Rack of Lamb with Pan gravy

You know those days when your significant other is just in a BAD MOOD???  That never happens right?   Well, I probably have one of the best husbands, BUT when he is in a bad mood....OH BOY!  The world (and I do mean the whole world!) is NOT a happy place. YIKES!!!  (yes honey, that be you!)  I know you're thinking  "Shelley, Just what did you do to upset him?" and guess what??  It wasn't me this time...!!  There is a first for everything!

As you may have noticed, there was no blog post yesterday....why?  Because someone was a bad and sad camper and cooking was out of the question.  So I when the going gets tough....the tough go grocery shopping! (Ummmm yeah...Like I needed more STUFF) but I did get fabulous produce and a few other fantastic things.  And it didn't hurt to be away from home for a couple hours!!

But by today, I was done with the grumpster.  I decided I could engage in a war....which I would not have won (well...maybe) OR I could cook a fantastic meal and see if I could SQUEAK out a better outlook!

I found a rack of lamb in the freezer....I LOVE LAMB (see Easter post for Leg of Lamb, for another lamb dish- under April archives) and Rack of lamb is fantastic, easy and cooks quickly (and you thought you couldn't have rack of lamb on the weeknights).  I paired it with a killer gravy, a glass of Pinot Noir (cause wine couldn't hurt in easing the bad mood right?), roasted onions with potatoes and lemon roasted asparagus (see asparagus post in April archives)

That should get ANYONE out of a funk and into a food frenzy!  It worked. Boy did it work.!  If you know the hubster, he is not a foodie.  He prides himself on NOT being a foodie....and insists that food is just a means to survival.  Ummm. RIGHT.  He has claimed that for 28 and a half years.  But tonight through dinner he thought the gravy was so good that it was BETTER than the rack of lamb, which he loved...But he said he would have been happy with Potatoes, gravy and asparagus!!  When he started drinking the gravy off the LADLE he said "I am ashamed!" - then he licked his plate....LOL  THAT NEVER HAPPENS! (yeah...got the pic)

He is in a good mood, my weapon worked and he has exclaimed he is now a "foodie" - AWWW, Sweet success!

I hope you enjoy it as much as he did.

Rack of lamb with Pan Gravy
WW points/ Calories dependant on Quantity (we ate about 6 oz each)

1 Rack of Lamb (mine was in two 4 bone pieces), trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons (or so) fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 tablespoons (or so) fresh thyme, chopped fine
1 tablespoon mince garlic (I used jarred....I know, but it's a weeknight)
salt and pepper....about a half teaspoon each

Pinot Noir to drink....and to use for gravy - If you are not going to drink it...use some port or other red you have...just make sure it's a good wine!  and let's say it together...NO COOKING WINE FROM THE VINEGAR AISLE!

Gravy
Pan Drippings
Wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
1-1/2 cups beef broth, strong (use "better than bullion - Beef" I beg you)
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
a few tablespoons cold water
Dried thyme

Preheat your oven to 425 Degrees (if you have convection, use it)

If you are roasting potatoes, get them in the oven now.

Make paste:  Add rosemary, thyme garlic, salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil (about a tablespoon) and mash together.  I used a mortar and pestle:

Rinse, Dry and salt and pepper the rack (s)

In an oven proof pot or skillet, heat dry pan until very hot.  Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil.  When oil is shimmering add the rack thick side down.  Sear until there is a great brown crust.  Turn over and sear the other side, then sear the sides of the rack. 

Turn off heat, put in a probe thermometer and coat the rack(s) with the herb mixture.  I use strips of foil to cover the bones so they don't burn (it's not a good look) but it's up to you.

Put into the hot oven and roast until the thermometer reads about 145 degrees (it will rise at least 10 degrees upon resting) for medium - and 5-10 degrees more for a bit more well....This only takes about 20 minutes so get your asparagus prepared and stir your potatoes (if roasting).

Remove the rack from the oven when desired temperature is reached.  Remove the racks to another plate or platter and let rest. This picture shows all the steps, but DON'T carve until table side ready to eat.

FOR GRAVY

Put the pot on top of the stove...there will be some fat and burnt bits.....get pot a bit hotter on stove top and add wine.  I would tell you the quantity, but I didn't measure.  JUST pour (I would bet it's about a half a but to 2/3 cup) - Now the wine will bubble - scrape up any bits, burned stuff, etc.....and cook the wine a bit. If it looks like it's evaporating too fast, add more wine.  Then add  the beef broth and bring to a boil again.  Mix the flour with the cold water until a smooth paste forms.  Add four to pan whisking constantly.  TASTE.  You may need more wine, salt, pepper and I added a bit of dried thyme (crush it between fingers to release the flavor).  Continue to stir until thick.

Carve table side and serve with gravy and other side dishes. 

The result?  A tender, flavorful rack of lamb with an easy but delicious gravy.  Unfortunately, you may need to save a lot of calories/points for dinner because portion control will go out the window ( yeah...I blew it ). The dish is worth it.  Save this as the token offering for a that grumpy person in your life....it works!..

From my home to yours, Enjoy

Pita sandwich with Yogurt Sauce

Birthday is over .....Thank goodness. 

For me, birthdays are not all that fun....I fall into a weird kind of BLAH mood (usually in the evening) and I have NO IDEA WHY!!  Tom hates it (so do I) and next year he is threatening not to come home on my birthday....oops!  Sorry dude.....

Anyway, as you can imagine, I have some left-over lamb.  But let's face it...who is interested in reheated slices of lamb just sitting on a plate? BORING and definitely NOT appealing.
So what to do with it?

Then it hit me...LAMB Pita's!!!  But there was a problem.  I didn't have any Tzatziki Sauce.  It was too late to make my own and didn't want to go to the store.  But in order to have authentic Pita's there MUST be a yogurt sauce.  I'm sure you agree with me.  It would not be the same without it.

So I set out to make a yogurt sauce that was flavorful and Middle Eastern tasting.  I started with the ONLY kind of plain yogurt I eat, which is Greek Yogurt.  Now...there are many different kinds of plain yogurt...but NONE are as thick and creamy as Greek yogurt.  When cooking with it...either, Indian, Middle Eastern, or Greek and the like, it must be Rich and Creamy, WITHOUT THE FAT.  Buy fat free.  You will never think "uggg....this is NON FAT".

I use FAGE brand (pronouned FAY-EH), but this time I got some Brown Cow Brand - YUMMM better than FAGE!!

For this recipe you will need:

Pita pockets

Yogurt sauce (see below)

Cooked lamb OR chicken (or any meat you want)

Brown Gravy

Sliced Persian cucumbers

feta cheese

To make the sauce you have to go by taste.   I really didn't measure:

About a cup of yogurt (this makes a lot of sauce so if making for 2, try only 1/2 cup)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

zaatar seasoning

Sesame seeds (optional)

Salt and pepper

Fresh lemon juice and zest

I added the garlic to the yogurt, then added as much zaatar seasoning as I liked (estimate about 1-2 tablespoons), extra sesame seeds (zaatar has some), salt and pepper (not too much) - TASTE.  Then Zest some lemon peel (just a bit) and squeeze fresh juice, to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary and set aside.

As you know, I had Lamb already cooked from Easter.  But IF I didnt have any pre-cooked lamb, I would have sauteed up some ground lamb.  If you don't like Lamb try ground or cooked chicken - this would be fantastic too!   I diced the lamb very small, as you can see:

Isn't that a SEXY KNIFE in that photo???  I LOVE MY KNIVES!!  OK.   I'm over it.

I used my left over gravy from the roast I made...but all you have to use is packaged brown gravy (and yes, use brown gravy even if you are making the pita with Chicken).  In a small sauce pan, make up the gravy and remove it to a bowl or gravy boat.  Don't bother cleaning your pot...add meat.  Pour in enough gravy to make the meat yummy, moist and rich - heat until just hot and set aside.

We have talked about Pita's before.  If you missed the homemade Pita chip post.....go into the archives and check it out.  But to reiterate, go to Valley Produce Market (if you are near to one) to buy your pitas...they are better and WAY cheaper than the normal market - plus its an absolutely fantastic store.

I just sliced off the tops...about a third down and carefully opened it up to form the pocket. Set aside.

Now for the cucumber, otherwise known as cukes.  I LOVE CUKES.  I grow them, eat them as snacks, pickle them, and serve them as a side dish.  No ceviche, salad, or pita sandwich is complete without them.  But the "regular" ones are just OK and problematic... The skin has to come off and they have so many seeds...then you have to seed them...blah, blah, blah.....and after all that, they may be bitter and not even taste good.  Who the heck wants that???  But now there are so many choices!  Buy the varieties called Baby, Persian, English, Snackers or Hot House. These varieties are almost seedless and burpless (yes, thats an official cucumber term) and the skin is the best part - dont take the skin off!  I have never grown or bought a bitter tasting Persian cuke....NEVER.  SOOO...where do you buy these gorgeous little bites of summer?  They should be in every market.  The least expensive place is Sprouts, Valley Product Market, Trader Joe's. or Walmart Superstore.

I used two of these little guys and slice them up (1 for each sandwich):

Now it's time to assemble:

Smear the yogurt sauce into the pita (I used about a 1/4 cup), layer in the cukes, add Feta cheese (as much or as little as you want) now it's time for the meat add about 4-5 ounces of meat with Gravy and VOILA!  you  have a fantastic little sandwich!!

For WW peeps...I figured the Pita, yogurt sauce, 5 oz of meat with gravy, 1 oz of  feta, and cukes was around 12 points.  Not the lightest sandwich in the world, but it could be worse! I keep lots of points for dinner so it was OK for me.

This was filling, delicious and really authentic tasting.

From my home to yours, ENJOY!!

Greek Style Leg of Lamb with Pan Sauce

I am not sure what it really feels like to be "HIT BY A MAC TRUCK",  But this morning I felt like I was,  indeed, hit by ONE.    So much to do for Easter.  Cleaning, shopping, and prepping!  And that's before dinner is even CLOSE to being made.  WHEW!  It was all go, go, go until 11 PM...then blissful bed time.  But 4 AM is a hideous hour and it came far too fast today.  YEP, I was trashed!! 

Let's talk about what I WASN'T thinking last week.....why didn't I take today OFF????  DOH!   Someone needs to remind me of my age next holiday!

I was telling you last week I decided on Lamb for dinner.  I wanted a beautiful, large leg of lamb.  One that was whole with the entire bone in tact.  But where to find one?  In the regular Markets there are boned leg of lamb, butterflied leg of lamb, half leg of lamb with the bone in and lamb shanks (the top part of the leg), but NO WHOLE LEGS.  We found nothing in our search so it was off to Bob's Country Meats for a gorgeous, whole, fresh, albeit expensive, lamb leg.  I WAS EXCITED!

I researched preparations for Greek, Middle Eastern and Indian preparations.  I quickly decided that Indian was out.....excellent I am sure, but likely not the biggest crowd pleaser.  Middle Eastern looked good, but it was the Greek preparation that drew me in.  The Greeks stud their leg of lamb with TONS of sliced garlic cloves, then drench it in fresh squeezed lemon juice.  So as fascinated as I was, I found myself thinking wow, sounds great but maybe just a bit simple.  So I found a recipe for fresh herb paste which i felt would go with the lemon and garlic, then a pan sauce that complimented the entire preparation.

The result was a delicious, perfect lamb roast which was tender, rich with a touch of bright acidity from the Lemon.  The pan drippings were turned into a sauce that perfectly complimented this roast!

The Leg of Lamb was HUGE:

What you see here is the finished product of my trimming skills.  Leg of Lamb like this comes with a tough membrane around the meat with a good amount of fat.  I pulled off all the membrane and cut away most of the fat leaving enough to keep the meat tender.

I don't know if you can see the slits. Inside of those slits are sliced garlic cloves - a lot of them!!  I used almost a whole head of garlic (probably 20 or more cloves, sliced).

It's time to squirt lemon juice over the whole leg.  I use a citrus squeezer - they are the best and easiest to use.  I tried everything before I went to the squeezer and this is just so convenient and easy (especially with my arthritis in my hands.  I can do 3-4 lemons in NO TIME, with no pain.  Check out a fantastic squeezer at Amazon, in my favorites to the right of this blog.  That's the one I am going to get once this one breaks!!

Squeeze the juice of two lemons all over the leg (if your leg is smaller than 8 lbs, use one lemon) and sort of rub in into the meat, without disturbing the garlic pockets.

Lightly salt and pepper the meat.  Cover with Plastic wrap (aluminum foil doesn't like lemon juice) and refrigerate over night.  The next day take roast out and let it come to room temperature, if possible (this is not a not necessary).

Just before baking, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and make a fresh herb crust:

6 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
6 tablespoons chopped fresh Rosemary
6 large garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper, cracked or hand ground
6 tablespoons of olive oil
( this recipe is from The Complete Meat Cookbook, by  Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly)

Put it all in the food processor:

Process until this is a Bright green kind of loose paste.  Cover the whole roast (every nook and cranny) with the paste:

Affix roast with a meat thermometer (I use one with a probe that sits on the counter so I can constantly see the temperature.  Cover with Aluminum Foil and put in the middle of your oven at 350 degrees.  I happen to have a convection oven - it's not necessary but I like to use it with meat this large. It helps the heat to be distributed a bit more evenly so if you have one, I would recommend using it.

After one hour, remove the aluminum foil from the roast and pour in about 3 cups beef broth to keep meat moist (and to help make gravy. Continue to roast until temperature you desire is reached (if broth dries up in the oven, add some hot water or additional broth.

NOTE: Many people love RARE leg of lamb.  I don't.  I like mine about a few degrees west of medium, so I roasted this until the temp read 160 degrees.  Since this leg was 11 lbs, it took approx. 3 hours. But feel free to play with temperatures and serve the lamb to your liking.  I let the lamb rest for about 15 minutes on another platter.  The roast rose 8 degrees during that time - perfect for me.  The roast was a bit more than medium, but still pink at the bone.

I used the Pan sauce recipe, from the same book

2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
a bit of butter (optional)
salt, pepper
but added my additions:  Cream or half and half and the possible addition of a roux for thickening (flour and water mixed till thick)  I needed to use the roux.

Pour off fat leaving pan drippings and juice.  Bring roasting pan juices to a boil.  Add garlic and cook about a minute.  Add wine and boil on high until reduced by half, scraping up bottom of pan.  Add stock and thyme and boil until sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Whisk in the mustard and add salt and pepper to taste.  If the sauce is too thin, mix a little flour (2 tablespoons maybe) with a some water to thick paste and add by drop-fuls into gravy and whisk to desired thickness.  Add cream or half and half to taste and add a bit of butter, if desired.

Your lamb is ready to be carved and crowned with that beautiful sauce...

From my home to yours, ENJOY!