Za'atar Crusted Leg of Lamb - Dinner Ideas

Hello readers!I decided to share another dinner idea, My family loves when I make lamb for dinner. It is something that I learned while working at Hi Rise Bread Co, serving a variety of lamb dishes for take out dinner and I got pretty good at it.

a close view of za'atar spice blend 

I love cooking with Middle Eastern spices. And Za'atar ou Zaatar is a wonderfully tangy, herb-forward Middle Eastern traditional spice blend. Za'atar is  very versatile,it can be used on meat,veggies,rice,bread,in dipping oil.. It's a  mixture of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and sumac, and often salt, a centuries-old mixture dating back to the 13th century, at least. What those herbs are and how all those ingredients are proportioned changes from culture to culture and family to family. In much of the Middle East, za'atar recipes are closely guarded secrets, and there are also substantial regional variations. In Jordan, the za'atar is particularly heavy on the sumac, so it looks red. Lebanese za'atar may have dried orange zest; Israeli za'atar (adopted from Arab communities much like the American adoption of salsa) often includes dried dill. But

there are some standards: the most common herbs are thyme and oregano and they make up the bulk of the blend. Marjoram, mint, sage, or savory are also common. You can buy za'atar at a local Middle Eastern Market or at gourmet or spice stores like Penzeys,Christina spices in Cambridge,Ma or at Dean and DeLuca online store.
Give it a try and use some Za'atar in your kitchen, I bet you will like it!

Za'atar Crusted Leg Of Lamb

Ingredients
1- 5lbs to 6 lbs of boneless leg of lamb
3 springs of fresh rosemary leaves picked
5 cloves garlic cut in lengthwise in smaller  pieces
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup za'atar
salt
pepper



How to make it:
preheat oven to 300F
Make incisions into the lamb with a small paring knife.Stuff the rosemary and garlic deep down into the incisions you have made.
Tie the lamb with butcher twine for a more even cook.
Pour olive oil liberally over the lamb and rub in with your hand, sprinkle with salt and pepper all over and rub a good amount of za'atar all over the lamb.
Place the lamb into the preheated oven at 300F for one hour. After one hour lower the oven to 220F and check the lamb every hour basting with the juices from the lamb all over it using a pastry brush.
The total cook time for the lamb will be about 5 - 5:30 hours depending on the size of the lamb and the oven you are using. What we are looking here is a very tender leg of lamb, you can insert a small knife on the top and if you encounter no resistance that means the lamb is ready. Take out the oven. There is no need to rest the meat when cooked this way. Tranfer to a platter slice it and its ready to be served.
For the sides, couscous and roasted cauliflower with wilted arugula or spinach will go really well.
Enjoy,

Pri =)

 Stuffing with garlic and rosemary

Ready for oven! if you have a few extra garlic and rosemary you can place the in your roasting pan as well with the lamb

Lamb already sliced. Unfortunately ,I forgot to take a picture before slicing 

Pan Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomato Chutney

Monday morning, I was working in the kitchen prepping with my husband for a tasting he was going to have at The Water Works Museum a new venue for us. And I know how hard he works and how important this tasting was for him. While he was searing this beautiful black cod for the tasting he was mentioning to another co-worker how much he likes fish and what type of fish he likes and Halibut is on the favorite fish list.
After work when I went grocery shopping.They had this great looking Halibut at Whole Foods and also and pretty good looking cherry tomatoes, so that's how Monday's dinner took its shape. I also wanted to reward my husband for working so hard and since It's been a while I've posted a something savory here, and I decided to share this recipe with you.

Pan Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomato Chutney

Ingredients for the Chutney

1 pint of cherry tomatoes,quartered

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 brown sugar 

1/4 cup red onions, small diced

1/4 cup yellow or red bell pepper, small diced

1/2 Jalapeno, minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon coriander 

a pinch of salt & pepper  

a pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoon of parsley chopped

How to make it

On a sauce pot over medium heat add the rice vinegar and sugar, stir often until it has cooked down to a syrup consistence.

