Mango & Tomato: meat

12/13/22

In Praise of Braised Lamb Shanks with Butternut Squash

Oh let me count the reasons I absolutely loved this Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks with Butternut Squash from Cooking With Cocktail Rings blog.

There were hardly any hands on tasks in this recipe! You brown the lamb shanks, then brown butternut squash and carrots (I left out zucchini and celery), add in the wine, the broth (I used chicken instead of beef), and nest the lamb shanks in the mixture before letting the oven do the rest of the job.

Two and a half hours later, your kitchen will smell divine, and the meat will be beyond tender! I served the lamb shanks on top of chunky mashed potatoes with a side of salad, baguette, and a glass of red wine.

My friend Jazmin and I had a fabulous dinner with plenty of leftovers for a few more meals.

Why don't I braise meat more often?

11/22/22

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Meatball soup in a bowl with toast on the side

Remember me? I know it's been a while: I really should get back to regular blogging!

Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup I made with my friend Jenn a few weekends ago. This is the soup Jenn has been making for years using a recipe from her friend Anna, but it was my first time making and eating Italian Wedding Soup ever!

I edited the original recipe.

Italian Wedding Soup

4-6 portions

Ingredients

96 ounces chicken broth

1-2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

5 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 chicken breasts

1 bunch escarole, sliced

Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

"Cheese" balls

2 egg whites

1/2 pound grated or finely shredded Parmiagino Reggiano

1 pound cooked orzo

To serve

Italian bread, fresh parsley, extra cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring the chicken broth, salt & pepper, carrots, celery, and chicken breasts to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 25 minutes). Remove chicken and shred in a separate bowl.

2. Mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs and form into 1" balls. Drop the balls into once again boiling chicken broth, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the egg whites with the cheese and form into 1/2 inch balls. Drop the balls into the broth, and also add shredded chicken and chopped escarole.

4. Simmer the soup for about 10 minutes. Check to make sure the meatballs and cheese balls are cooked through. Adjust for salt and pepper.

5. Spoon the cooked orzo into each bowl and top with the soup.

6. Serve with slices of Italian bread, a sprinkling of extra cheese and parsley.

The original recipe used a whole chicken, but you know how I feel about chicken skin, bones, and dark meat. You can do as you please.

Also, I changed the recipe not to add orzo into the soup pot because it will soak up all the liquid overnight in the refrigerator.

I hope you make this and enjoy a bowl of soup with your family or with your family of 1 (with plenty of leftovers).

And as with any recipe, there are a zillion variations. Let me know how your family makes Italian Wedding Soup.

PS there's no Italian wedding happening for me any time soon.

11/22/20

Sunday Supper: Italian Sausage Meatballs, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, And Gravy

meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, italian sausage, supper, dinner, sunday supper, simple, comfort food

"Oh good grief -- looks so fancy and good," my friend Jenn texted back after I sent her a photo of Sunday Supper: Italian Sausage Meatballs, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, And Gravy. Good? Yes! Fancy? No way.

A while ago I thought it'd be a smart idea to make meatballs using ground Italian sausage that is sold without the casings because it already has so much flavor: you'd need to add nothing else.

I was wrong: those meatballs turned out incredibly dense. This time, I added a few other ingredients to stretch the ground Italian sausage and make the meatballs less dense and more airy. It was a success.

Sunday Supper: Italian Sausage Meatballs, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, And Gravy

Italian Sausage Meatballs

1 pound mild ground Italian sausage (if you can't find the ones without the casings, simply remove and discard the casings)

2 broccoli stems, peeled, grated (if you don't have broccoli, use half an onion, a small zucchini, a few carrots, or even celery)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tablespoons half & half

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and line a small roasting pan with aluminum foil.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs. Then using a cookie or ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into uniform lumps, roll each into a ball. Place the meatballs on the roasting pan with space in between and roast for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Optional: put the meatballs under the broiler for a few minutes.

Mashed Potatoes: cook red skinned potatoes in salted water until completely tender. Using a fork mash drained potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Mix in a few spoons of olive oil. Done.

To serve, put mashed olive oil potatoes into a bowl. Add 3 meatballs. Drown in gravy. Top with fresh thyme.

What's your idea of comfort food?

9/2/20

Ground Beef Bulgogi Platter

bulgogi, korean, ground beef, beef, kimchi, salad, eggplant, mushrooms

After getting a few Asian pears in my Washington's Green Grocer order last week, I asked my instagram followers what I should make with it. Several people said bulgogi: a flavorful Korean beef dish. In fact, I've made bulgogi before, but this time around I only had ground beef.

