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

It's 8:00 am, already nearly 80 degrees hot and a blanket of humidity looming in the air. The market is bustling and early morning walkers with headphones skip by trying to beat the pace of the heat. I, too, head to the market early, ready to pick out the best of this week's offerings for my Saturday Market Meal. One of my favorite vendors, Woodland Farms, is already one table short and sold out of just picked hothouse tomatoes. I get in line {yes, a line!} to see what is left. Beautiful bunches of easter egg-colored beets peer out from a tumble of greens sprouting from their heads. I stash not just one bunch, but two, into my market basket. Already, I have found my favorite Saturday Market Meal ingredient .



Wash the beets thoroughly and remove them from the greens. Don't toss out the greens! Remove the leafy tops of the beets, wash and keep refrigerated. I am going to make them an essential part of our meal tonight.



Beets can be cooked in all kinds of ways- boiled and pickled are some old-timely favorites. I have found the best way to enhance the earthy yet sweet flavor of beets, especially the golden and chioggia varieties, is to roast them whole in the oven.
Drizzled with a good extra virgin olive and sprinkled with a savory salt, it is as easy as it can get.



I found some young, tender spring green garlic , but I usually crush a few cloves in their skins and add that to the mix.



The beets are carefully peeled.




ROASTED BEET AND SAUTEED GREENS
The foil roasting method creates a nice steam cooking, and makes clean-up easy as an added bonus.. This dish makes a great vegetarian lunch.

1 bunch beets { golden, chioggia or a variety of any locally grown beets} *NOTE: red beets will bleed into more delicate varieties.
Extra Virgin Olive OIl
Garlic cloves or fresh green garlic
1 Orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp. sherry vinegard
Salt & Pepper

Cook the beets for about 45 minutes to one hour in a 350 degree oven, until the beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and let cool enough to touch. Peel the beets and disgard the skins. Keep the short green stems intact, if possible. They add a delicious dimension of flavor and are perfectly edible. Cut the beets into halves just before serving.

Cut the beet greens into large strips. Wash clean and dry thoroughly. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a saute pan and cook greens over medium heat just until wilted. Add a Tablespoon of orange juice, the orange zest , a splash of sherry vinegar to taste.
Plate with halved beets. Drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
This dish can also be served at room temperature, with fresh goat cheese and toasted walnuts.

Serves Two.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

Farmer's Market Bounty

Saturday mornings signal one of my favorite weekend rituals- shopping at our local farmer's market.
It is as much a social affair as it is a healthy and inspiring way to stock the pantry and plan for a week's worth of meals.



Of course, there is no planning at all. I just pick the meats and vegetables that look best, taste best and are new to this weeks harvest. The meal will create itself at home as I ponder my purchases and decide what flavors I want to eat and cook for that day.

The ritual ends with a celebratory lunch at home, appreciating the farmer's who work so hard to bring these delicious ingredients from the earth to the table.


Today's meal began with a simple starter inspired by a beautiful bulb of corn-yellow cauliflower nestled protectively by arms of green leaves. This kind of ingredient only requires me to give it a light hand and soft touch. I simply boiled it gently until soft.
I cooked it longer than I would ordinarily, so the texture would be creamy and melt in the mouth.


Sweet cream butter is melted with Wild Oregano and Sage Savory Salt, then drizzled over the top of the cooked cauliflower.
Nothing could be more simple and delicious.


For those of you that want a heartier, cooked dish- I have the perfect recipe!

BAKED CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH WALNUT SAGE CREAM SAUCE

The walnut sage pesto and cream create rich velvety sauce, a great compliment to the earthy flavor of the cauliflower.

1 head cauliflower
1 cup Walnut Sage Pesto
¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup heavy cream
1/3 plus 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Preheat oven 350°

Cut the stem and leaves off the head of cauliflower. Remove the core from the center and discard. Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces and blanch in boiling salted water until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Place in a 9-inch round buttered ovenproof casserole dish and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the pesto, broth, cream and 1/3 cup of the cheese. Pour over the cauliflower. Mix the remaining 3 tablespoons of cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the to. Bake until tender, golden brown, and bubbly at the edges, about 35-45 minutes.

Serves four






Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry