I still had leftover herb roasted rack of lamb and potatoes from dinner the other night and wanted to change it up a bit for lunch today.
I have a box of couscous in the pantry and some feta cheese so they were going to be the perfect combination. I basically followed the cooking instruction from the box but I tweaked the seasoning a bit. Boil 1-1/4 C. water with 1/4 cube of chicken bouillon. Then add 1 C. couscous and 2 T. butter and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-8 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.
I removed the ribs from the lamb and thinly sliced the meat and drizzle with the port-wine sauce. Serve with the roasted potatoes and couscous topped with the feta cheese crumbles. Ta-dah...lunch is served!
OK, I admit it...I'm officially a slacker! :( I can't believe I didn't post any recipes for the whole month of April.
In an attempt to make it up to myself and some friends who've been asking about new posts, I decided to try something I've never made before - roasting a whole rack of lamb. I personally am not a big fan of lamb. Although I did remember tasting the roasted rack of lamb (that hubby ordered) from Ulysses Voyage at The Grove's Farmers Market in Los Angeles and it was delicious. The meat was cooked perfectly (I prefer medium-rare) and it didn't have a strong gamey taste, which is what I dislike about lamb.
My hubby, on the other hand, loves lamb. Since he's been feeling under the weather for the last few days I decided to surprise him with a dinner date in our back patio on Saturday (yes, I'm the romantic one in the relationship).
I was a bit intimidated with the idea of roasting a rack of lamb so I browsed the internet for recipe ideas. Surprisingly, I found out that it's not as complicated as I had imagined. But, since this was my first time, I decided to use a simple herb seasoning. I'm proud to say it came out tasty, tender, and juicy...and the best part of all, hubby's tummy's happy!
Ingredients
8-bone Rack of Lamb
Sea salt
Black pepper
Granulated garlic powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 sprig Rosemary (crushed)
1 T. Thyme
Cooking instruction:
1. Place rack of lamb in a roasting pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides of lamb. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle Rosemary and Thyme. Rub all over lamb to make sure it's all coated well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. When you're ready to roast the lamb, preheat oven to 400 F.
3. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Sear the rack of lamb until brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer lamb back into roasting pan, bone side down. Cover with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 12-18 minutes, depending on how you like the meat cooked. With a meat thermometer, take a reading of the center of the meat about 10-12 minutes into cooking.
Note: Allow internal temperature to be 5 to 10 degrees less than you like because the meat will continue to cook while it sits. Bloody rare: 115 to 125 F; Rare: 125 to 130 F; Medium rare: 130 to 140 F; Medium: 140 to 150 F.
5. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes before carving between the ribs. Serve with your favorite side dish - I made roasted potatoes and carrots because that's what I had. Mashed potatoes and/or asparagus would make great sides also.
Port-Red Wine Reduction Sauce
1 C. red wine
3/4 C. port wine
1 sprig Rosemary
2 T. chilled butter
Sea salt
Black pepper
Cooking instruction:
1. Place Rosemary sprig, red wine, and port wine in a hot sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Add chilled butter and stir until melted.
3. Add salt and pepper before serving.
During my freezer raid, I discovered a package of Jimmy Dean Premium Hot Sausage. I went to Jimmy Dean's website to see if they have any recipes online and I was surprised to find they have tons of them! So I browsed through the sausage recipes and Jimmy Dean Sausage Couscous Croquettes caught my eye. I've made croquettes in the past and I'm familiar with making them with potatoes. This recipe gives a Mediterranean twist by using couscous instead of potatoes and cumin as the main spice. They make great appetizers and actually take less time to make since you don't have to boil and mash potatoes. If you don't feel like frying, just stop at cooking instruction #3 (minus the eggs) and you'll have yourself a delicious couscous side dish.
Makes about 20 croquettes
1 pkg. Jimmy Dean sausage (regular flavor or hot)
2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 C. chicken broth or water
1 C. couscous (uncooked)
1/2 C. onion (finely chopped)
1/4 C. parsley (finely chopped)
2 eggs (lightly beaten) - I used 3 eggs because the mixture was too try
1/8 - 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
3/4 C. dry breadcrumbs - I used panko
Vegetable oil for frying
Cooking instruction:
1. In large saucepan, cook sausage over medium high heat, stirring frequently until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.
2. Stir in broth, cumin, cayenne and couscous; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
3. Stir in parsley and onion; adjust seasonings to taste. Add beaten egg; stir well.
4. Moisten hands with water and mold cooled sausage mixture into 20 small logs. Roll in breadcrumbs.
5. To cook: in a wok, Dutch oven or fryer, add oil to a depth of 3 inches; heat to 375 F. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels.
