Lamb Barley Soup

Lamb Barley Soup for 10:

2 lamb fore-shanks

2-lb lamb neck bones

3 Spanish onions

5 carrots

5 celery stalks

3 large garlic cloves

1 bottle red wine

2 quarts chicken stock

¼-cup vegetable oil

2 cans Muir Glen Whole peeled tomatoes (strained)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ -cup flat parsley

Last Monday, a friend came to Darien from Cooperstown, New York.  He brought a whole lamb for me, straight from a USDA approved slaughterhouse. All dressed out, it weighed 29 pounds.

The first cuts involved removing the head and the front- and hindquarters.  It quickly became obvious that the yield would be limited.  In my estimation, the animal would have been more useful at 40-lbs.  But it was my job to maximize the opportunity that its life was to provide by celebrating every ounce of it on my menus.

The easiest decision was to create a center-of-the-plate celebration with the chops.  Instead of splitting the chops down the backbone, I left it intact.  I cut the loin chops, connected two to each other and did the same with the rib chops.  The result was that they looked like a butterfly with wing extensions.  The rib chops (for five orders) had wonderful frenched bones.  The loin chops (for three orders) were smaller and more compact, resembling mini-porterhouse cuts.

The rest of the meat and bones from the main carcass and neck were braised with onions, celery, carrots, chicken stock and red wine.  The stock was then made with all of the cleaned bones from the braise, together with the broth and more mirepoix.

In Sag Harbor, we celebrated the fire shanks and hindquarters as tacos, roasting each cut on its own and then shredding all of the meat and reserving the bones for stock.  In addition to the legs, we also had the head at the Little Kitchen.  It was roasted with the last leg and cleaned for the soup.  Then, we used the same procedure that we used in Darien’s Estia’s American to create the stock.

To finish the soup, we roasted 4 cups of Muir Glen whole-peeled tomatoes for 30 minutes at 350°F.  Then, we cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces.  In a saucepan, we boiled 1 quart of water and then added 2 cups of raw pearled barley.  We let it simmer until it began to soften (5 minutes).  The barley was then strained.

In a large soup pot, we combined 3 cups of mirepoix and 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic with  ¼-cup of vegetable oil.  It was placed on a medium flame for 5 minutes and stirred occasionally.  Then, we added 2 cups of red wine and 2 quarts of lamb stock, bringing it to a simmer.  It was then followed with the tomatoes and all of the meat that was left over from other meals and from cleaning the roasted and braised second cuts (neck bones, lower ribs, etc.).  The mixture was stirred until it began to boil, and then was reduced to a simmer.  At that time, the pearled barley was added.

At this point, the meal is ready to serve.  However, it is better to remove the meal from the stove, place in a shallow pan and chill overnight.  By doing so, the soup can be cleaned of fat the next day, seasoned with salt and cracked pepper and finished with ½-cup of chopped flat parsley.

Golden Globe's Salad with Roasted Cod

On the night of the Golden Globes, you might want a thinning dish that is easy to serve as the parade of dresses gets underway during the pre-show red-carpet extravaganza.

This recipe serves four as a spa style entree.

Cod roast:

1-lb filet of cod

2-Tbs butter

¼-cup water

Pinch of salt

This dish is set up to be organized in advance.  You can start at 2 p.m. and hold it in the fridge.  About 20 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Add two tablespoons of butter and ¼-cup of water to a pan with the filet of cod.  Then season with salt and place the pan in the oven.  When the fish is cooked to your liking, you can plate over the salad. 

For the sauce:

(2/3 of the mixture will be used as salad dressing, 1/3 over the cod)

2 eggs

½-cup grapefruit juice

¼-cup vegetable oil

1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger

1 small jalapeño

1 clove garlic

1-Tbs agave syrup

A pinch of salt

Start by grating the ginger, jalapeño and garlic together.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and then add ½ of the vegetable oil.

Bring a small double boiler to a simmer and add ½ of the grapefruit juice.  Then add the egg and oil mixture.

Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  As it thickens, add the rest of the oil and the juice.  Stir for a minute or two and remove from the flame.

Add the ginger, jalapeño and garlic mixture. Stir together and refrigerate.

For the salad:

Shred:

1 head romaine

1 head radicchio

1 red pepper

½ piece papaya, save ¼ for later

½ red onion

Heart of celery

½-cup cilantro

Toss salad with ¾ of the dressing, reserve the remaining dressing to finish as a sauce for the cod.

To plate:

Thinly slice the remaining papaya and one avocado and fan both out on all plates.  Then place one cup of salad on each plate partially over the papaya and avocado.  Top this with a piece of roasted cod.  Finally, finish the cod with a spoonful of the remaining dressing and serve.