Add the onions,peppers,jalapeno,spices,salt and pepper.Let it cook for 5 minutes and add the tomatoes. Keep stirring frequently  once the tomatoes start to get soft, lower the heat and cook for about 10 more minutes or until it gets thicker like a chuncky jam consistence remove from heat add parsley and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

For the fish

4 6oz to 8oz portions of Halibut 

preheat oven to 350 F

Brush the fish with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper all over.In a large skillet add olive oil in high moderated heat wait until the oil gets hot and the Halibut presentation side down sear for about 3 min or until it gets a golden brown color.Using a fish spatula flip it over cook the other side of the fish for 2-3 min.

And finish the fish in the oven for about 5-6 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145F.Transfer the halibut to plates and topped with chutney

For sides you can do something as simple as roasted potatoes and braised swiss chards with go really well with it.

Enjoy!

Pri =)

pretty cherry tomatoes

You want to add your tomatoes at this point 

Really close to be done

Yum!

And by the way I just heard that we got accepted to work on that venue. Great news!

Roast Chicken - Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Being a chef and to be married to another chef and both working on an upscale catering kitchen. I enjoy to eat,cook and serve a state-of-the-art cuisine and everything that goes with it. But there are also those times when only a big plateful of honestly prepared and simply food will do. And one of the dishes that always bring a smile to my husband's and daughter's face when they ask me what's for dinner,is just a simple perfectly roast chicken with gravy and mash potatoes and veggies.


First find a good chicken, one that has been raised with care. Because chickens are so widely available and inexpensive, we don't often think about where they come from and how they are raised. Unfortunately, today most chickens are cooped up in tiny overcrowded cages and are fed a diet that is heavily added with antibiotics and frequently includes animal by-products. These conditions are unhealthy and stressful for the birds, that produces chickens of compromised integrity and flavor. Organic free-range chickens are raised on organic grain, without antibiotics or hormones, in less confined and more humane conditions, resulting in healthier, tastier birds. Starting with such a bird is what makes a really delicious roast chicken.  Make sure to know the chicken you are buying,look for a farmers market near you. You want to serve the best ingredient you can to you family free of antibiotics and hormones.


Ingredients
1 roasting chicken (mine was about 5 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch of fresh sage,

2-3sprigs of tarragon, leaves picked 

2-3 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves picked

1/2 lemon

6 cloves of garlic, whole
2 tablespoons olive oil,
1 large yellow onion quatered
1 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
1 stalk of celery cut in 2 inch pieces

How to make it 

Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F. Remove the chicken giblets.Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of sage, 1/2  lemon,1/4 of the onion and 3 garlic cloves.Lift the skin of the breast and stuffed with a few of tarragon and oregano leaves.Brush the outside of the chicken with the olive oil or use a misto spray and spray all around your chicken.Sprinkle with salt and pepper and herb de Provence all around the chicken. Tie your chicken keeping the legs closed and wings closer to the body with butcher's twine, this will help to the chicken keep its shape and will cook more evenly.Place the rest onions,garlic,carrots, and celery in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour  to 1 1/2 hours depending on the size of the chicken, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.  Remove the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 8 -10 minutes before slicing . Save the vegetable and the juices in the roasting pan to make your gravy.

For the Gravy: 

 Have 3 cups of chicken broth simmering in a sauce pot, Deglaze your roasting pan with a little splash of wine (or the broth,if you don't want to use wine) add all the veggies and juices from the roasting pan into your pot add two slices of potato or white bread let it simmer for 10 minutes , puree everything together with a stick blender and strain it. 

Adjust the  salt and pepper to  your desirable seasoning and it's ready to serve.

Fluffy Mashed Potatoes and buttered broccolis will be perfect side dishes to go with it.

Enjoy

Pri =)

Get all of your ingredients together 

lift the skin and add tarragon and oregano leaves

Use misto spray or a brush to cover your chicken with olive oil all over it 

Tie your chicken for a more even cook

internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees F

A simple delicious dinner