Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat

Butterflied shoulder or leg of lamb marinated in Indian spiced yoghurt

This is simply divine and the spiced yoghurt really makes it so tender and flavorful. Personally I like New Zealand lamb the best, and if you are making it for 6 people, then buy 2 boned shoulders as they have the most flavor.

Serves 4 (if you’re using two shoulders then double the recipe)

About 1 & 1/2 lbs boned leg or shoulder of lamb (Shoulder may have more fat but it has much more flavor)
2 good sized lemons, juiced
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, leaves stripped
1 tbsp salt

8 fl oz natural yoghurt (don’t use low fat yoghurt)
2 fresh red chillies seeded
bunch cilantro (fresh coriander) chopped
3 good sized cloves garlic
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground cardamon

bunch fresh rosemary

Tenderize the lamb by opening it out and rubbing it all over with the lemon juice, 1 tbsp salt and the thyme leaves.
Leave for at least 4 hours then throw away the excessive lemon juice.

Whizz the yoghurt with the rest of the ingredients (except the rosemary) in the food processor to make the marinade.
Rub the marinade all over the meat and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge

Heat the oven to 450F. Put the lamb on a rack over a bed of the fresh rosemary in a roasting pan. If you don’t have a baking rack that fits in the roasting pan, don’t bother, it works fine either way.
Cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked
Leave to rest for at least 20 minutes, covered with foil.
Slice and serve

 

Do-ahead · Egg based · Fish

Crab Quiche

Delicious and light.
Serves 6

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (with 1/2 cup set aside)
1 cup crabmeat, chopped and picked over for any bits of shell
4 eggs
1 & 1/2 cups light cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 tsp chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh crushed garlic to taste ( use 2 cloves)
A 9 inch deep frozen pie crust (defrosted)

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Place the cheese and crabmeat in the bottom of the pastry shell the set aside
Beat the remaining ingredients together thoroughly and pour into the pie shell over the crab. Sprinkle the top with the extra 1/2 cup of grated cheese.
Place on a baking sheet and cook on the lower shelf of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the filling is just set, puffy and golden.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into.

Note  You can also substitute shrimp that is cleaned, peeled, deveined and chopped up

Poultry

Oven fried chicken

This is about as low-fat as you will get for a fried chicken recipe that still retains it’s authenticity and it’s done in the oven with egg whites.

Soaking the chicken in the buttermilk overnight really helps the tenderness of the chicken

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large egg whites, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 oz)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt, divided
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (Cayenne)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano, chile powder, dried sage, basil and marjoram, paprika, onion salt and garlic powder
2 chicken breast halves, skinned (about 1lb)
2 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1/2 lb)
2 chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1/2 lb)
2 tbsp canola oil
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 F
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the egg whites in a shallow dish and whisk well.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper and red pepper, (Cayenne) all the herbs and other seasoning in a separate shallow dish.
Sprinkle the chicken evenly with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Dip the chicken into the egg whites.
Dredge chicken in the flour/cornmeal mixture
Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and lightly coat it with cooking spray.
Bake at 425 F for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is done

Do-ahead · Nuts · Soup

Bobby Flay’s chilled white gazpacho

Very refreshing and luxurious!

1/2 cup lightly toasted almonds
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 & 1/2 cups white seedless grapes
1 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups country white bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 – 3 tbsp verjus (vermouth, champagne vinegar or a medium white wine are all good substitutes)
2 -3 tbsp walnut oil
chopped chives for garnish
toasted slivered almonds for garnish
small, champagne grapes are also lovely for a garnish

Place almonds, pine nuts, garlic, grapes, grape juice, water and bread in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl. Chill the soup for at least 30 minutes.

Remove soup from the refrigerator and fold in the cream to the soup.
Finish with a tablespoon a few tablespoons each of the walnut oil and “verjus”
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish each with chives, almonds and grapes if desired.

 

Asian flavors · Egg based · Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Baked avocado with egg and “miso butter”

This recipe was on a blog I received recently.    http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/
This recipe is so easy, quick, tasty and good for you.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 avocado
2 eggs
sherry vinegar
light miso
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. In order to make more room for the egg and have a tbsp of the avocado flesh for the “miso butter” scoop out 1/2 tbsp of flesh from each half of the avocado.
Slice a little piece off the bottom of each half so they will sit flat on a small aluminum foil lined baking tray.
Season the flesh of the avocado halves and break an egg into each half.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for a soft boiled egg consistency or longer if you like a firmer egg.
Remove from the oven and drizzle some miso butter on the top.

Miso butter

1 tbsp light miso
1 tbsp avocado flesh
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar

Smash avocado until smooth. Add the miso and vinegar and mix until combined and smooth.

The garnish in the photograph is japanese pickled chillies, but you can just sprinkle some parsley or leave it as is.

