the heat to low to caramelize them. I often add in onions with the mushrooms and garlic is a good addition as well.

The julienne of carrots and red onions were leftover from my garnish for the salmon en papillote. I just very quickly sautéed them up to add color to the vegetable plate and served them on the side. They did not take long to cook at all because they are a small, thin cut.

I served these vegetables with the roasted carrot coconut sauce, but other than that they only need a dash of salt and pepper, and maybe a dab of butter to flavor them.

Salmon Al Fresco

I try to feature as many different things as I can on this blog, and I know I have featured salmon before, but salmon is one of my favorite foods, especially during the summertime when it can be barbecued! We had salmon for supper tonight, prepared in our favorite way: barbecued on maple planks with just a touch of brown sugar. Delicious! We also had some fresh steamed asparagus, rice, and a stir-fry with broccoli, onion, carrots, and mushrooms. We ate supper outside, or al fresco, as the Italians would say. This is not to be confused with antipasto, which is the Italian word for, before the meal, and refers to an appetizer (I actually mix these two up quite a bit). This was the first time this year, and we ate at our table in our gazebo, which was recently set up, to keep the bugs and the sun out. We don't eat outside very often, as the weather never seems to be quite right for dining; it's either too hot, or too cold, or too windy, or raining. I really enjoy eating outside though, I find it quite relaxing, and when your meal is barbecued, there is less transportation needed! While I was outside, I also picked some fresh rhubarb from our little patch, and I will bake with it soon and be sure to share the outcome with you!

Pan Fried Haddock, Asparagus, & Sweet Potato Fries

This was tonight's delicious supper. It is incredibly simple, yet tasty. Just dredge some haddock fillets in some flour, dip in beaten egg, coat with breadcrumbs and pan fry. Slice a few sweet potatoes into wedges, add some oil, salt, and pepper, as desired, and bake at 350◦F - 425◦F for 30-60 minutes, until desired crispness. Cook up some fresh asparagus spears to go with it, and you've got yourself a marvelous supper! Not difficult at all. I particularly enjoyed this meal because I am a huge fish fan, I really enjoy sweet potatoes, especially as a change from the standard white potatoes, and I love in-season vegetables such as asparagus. Bon appetit!