Chicken with Green Beans

Iacono is a family run chicken farm on the edge of the village of East Hampton.  I stopped in today to visit with Anthony Iacono and his mother, primarily to place an order for six chickens.  I will use them on February 20th as I prepare a dish to be served among several other chefs’ work at a benefit for my friend Gerry Hayden.

The dish will be called Iacono Albondigas in consommé. The chicken meatballs will be served in espresso cups with the Estia logo on it, floating in the clarified broth with a corn tortilla skewered into it like a toothpick.

The fact that we can celebrate Gerry is important to me.  He's been a close friend for 20 years.  I can't imagine his challenge facing A.L.S., but he's doing it with grace and fortitude.  His charity, Hayden's Heroes, has been successful raising funds and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  This evening will be for him.

Chicken and Green Beans

3 shallots

½-pound green beans

1 celery stalk

Salt

Fresh thyme

1 free-range chicken (3 ½-lb)

I was able to use their chicken in another way today.  Jessica is on a Scarsdale diet.  For Thursday, it calls for Chicken and Green Beans.  This is an all-in-one cooking approach, only a small pan and a spit needed.

Start with ½ -cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add 3 shallots quartered, ½-pound green beans snapped and 1 celery stalk chopped.  Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes and then strain.  Now add ½-tsp salt and ½-tsp of fresh thyme.

Place the chicken on a cutting board and stuff the vegetables in the bird.  Then place the bird on the spit.  I have found that it helps to fold the extra skin over the stuffing and then run the spit through the bird to hold the stuffing inside.  Season the bird with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bird on the rotisserie and turn occasionally for an hour and 15 minutes.  Remove from the flame and let it sit for ten minutes.

When plating for the Scarsdale diet, attempt to remove as much skin as possible.  (Personally, I'll be loving the skin).

Garlic & Ginger-Studded Rotisserie Pork Loin

The Ambrose sisters and their sunny mother have returned from eight days on the southeastern coast of Florida, primed for another semester.  Their call came in at 11:30 a.m. reporting a safe landing at JFK.  "What's the plan for dinner? " they asked.  I responded “pork loin” and the plan is made.

First stop is the butcher at Schavoni's in Sag Harbor.  I asked for a nice fatty pork loin for six.  They cut and tied a 5-lb piece:  bring on the visitors!  Four-pounds would have been enough for my family but this piece will provide nicely for lunch on Sunday as well.

Tonight, I'll support the pork with steamed spaghetti squash and green beans sautéed with Cinque Organic Olive oil and garlic.  A nice baguette and butter will balance the table.

With the exception of the bread and butter, this meal should fit all of my daughters’ nutritional targets with a few calories to spare.

Recipe will serve 6:

For the pork loin:

Allow 3 hours for prep to service.

1 head garlic, remove cloves and slice into thirds. Save 3 cloves for beans.

1 knuckle of fresh ginger, cut to same size as garlic cloves, equal amount.

½-cup of salt mix: kosher salt, ground white salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin-red pepper

4-lb pork loin

Start the fire well in advance if you plan to cook this over coals.  Plan on at least 1-½ hours to cook.  Have a thermometer handy and make it a goal to reach 140°F prior to removing from the spit.  Then allow the pork loin to rest for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing.

To stud the pork loin, use a steak knife or paring knife to poke holes on the fat side of the loin.  Now fill each hole with a piece of garlic or ginger.  When all the garlic and ginger is used, season the loin with all of the salt mix.  Allow the pork loin to rest at room temperature for an hour as the coals build.

For the squash:

1 spaghetti squash (6 to 8 inches long)

3-Tbsp good quality olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F

Split the squash from top to bottom.  Remove the seeds and place cut side down in a casserole dish.  Add 1 cup of water and the oil.  Then place in the heated oven, wrapped in tin foil.  (Place in the oven once the pork loin has begun to spit and sizzle).  Plan to remove the squash when you remove the pork from the spit.

Using a kitchen towel and a large kitchen spoon carefully shred the squash from its shell and return to the casserole retaining all left over juices.

Sautéed green beans and garlic:

1-lb fresh green beans, snapped

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

3-Tbsp good olive oil

Finally, sauté green beans and garlic.  Place a large sauté pan on the stovetop over a high flame.  Add the oil and garlic first.  As the garlic Carmelites, add the green beans and stir constantly for two minutes.  Then add the contents of the sauté pan to the casserole with the squash.  Keep the dish hot in a warm oven as you slice the pork.  Serve all on warm plates.