Roasted Lamb with Lavender + Rosemary Salt

Lamb is typically a spring menu idea, but I love it anytime of the year.  It's easy, elegant and doesn't require a lot of preparation to make it flavorful.  This recipe celebrates the flavors I love most with lamb: pungent rosemary,  aromatic lavender, and the briny, fresh saltiness of olives and lemon. 

{Roasted Leg of Lamb with Lavender + Rosemary}

Buy a small roast from the leg of the lamb.  Have your butcher trim and butterfly your meat for you so it’s ready to dress.  This dish is quickly made, but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

What you will need: 

• One butterflied leg of lamb (about 3 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Rosemary + Lavender Salt * 

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Open the butterflied lamb up and rub all sides evenly with the olive oil.   Sprinkle the salt on the inside and outside of the meat. Close up the lamb and skewer in several places at the seam,  or tie securely with butcher string.

Place the lamb on a rack over a sheet pan. Roast until pink and tender, about 1 hour, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 130˚ to 135˚. The temperature will rise about 5 degrees once out of the oven.  Let the meat rest five minutes before carving to preserve the juices from running out. Pour the pan drippings over the meat and serve hot with artichoke mashed potatoes. 

Optional  Condiment to serve on the side: 

1/2  cup  Olive Pesto

1 wedge Preserved Lemon,  chopped (rinse lemon and remove pulp before chopping)

1 Tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Gently fold all ingredients together. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 1/2 cup

Leftover slices of lamb make a great panini sandwich with caramelized onions + golden raisins.

NOTE:  I keep a platter of aromatic savory salts in oval condiment dishes on a long rectangular platter by my stove  so they are ready to use at a moments notice. You can make your own interesting combinations with kosher salt + a coarse sea salt. 

Buon appetito! copyright 2010 Alisa Barry

Saturday Market Meals

Since I was away from town last Saturday and wasn't able to visit the market or post a Saturday Market Meal, I thought I would post my Thursday night "improvisation" meal. It was more like a ritual of cleaning out the refrigerator before I headed out town. What could I cook tonight?

This is one of my most favorite ways to create something in the kitchen. The idea is inspired by a class I took atTante Marie Cooking School, taught by my friend and food mentor, Joanne Weir.

You use fresh, seasonal ingredients you have just bought or have on hand, and take staples from the pantry to create something new and different than you might have originally imagined. It is a practice of creativity and stretching the imagination and, sometimes even the tastebuds.



I had fresh artichokes on hand and fresh arugula greens in the garden. Something simple and satisfying would be just perfect.
I cleaned the artichokes {my secret weapon is to use a vegetable peeler to clean the base and stems} , poached them in salted water scented with fresh lemon juice, then , while still warm, drizzled them with a good extra virgin olive oil.

The greens were dresed with a simple shallot vinaigrette: a few chopped shallots, a splash of Jerez sherry wine vinegar, salt and oil.

To me, this is" simply" heaven!

Whatever didn't make it to the plate, is now composting in the backyard to make soil for more delicious summer vegetables in the garden.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

La Isola Bella

Sardegna e bellissima!

This is the resounding response from anyone I asked about this beautiful island off the southern coast of Italy. After finally visiting for myself, sono d'accordo!
Even the ferries that take you on an overnight journey across the waters of the Mediterranean from Italy reflect the spirit of living and eating well. The boat we took was well appointed and had plenty of cafes where excited travelers gather for an apertivo before the evenings meal.

After settling in for a night on the sea, we are awakened early by the sound of billowing horns and the sight of a beautiful sunrise. A cool breeze from the deep green ocean was ready to greet us as we stepped off the boat on to this amazing island.



The Island was created from volcanic ruins and its mountainous landscape paints a beautiful picture of its ancient ancestry. Ancient olive trees dot the landscape throughout the island.

The island seems bigger than most regions, if only because there is more open, untouched land than anywhere in Italy I have seen. It is not the green grassy hills like that of Tuscany, but more reminiscent of what we might imagine the land of Ancient Greece to have been.


Some of the finest and most fabulous beaches in the world are in Sardegna, though I didn't have that on my agenda for this trip. I vow to return when the weather is warmer and I can sun idle on the beach with no work in sight.

Pecora sheep graze among endless miles of green tufts of indigenous herbs and grassy knolls. There are actually more sheep than people living on the island. Sardegna is one of the few places in Italy where agriculture reins as a primary vocation for many of its inhabitants. Olive oil, wine, cheese, pasta, bread. What more do we need to make life a delicious affair at the table?



As we move towards the more mountainous areas, the capra goats stand on precipice overlooking the emerald green ocean. They don't bother to look up or hurry across the winding road as we intrude upon their lunch hour in our macchina.

At home in the orto garden, chickens run freely, chasing each other around the trees like school children at recess.


Citrus trees hang heavy with fresh lemons and oranges, a perfect accompaniment to fresh shucked oysters and marinated, sweet langostino shrimps and lobster, still salty and sweet from this mornings catch.
Carciofi artichoke fields go on for miles and miles, awaiting to be pulled from the earth and later made into perhaps a pasta dish with gnoccheti or tucked in a pan with succulent herbed and roasted lamb.


Traditional Sardinian sweets such as hot, sugar laden packages of cheese filled dough and marmellata crostata often finish the meal with a caffe and splash of homemade grappa.

I am only here for a few days, but I promise to return to this Mediterrean sea and land with more time to enjoy its riches. Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry