Easy and quick oven roasted mustard/herb crusted racks of lamb

August 13, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

Serves 6

These are divine and so easy and quick. For me living in Los Angeles, the best lamb to buy is New Zealand lamb and Trader Joes sell a great rack of lamb, unfrozen and vacuum packed.
Be careful not to overcook the lamb and 25 minutes is the perfect time for me to achieve this color above. I have been known to double the mustard/herb topping
This is a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa and is bulletproof.

1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup good Dijon mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 racks of lamb, “frenched” Trader Joes has already done this for you

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the salt, rosemary and garlic until they’re as finely minced as possible. Add the mustard and balsamic vinegar and process for 1 minute.

Place the lamb in a roasting tin, not too deep, with the ribs curving down and coat the tops with the mustard mixture.
Allow the lamb to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

Roast the lamb for exactly 20 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for medium rare.
Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil
Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve

Accompaniments · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Caprese Dip

March 18, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

Utterly decadent!!

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1&1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup diced fresh basil
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, yoghurt, 1 cup of the Mozzarella, basil, garlic , salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Fold in the tomatoes.
Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of a glass pie plate or nice baking dish.
Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes and serve immediately with crackers, toasts or crunchy Italian ciabatta

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat · Whole30 compliant

Sausages with oregano, mushrooms and olives

January 12, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

I am a self-confessed sausage freak and although this is really simple, it is packed with flavor

Serves 4

1lb your favorite sausages
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, slices
400g can chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
7 fl oz beef stock
4 oz pitted Kalamata olives
1lb mushrooms, thickly sliced

Using kitchen scissors, snip the sausages into meatball sized pieces.
Heat a large pan and fry the sausage pieces on medium low heat in the oil for about 5 – 10 mins until golden all over.

Add the oregano and garlic, fry for 1 minute more, then tip in the tomatoes, stock, olives and mushrooms.

Simmer for 15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a little.
Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta

Gluten Free · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Foolproof slow roast chicken

January 12, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

“So what’s so special about this recipe?” you may be saying. Well, the chicken is very slowly roasted with wine, stock, potatoes and garlic heads in the bottom of the pan for the long duration of cooking. Stunningly flavorful and moist. Just try it

Serves 4

3 – 4lb chicken
butter, for greasing
2lbs roasting potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered, if large (Yukon Golds are great for this)
2 whole heads of garlic, halved through the middle
4 fl oz white wine
4 fl oz chicken stock
2 large stems fresh rosemary, broken into sprigs
6 bay leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat the oven to 275 F . Brush a large roasting pan all over with butter and smear some over the skin of the chicken.

Place the chicken in the tin and arrange the potatoes around it. Put the halved garlic heads in the tin, pour over the white wine and stock, then cover with foil and place in the oven.
Cook for 1 hour then remove the foil and give the potatoes a shake.
Add the herbs and lemon wedges, then cook uncovered for 50 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 425 F. Cook for 30 minutes more, then remove the chicken and potatoes from the pan.
Cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave to rest on a plate for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Keep the potatoes warm.
Serve with any pan juices.

Vegan

A CleanCuisine breakfast

September 6, 2012February 11, 2016 Belinda

Let me explain the thought process behind my “CleanCuisine” series.

I am in my 50’s and start to notice physical changes. (very few I’m happy to see!)
It’s also the time of life when you start “wearing” anything you eat and health issues can start to arise.
I loathe diets as I don’t like to be so “nitpicky” about food so I started researching all the different diets and health benefits like low cholesterol, low sodium, low sugar, low fat, gluten free……..

My husband and I both need to start losing some weight, get our cholesterol and blood pressure down, generally try and do better maintenance and enjoy the next 20 to 30 years to the full. The children are grown and living independently and it’s OUR time.

CleanCuisine is to do with eating food that tastes and feels “clean” ie doesn’t give you that oily or buttery “slick” in your mouth, doesn’t make you wake up feeling lethargic and generally makes you feel good as you eat it. It’s not necessarily vegan or vegetarian, however it may lean that way at times. It must, however feel clean as you eat it.

This picture is one of the delicious breakfasts I have some mornings;

1 nectarine, sliced
1 toasted piece of Rudy’s Ancient Spelt Grain bread (Wholefoods have it and it’s non wheat)
1/2 small avocado, spread on to the toast instead of butter, then seasoned with salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves put on top of the avocado
slices of vine ripened tomatoes on top of the basil leaves, seasoned again with salt and pepper

I forgo the red onion and garlic at breakfast!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry

Roast chicken with basil, lemon, garlic and white wine

September 1, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is the quintessential juicy, tangy, moist roast chicken that you can’t beat.
You can make this for any amount of people, but this recipe serves 4.
You will need to use a good white wine that you will also be drinking, the tougher leaf basil and a good organic, free range chicken, whether it’s a whole chicken cut up or chicken pieces. This is seriously divine with couscous or good bread as there is so much juice, the couscous just soaks it up

6 free range, organic chicken pieces, bone in and skin on
good fruity olive oil
6 – 8 large cloves of garlic,
1 large lemon
a large glass of white wine, (not too sweet)
large handful of basil leaves (about 30)

Season the chicken pieces well on both sides with salt and pepper and put them in a roasting tin.
Pour over enough olive oil to moisten them and make a shallow pool in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Squash the garlic in it’s skin and tuck it in amongst the chicken.
Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and drop in the empty shells too.

Roast for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 400 F.
After the chicken has been roasting for 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven.
Tear up the basil leaves and toss them about a bit with the chicken and pour in the white wine, stirring everything around.
Return the chicken to the oven for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and put the roasting tin over a hot flame and let the wine and juices bubble and reduce a little, (for about 5 minutes) basting the chicken as you do this.

This is also good with lots of good bread as there is so much aromatic, sticky juice to mop up from the plate.

This is seriously divine!!

Gluten Free

Dilled and buttered baby potatoes

August 23, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

Oh my gosh, these are thoroughly addictive, I promise. I made these last night and Ollie, our younger son, couldn’t stop eating them. Who would have thought that fresh dill is so fabulous with potatoes and instead of boiling the potatoes in water, you steam them in butter!!!! Okay, so I don’t do it every day!

Serves 4 to 6 (or in our family 3)

1lb small red or small yukon gold potatoes
1 stick (8 tbsp) sweet butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 good sized bunch fresh dill, chopped (8 tbsp chopped fresh dill, at least) Plus a little extra to toss in at the end

Scrub the potatoes and dry.
Melt the butter in a heavy bottom flameproof dutch oven or pan with a tight fitting lid.
Add the potatoes and chopped dill , season well with the salt and pepper, toss the potatoes in the dill and butter and make sure they are well coated.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 30 t0 35 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally and checking they aren’t burning.
They are done when they can be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Toss the the extra dill and serve at once

24 baby potatoes (baby yukon gold, pee wee, french fingerling or whatever baby ones are around)

Do-ahead · Egg based · Fish

Crab Quiche

August 14, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

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