Posted by Lucy Baker, May 14, 2008 at 1:15 PM
When I was 17, I spent the summer in Italy. After traveling through Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice, I lived with a host family in Sicily for a month. I kept a journal while I was there, and wrote in it religiously every night. A few years ago I found the dairy beneath a pile of books in my childhood bedroom. I thought it would contain a detailed account of my entire trip; instead it was basically one long, exhaustive list of everything I had eaten. I guess I was a food writer before I even knew what it meant to be one.
Today's Cook the Book recipe, excerpted from Wine Bar Food, is for arancini. Here is what I had to say about these delicious, golden-brown bites the first time I had them: "For dinner, they took me to get a 'piccolo arancia [sic]' which is a fried ball of rice with cheese, tomatoes, and meat inside. At first I thought I wouldn't like it, but it was actually wonderful! After that…I had banana ice cream, which was good, but I liked the granita better."
Traditionally a Sicilian dish, this recipe is given a Roman twist with the addition of ground lamb. Perfect for a cocktail party or a casual dinner appetizer, these arancini can be made in advance and frozen for up to a month. Enjoy with a glass of hearty, black current-flavored Nero d'Avola.
Win 'Wine Bar Food'
As is always the case with our cook the book selections, we're giving away five (5) copies away this week to lucky readers. Enter to win here»
Continue reading »
Posted by Lucy Baker, April 23, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients in today's Cook the Book recipe for Grilled Lamb with Salsa Verde, excerpted from the soon-to-be-released Oprah Magazine Cookbook. The lamb marinade is best prepared the night before, and in a pinch, the salsa verde can be made ahead, too. Plus, all those fresh herbs—rosemary, marjoram, tyme, mint, and parsley—lend phenomenal flavor. Not to mention the capers, anchovies, and feta cheese. What better way to celebrate a warm spring evening than with a backyard dinner of tender skewered lamb?
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, April 9, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Until last week I never met a mulligatawny soup I liked. It wasn’t that I hated the ones I was introduced to; it was more that they were watery, wan, and forgettable. Usually they were included as part of some deal at an Indian restaurant. I was torn between feeling sorry for mulligatawny, clinging to its place on the menu for people scared to order anything else, and vaguely disdaining it as an Anglo imposition on the Indian table.
Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe intrigued me, though, because it is made with meat and thickened with chickpea flour. Mulligatawny takes so many different forms that it seems almost silly to group all these soups under one name, but most of them do seem to be chicken based and have nothing to do with chickpea flour. I had to try this version, and I’m very glad I did.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robin Bellinger, April 2, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Although I love dried legumes and pulses more than most non-vegetarians, and although I love the vegetables and meat dishes in An Invitation to Indian Cooking, I tend to avoid the chapter on dals. I think this is because the first dal recipe I ever tried was Jaffrey’s moong dal. “This is North India’s most popular dal,” she writes, “and it is eaten with equal relish by toothless toddlers, husky farmers, and effete urban snobs.” That sounds delightful, right? But it calls for a full tablespoon of turmeric, which was definitely not to my taste. I wonder if my American turmeric is not so great or if it’s my American palate. What do you think?
Recently I had much better luck with her chana dal cooked with lamb. . Chana dal is a hulled and split dal whose grains are a little larger than split peas; it is a member of the chick pea family. In this recipe, it is cooked with so much lamb that it seemed more like lamb stew than a dal to me, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
Continue reading »
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 26, 2008 at 12:00 PM
The following recipe is from the March 26 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
In her cookbook Nigella Express, Nigella Lawson teaches you how to make dishes that are easy to assemble and cook. Her recipe for lamb, olive, and caramelized onion tagine may sound like something you'd order at a restaurant, but it only requires the ability to put all the ingredients in a pan, bring it to a boil, and cook it in an oven for two hours.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 22, 2008 at 3:00 PM
If you're celebrating Easter, you've probably already got plans for tomorrow night's supper, but if not, I've found this recipe, adapted from The River Cottage Meat Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, ideal for a Sunday afternoon. I'm posting it a little ahead of schedule, just in case you want to get to the butcher and grab some lamb shanks. Because you're braising the shanks—a great way to handle a cut that can otherwise be easily overcooked—you've got time to go out and attend church or visit with family while the oven does most of the work. Once the lamb is tender, it's only a matter of finishing the sauce and serving with some appropriate sides. I like this one because I can still do lamb without cooking a very large piece or going through a large amount of fuss to have a taste of this traditional Easter dish.
Continue reading »
Posted by Gina DePalma, March 18, 2008 at 8:30 AM
Eggs are essential ingredients in Italian Easter celebrations, playing a role that extends beyond the huge, elaborately decorated chocolate eggs that decorate every shop window in the weeks before the holiday.
Eggs were a symbol of new birth and renewal for many of the ancient civilizations predating the Christian era, when they were adopted as a representation of the resurrection of Christ. They evolved as part of the traditional Easter feast partly because they were one of the foods originally forbidden to have during Lent. These traditions are still intact today, ingrained in the mind, heart, and stomach; each region of Italy has its own special recipes for consuming eggs on Easter.
Romans are likely to enjoy a light first course of Brodetto Pasquale at their Easter table, the local version of a soup that features eggs as well as lamb, another iconic Easter food.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 27, 2008 at 2:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book is Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson. If you haven't heard of Hopkinson, chances are you aren't English; in Britain, this book was voted the most useful cookbook ever by a group of chefs, food writers, and readers.
Yesterday, czken asked what sides to serve with an Easter leg of lamb, so we figured we'd highlight Roast Chicken's recipe for the main attraction. Oh, and in the book, Hopkinson recommends mashed potatoes as a side dish. (Related: We'll feature a recipe for puréed potatoes with parsley later this week that might work with this dish, too.) Enjoy!
Win 'Roast Chicken and Other Stories'
To give you a taste of how useful this book is, we're excerpting a dish a day this week. Today's follows, after the jump. If that whets your appetite, you can find Roast Chicken on Amazon or enter to win a copy here on Serious Eats.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 2, 2008 at 5:00 PM
You've probably already got dinner plans for tomorrow night,but this one might work if you don't -- or if you want to really impress your Super Bowl party guests. It's adapted from The Art of Simple Food, and you should probably get started on it, oh, about now.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, January 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM
This week's Cartoon Kitchen features Serious Eats' cartoonist in residence Larry Gonick's spin on Yemenite lamb. —Ed Levine
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, December 28, 2007 at 3:00 PM
While kids all over this fair land were spending their post-Christmas/pre-school days playing with toys, I couldn’t keep my head out of the wonderful cookbooks I received. The first one I dove into was the River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whisttingstall. Now, I adore the River Cottage DVD’s I scored last month, which I plundered for a great recipe poblano taco recipe. But the Meat Book isn’t called the Meat Book for nothing. I’d be having none of those great vegetarian dishes. This book explains how to eat pigeon. I’m terribly excited.
I originally wanted to start nice and heavy with a big steak, but I got sidetracked with this incredibly easy lamb chop recipe with all that garlic. Like the roast chicken with 40 cloves, this one shouldn’t work. But all those cloves get sweet as they roast, and the anchovies add an unusual depth. Hugh uses a skillet to sear the meat and then tossed it in a baking dish, but I combined jobs and just used an iron skillet. I didn't notice anything missing from this rich, succulent dish.
Continue reading »
Posted by Jenn Sit, December 28, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Since my friend came back from a trip to Turkey 3 years ago, every time we eat any kind of kebab together, he reminds me of how amazing the lamb kofta was—once he had his first bite of the spiced minced meat doused in bright tangy yogurt and smoky hot sauce, it was all he wanted to eat for the rest of the trip. Each time he tells me about it, I just get jealous and start secretly planning my own trip to this wondrous land of delicious meat and yogurt. Since his return, his Mom has tried to recreate the dish, but it has yet to live up to the kofta of his dreams. I think I’ll send over the recipe I found for lamb kofta from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics and maybe I’ll give it a shot to satisfy my own kofta cravings. It might seem like an unlikely source, but I have faith in the Martha Stewart test kitchens. The recipe is listed as a starter, but I’d also stuff them in a pita with all the extras, especially the yogurt mint sauce. Hopefully, this will satisfy me until I can make it over to Turkey and eat all the kofta and doner kebabs I can get my hands on.
Continue reading »
Posted by Cathy, October 26, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Editor's note: Our friend and Serious Eater Cathy, who praised this week's Cook the Book selection on Monday, is back with thoughts on today's recipe, which ends our dance with Beyond Nose to Tail. But it doesn't have to end there for you. We're giving away copies of the book. Enter to win here. —The Serious Eats Team
Like a great chocolate mousse, this dish is all about the quality of the main ingredient, so I bought a bone-in shoulder from Karen Weinberg of 3-Corner Field Farm. As Fergus Henderson would say, this was a happy lamb.
The recipe couldn't be simpler: peeled whole shallots and garlic cloves, browned in a little oil; a "bundle of joy" (thyme and rosemary sprigs) laid on top, followed by the shoulder; some light chicken stock, a little white wine, and ample salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and park it in a gentle (325°F) oven for about three hours.
The result is fork-tender meat, melting shallots and garlic, and a light yet savory jus. I served it with roasted Golden Nugget potatoes; a salad of wild arugula, romaine, and sherry vinaigrette; and a soft, fruity New Zealand pinot noir.
Next time, I might add a salsa verde or some other sprightly accompaniment. I don't think Fergus would mind.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, May 4, 2007 at 3:30 PM
Like a lot of people my age, the Silver Palate Cookbook became my go-to cookbook when I first started cooking for friends and girlfriends. In fact, the first brunch I ever cooked for my wife featured two recipes from the Silver Palate. Julee Rosso's and Sheila Lukins's recipes are simultaneously sophisticated and down to earth, and—here's the best part—they always work. The lamb chop recipe that follows is one of my favorites from the book.
Continue reading »