 

Do-ahead · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Baked gnocchi with pesto and mozzarella

Serves 4    My nephew, Alessio made this and it was extremely successful.
2 1lb packs of ready made gnocchi
1/4 Savoy cabbage, thinly shredded
7 oz ball fresh mozzarella cheese
4 oz gorgonzola cheese, cut into small cubes
3 – 4 tbsp good pesto sauce
juice of half a lemon
1 -2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle
grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Heat the oven to 375 F.
Put the gnocchi in a large pan of salted boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. (be careful not to overcook)
Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a large bowl
Add the cabbage to the gnocchi water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain well and mix with the gnocchi.
Stir through the cheeses and the pesto.
Squeeze over the lemon juice then season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil
Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and cook for 25 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and slightly colored.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Pasta

Orzo with shitakes, caramelized onions and spinach

Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish.

Orzo works really well with Asian flavors and this recipe makes a lot. It’s a great side for a dinner party but you can easily cut it in half.
Thank you to “Fine Cooking” magazine.

Kosher salt
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp  rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
5 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
pinch of dried red chile flakes
6 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 tbsp dry sherry
freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
10 oz fresh spinach, stemmed, washed and coarsely chopped
1lb dried orzo
4 scallions,(white and green parts) thinly sliced
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 lime, cut into small wedges

Bring a large pot of well salted water to the boil.
In a small bowl whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and 2 tbsp of the peanut oil.
Set a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When it’s hot pour in 1&1/2 tbsp of the peanut oil and after a few seconds add the garlic, ginger and chile flakes.
Stir for 20 seconds making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. (or it will go very bitter)
Add the mushrooms and stir fry until they soften, 2 to 3 mins.
Add the sherry and cook for another 30 seconds.
Season with salt and pepper and transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium, heat the remaining peanut oil and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper then saute, stirring often, until the onion is soft and slightly caramelized, 9 to 10 minutes.
Add the spinach, cover the pan and steam, shaking the pan occasionally until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
Remove and discard the garlic from the mushrooms, put the mushrooms back in the pan and toss.
Remove from the heat and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Reserve until needed.
Cook the orzo in the boiling salted water until it’s just tender, about 9 minutes.
Drain it well and put it in a large bowl.
Add the mushroom mixture, soy vinaigrette, scallions and sesame seeds and toss.
taste and season.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with lime wedges to squeeze over the pasta.

 

Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Lemon spaghetti

This is so easy, fresh and tangy. It takes no time to put together and is as good at room temperature as it is hot. It can be served as a carb on the side with a broiled fillet of salmon or chicken or as it is on it’s own.
Thanks to Giada De Laurentiis again!

Serves 6

1lb spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the oil, parmesan cheese and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
Toss the pasta with the lemon juice and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil

 

Fish · Pasta

Salmon cream tagliatelle

This is a recipe from Debbie Cottis in England. It is so simple and is lovely as a small starter for a dinner.
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
4 oz good smoked salmon shredded
4 fl oz dry white wine
10 fl oz heavy cream
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
6 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1lb fresh egg tagliatelle
salt

Het the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Fry the onion gently until softened, around 5 minutes.
Add the smoked salmon and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes
Pour in the white wine, bring to the boil and cook briskly for 1 minutes
Mix in the cream. Mix in the cayenne pepper, paprika and 5 tbsp of dill. Cook, stirring for a further 3 minutes.
Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook until al dente, around 3 minutes; drain.
In a large serving bowl toss together the tagliatelle and the salmon cream sauce.
Sprinkle over the remaining dill and serve at once

 

Fish · Pasta

Spaghetti with grilled shrimp, zucchini and salsa verde

Summer is the perfect time for this recipe.You can BBQ the zucchini and shrimp but I do them on the ridged pan over two gas elements. Like this one below.

Serves 4

Salsa Verde
2/3 cup lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
3 tbsp drained capers
1 large clove garlic
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy paste
a level 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1&1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Rest of the dish
2 tbsp olive oil
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
1&1/4lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined
wooden or metal skewers for cooking the shrimp
3/4lb spaghetti

Put the parsley, capers, garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, mustard, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper into a food processor, Pulse, just to chop, 6 to 8 times. With the machine running, add the 1/2 cup olive oil in a thin stream to make a coarse puree.
Leave this salsa verde in the food processor, if necessary, pulse to re-emulsify just before adding to the pasta.

Light the grill or heat the ridged pan to hot. Brush the zucchini with 1 tbsp of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt.
Grill the zucchini, turning, until just done, about 10 minutes in all.
When the slices are cool enough to handle, cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces and put them in a large bowl.

Thread the shrimp onto the skewers. Brush the shrimp with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
Grill, turning, until just done, about 4 minutes in all.
Remove the shrimp from the skewers, slice them in half horizontally and add them to the zucchini

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes.
Drain. Add the pasta to the grilled zucchini and shrimp and toss with the salsa verde.