Not to worry, I found a bulgogi recipe using ground beef on Carmy's blog. It did, however, not have Asian pear in the list of ingredients, and I also did not have a few ingredients that Carmy called for: thus, and as always, I made a few alterations.

Ground Beef Bulgogi Platter

Ingredients

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1.5 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 small onion, cut into chunks

1/2 Asian pear, cut into chunks

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1" ginger, chopped

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion, sliced

green onions, thinly sliced

sides: kimchi, cucumber salad, kimchi, red pepper slices

Directions

1. Put the first 7 ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the marinade over ground beef in a large bowl, mix to combine, and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

2. Add the marinated beef into a heated skillet with the sliced onions and saute until the beef is cooked through.

NOTE: I used 80/20 beef. It was quite fatty and did not need extra oil for sauteing. In fact, at one point I had to drain the beef and onions to get rid of extra fat. You may have to do the same. Just be careful not to splash yourself.

3. Serve topped with green onions and all the sides.

I'm currently not eating rice, but that of course would be a perfect accompaniment for the dish.

So much flavor! Such great comfort food. Perfect leftovers.

8/6/20

CRAVINGS: Homemade Buns for a Burger

Burger, bun, homemade bun, pickle, lunch, green beans

If you are craving a burger, may I highly recommend you bake your own burger buns? Trust me, it's really not that hard.

After my friend Jazmin brought burger buns for our social distance picnic last month, I thought I should try baking them too.

The recipe from Love & Lemons is ridiculously easy. I used all white flour and was so happy I did not freak out when the dough did not come together immediately. Have faith!

Jazmin told me to only glaze a few buns at a time with the egg wash so that the egg wash doesn't dry out on the piping hot buns, which will stop the toppings from sticking.

Speaking of toppings, why use 1 when you can use 4? From top to bottom: black and white sesame seeds, everything but the bagel, togarashi, and za'atar.

I had two of these and froze the rest sliced in half. Next time I'll do a better job at making the buns more uniform.

And what about that burger above? I used ground beef, raw red onion, salt, pepper, and a bit of cumin. Mayo on both sides of the bun, plus thinly sliced red onions, and Dubliner cheese. A side of green beans and pickles.

7/16/20

Beef Meatballs With Zhoug & Patty Pan Squash

If you love meatballs but are tired of the same old recipes, you need to make my Beef Meatballs With Zhoug & Patty Pan Squash.

Earlier this week I wrote about my love of zhoug and shared a recipe for Warm Potato & Crispy Chickpea Tacos With Zhoug.

Today, I'd like to share a recipe for meatballs that uses zhoug as a flavor bomb and patty pan squash to stretch the meat further and to make the meatballs tender.

If you can't find zhoug, use pesto. If you can't find patty pan squash, use regular summer squash or zucchini or even carrots or onions!

Beef Meatballs With Zhoug & Patty Pan Squash
Makes 17 meatballs

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (I used 80/20)
1/4 cup zhoug
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup grated patty pan squash loosely packed
1.5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients until well mixed.
4. Using a scoop, make 17 meatballs and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet with space in between.
5. Bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
6. Turn the broiler on and move the oven rack to a higher position and broil the meatballs for about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown.

These were so flavorful and tender! They reheat well and can also be frozen.

To serve, I made a simple salad of chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and cilantro.

1/9/20

Chili With Cornbread Croutons

Want to simplify your life? Meal prep will help you with that task. For example, this past Sunday I made a large amount of chili and a cast iron skillet cornbread.

The chili had onions, celery, green pepper, ground beef, cumin, chili, salt & pepper, chickpeas, cannellini beans, pinto beans, defrosted corn, and canned tomatoes. The cornbread started with a Jiffy mix, but I added defrosted corn, sliced jalapeno, and sliced scallions.

I made enough for dinner that night and enough leftovers for 4 lunches. I highly recommend you immediately divide the leftovers into their containers and stack them in the fridge. Each morning it's so easy to grab a container of chili and a small bag with a piece of cornbread to take to work.

Top yours with sour cream and cheese, sliced scallions, and if you want to be extra, diced avocado and fresh salsa.

To make leftovers a bit more fun, if lets say you are working from home, cut the cornbread into bite-size pieces and brown in oil in a cast iron skillet. I slightly burned mine. It happens.

1/2/20

Open Face Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich With Pineapple & Sriracha

Happy 2020! I'm excited to share with you a recipe for Open Face Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich With Pineapple & Sriracha, but first, I need to tell you about the turkey meatloaf.

Back in 2019, lol, I bought a pound of ground turkey and decided to make Gina's, aka Skinnytaste meatloaf. Alas, I was out of Worcestershire sauce, did not have marjoram, and had only 1 pound instead of 1.3 pounds of ground turkey.

I added celery and chiles in adobo sauce, and used low sodium soy sauce in the glaze. The results were great!

Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients
for the meatloaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
2 chiles in adobo, minced
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

for the glaze
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

for the topping
black sesame seeds
chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil, then add onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled sauteed onions and celery with the rest of the meatloaf ingredients.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and form a loaf on top of it.
5. In a small bowl, mix ketchup with soy sauce and brush on top of the meatloaf. Bake for 55 minutes.
6. Allow the meatloaf to rest and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.

This was such an easy recipe!!! I divided the meatloaf into 4 portions. The first 3 I had with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas.

The last one, I turned into an Open Face Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich With Pineapple & Sriracha.

1) Slice pineapple and meatloaf and saute in olive oil until golden brown. You may sprinkle a bit of sugar onto pineapple to help it caramelize.
2) Toast a slice of whole wheat bread. Spread the toast with mayonnaise and top with thinly sliced white onion.
3) Top with meatloaf, pineapples, sriracha, and cilantro.
4) Serve with a few pickles.

This sandwich requires a fork and a knife and a napkin!

12/11/19

Meal Prep: Albondigas Soup

If you love meal prep, leftovers, and not having to think what will I have for lunch or dinner today, I highly recommend Albondigas Soup from Carlsbad Cravings.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, so will not retype it here.

I was surprised by the spices and herbs used in the meatballs, mint in particular. Turns out, the Spanish albondigas I've made before are quite different from the Mexican ones in this soup.

Reasons this recipe is a keeper:
1) double carbs: the soup has potatoes and rice
2) great leftovers (I bet it freezes well too): I've been eating this soup for lunch 4 days in a row and still have two more portions
3) the rice in the meatballs reminds me of the Russian hedgehog meatballs from my childhood
4) anything topped with an avocado is a winner in my opinion

The one change I'd make would be to use leaner type of meat. The 80/20 ground beef is a bit too fatty in this case because you cook the meatballs directly in the soup, making it difficult to skim the extra fat.

Oh, and I'd probably add corn next time for a bit of a crunch!

What's on your meal prep list?

10/30/19

Jamie Oliver's Lamb Kofta Meatballs

Earlier last week my friends from American Lamb sent me a few pounds of ground lamb, a boneless lamb shoulder, the cutest socks with lamb on them, and an apron, along with a stipend and asked me to host brunch. Yes, please and thank you!

I made shakshuka, had friends bring over mimosas, potatoes, and a big fruit salad, and then used Jamie Oliver's recipe for Grilled Lamb Kofta Kebabs with Pistachios, but turned them into meatballs.

Have you ever thought about putting crushed pistachios into your lamb meatballs? I haven't, but Jamie Oliver has. The nuts added a bit of texture and an unexpected flavor to the balls. Mixed with fresh thyme, chili, cumin, and a good amount of sumac, these were so good, even my friend Jenn who normally doesn't like lamb loved them!

I served the meatballs with a side of tzatziki and pickled red onions.

The leftovers tasted great reheated in the leftover shakshuka sauce!

Disclaimer: I received the lamb as a gift along with a giftcard. I'm not reimbursed otherwise for this post.

10/22/19

Sharba: Lybian Soup Recipe

This past Sunday, my friends Sylvie and Jazmin came over to my condo for a cooking date. The weather, rainy, grey, and cold, was the perfect setting for catching up, eating large bowls of soup, drinking hard cider, and eating fresh out of the oven s'mores cookies.

Sylvie was craving Jazmin's Sharba (a Lybian soup), so that's what we cooked together...she's bossy at times ;) This was my first time trying Sharba, and I now fully understand why it's a favorite for many.

Below is a version of Jazmin's recipe shared with her permission and slightly rewritten to fit my style/format ;)

Jazmin's Sharba
Serves ~ 6
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 pounds goat (bones removed, but not thrown out)
spice mix: 2 tablespoons turmeric, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice: add all to a grinder and pulse until fine
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 cups water
1-2 jalapenos, halved lengthwise (depending on how much heat you like)
1/2 cup orzo
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 tablespoon dried mint
chopped parsley
lemon wedges
bread
baba ghanoush

Directions
1. Heat a large cooking vessel such as Le Creuset. Add oil and allow to heat up.
2. Add onions and saute on medium heat until they are golden brown.
3. Add your meat with the bones and about a tablespoon of the spice mix. Allow to brown.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, another tablespoon of the spice mix, and jalapenos. Bring to a boil.
5. Simmer until the meat is tender.
6. Add in the orzo and chickpeas. Adjust the seasoning as needed and simmer until the orzo is cooked through.
7. Add dried mint.
8. Serve topped with parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice, a chunk of crusty bread, and baba ghanoush.

NOTE: some of you who like the bones, would love to suck the marrow out of them. Some of you, like me, will want to make sure to pull out the bones after cooking and before serving the soup.

The leftovers will thicken up as they sit in the refrigerator, so you may want to add a bit of broth when you reheat them.

10/15/19

Taco Tuesday One Pot Casserole Recipe

It's Taco Tuesday! How about using some of the ingredients from tacos, but turning it into a casserole!?

This past Sunday a few friends came over for dinner and I whipped up Taco Tuesday One Pot Casserole!! This dish is similar to a 7 layer dip, but is baked! It also reminds me of shepherd's pie, but instead of mashed potatoes, I used mashed beans. You can easily swap ground beef for ground chicken, or omit the meat all together. This versatile and quick to make one pot dish is great for get togethers and leftovers!

Taco Tuesday One Pot Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

olive oil for the pan

1 small onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced (keep 1/3 cup of diced pepper for the topping)

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles

15 ounce can corn, drained (or use 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted)

4 cups cooked beans, mashed (home made or canned of any variety you like)

8 ounce grated Mexican mix cheese

1/3 cup sliced black olives

To serve: sour cream, guacamole, salsa, chips, and lime wedges

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. In an oven proof skillet (Le Creuset!), heat olive oil. Add onion and peppers and sauté until softened.

3. Add ground beef and taco seasoning and cook until browned.

4. Add diced tomatoes and green chiles and corn. Mix to combine. Heat through.

5. Top with mashed beans and sprinkle with cheese.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and bubbles.

7. Carefully remove from the oven and top with the remaining diced pepper and olives.

8. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, chips, and lime wedges!

9/12/19

Dinner In 15 Minutes: Medium Rare Beef Filet With Salad & Corn

It's technically Fall, but the weather has me feeling like we are still dealing with the Summer heat and humidity. That, in addition to metro delays, somewhat unexpected rain, and being overly hungry the last few days, had me craving a satisfying dinner that required very little cooking time or heating up my kitchen.

Good thing I had a beef filet from Trader Joe's in my fridge and a bunch of random produce.

Quick note: if you've not added stone fruit to your salads yet, you are missing out!

Dinner In 15 Minutes: Medium Rare Beef Filet With Salad & Corn

olive oil
beef filet
salt & pepper
corn, boiled
arugula
Boston lettuce, torn into pieces
cilantro, chopped
basil, chopped
Vidalia onion, chopped
pluots, or any other stone fruit, pit removed, flesh sliced
lemon juice

1. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on the stove. Add olive oil. Season a room-temperature beef filet with salt and pepper on both sides and cook 2-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the steak and how you like your steak cooked. Allow to rest before slicing.

Quick note: I wanted my steak to be medium rare, but after slicing it (see the photo), realized it was too rare! I ended up quickly searing each piece in the skillet.

2. In a large bowl combine arugula, Boston lettuce, cilantro, basil, onions, and pluots. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and mix.

Quick note: did you know pluots are a combination of plums and apricots!?

3. Serve sliced steak with the salad and corn on the side.

9/3/19

Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg

It may be hard to believe, but I've been thinking about making Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg for several days.

It all started after I saw my friend Jazmin post a photo of SPAM at a Minnesota State Fair. I've not had SPAM in ages and decided to buy it. The timing was somewhat perfect as I just had a dental surgery and needed to eat something soft. Oy.

I also had a leftover baked potato, which I think is the perfect potato to use for a hash because it's already cooked! Undercooked potatoes are one of my biggest pet peeves.

The photo above is my breakfast from yesterday because I had a day off and love to have a big ass breakfast on such an occasion.

Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg

olive oil
onion, diced
green pepper, diced
SPAM, diced
baked potato, diced
salt & pepper
fried egg
ketchup

Start by sauteing onion and pepper in a skillet heated with olive oil.

Once the vegetables are tender, add SPAM and potatoes and season with salt (just a bit!) and black pepper. Continue sauteing until SPAM and potatoes are crispy.

Serve with a fried egg on top: I prefer mine to have a soft yolk.

Ketchup is optional. Feel free to use hot sauce or sriracha.

Do YOU love SPAM?

8/29/19

Picnic Dinner

Have no time or desire to cook but don't want to get take out or eat cereal for dinner? Picnic Dinner to the rescue!!

Earlier this week I quickly stopped at my grocery store to pick up the following ingredients to make a picnic dinner:

chips
salsa
hummus
soft cheese
grapes
tangerines
olives
salami

You can add sliced vegetables, something sweet and decadent, a glass of wine, or any other things you wish. This also makes for a great actual picnic!

7/25/19

Easy Summer Dinner With Hofmann's

Imagine coming home to a care package containing natural casing franks, specialty mustard, and a few other varieties of sausages.

That's exactly what happened to me last night thanks to my friends at Hofmann's! They sent me a few of their products to try, and I made a quick dinner with their natural casing franks. Originally from Germany, Hofmann's has operated in Syracuse, New York since 1879: they clearly know what they are doing.

Don't have a grill? No worries: I used my panini maker! I loved how the casing burst and got crispy in the cooking process. The franks are already cooked, so you just need to heat them through.

Add boiled corn, horseradish mustard and sliced watermelon, and you have dinner on the table in under 10 minutes.

Disclosure: I received the samples free of charge and am not compensated for this post.

7/16/19

Nectarine, Tomato & Blueberry Salad with Steak

It's over 90 degrees in DC area and supposed to get even warmer. I'm not even talking about the humidity factor!

I'm changing my Facebook status to "in relationship with AC."
Get it!? ;)

Over the weekend I used some of the produce I received as a gift from Seasonal Roots to make a salad to go along with leftover steak I made the night before without turning on the stove or the oven. The heat came from jalapenos!

Nectarine, Tomato & Blueberry Salad with Steak

Ingredients
nectarines, pit removed, flesh diced
tomatoes, whichever variety you like, chopped into bite size pieces
blueberries
jalapeno, minced
red onion, finely diced
basil, chopped
olive oil
salt

steak, sliced

Directions
Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Serve with sliced steak.

The combination of sweet nectarines and blueberries is not only great in a cake, but is lovely in this salad. The jalapeno and red onion add the heat.

5/2/19

Dinner in 30 Minutes: Sweet & Spicy Pork Lettuce Cups With 2 Vegetable Sides

If you only have 30 minutes and need to get dinner on a table that's delicious, fun, and impressive, I give you Dinner in 30 Minutes: Sweet & Spicy Pork Lettuce Cups With 2 Vegetable Sides.

This idea came about after I randomly bought one pound of ground pork at my grocery store. After a quick Google search for ground pork recipes, I found Delish's Sweet 'n Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps and with a few edits turned it into a full meal.

Turn on the music and get cooking!

The key to making an entire meal in 30 minutes is to chop whatever needs to be cooked first, and then prep the rest of the ingredients while the others are cooking.

Dinner in 30 Minutes: Sweet & Spicy Pork Lettuce Cups With 2 Vegetable Sides

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for snow peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground pork
snow peas
salt
1/4 cup hoisin sauce, more if desired
1 tablespoon sriracha, more if desired
Bibb lettuce
rice noodles
cilantro
carrots, peeled
daikon, peeled
Russian sunflower oil
smoked almonds, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Start boiling a large pot of water on the stove.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add ginger and garlic and saute for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat without burning it. Add pork. Saute until the pork is no longer pink. This will take a while.
4. Meanwhile, coat snow peas with oil and season with salt an roast for about 15-25 minutes depending on how crunchy you want them to be.
5. Grate, or use a fancy peeler, carrots and daikon, drizzle with Russian sunflower oil, season with salt, and add cilantro.
6. Back to pork: add Hoisin and sriracha. Mix to combine. Heat through.
7. Cook rice noodles according to directions.
8. Add rice noodles to the lettuce cups, top with pork mixture, cilantro and chopped almonds.
9. Serve with carrot/daikon salad and roasted snow peas.

Leftovers are awesome for lunch next day!

4/30/19

Taco Bamba Tongue Nachos

Not a recipe today, but a shout out to Taco Bamba's Tongue Nachos I had a few weekends ago.

I grew up in Russia where my mom pressure cooked tongue all the time, and I still order it whenever I see it on the menu (I've yet to cook it myself).

When I saw an option for tongue nachos at Taco Bamba, I decided to give this dish a try. Large enough to share as an appetizer, it was a perfect portion for a lighter dinner paired with a side of guacamole.

Don't expect oozy melted cheese. The crispy chips are topped with tender chunks of tongue, followed by salsa verde, crema, cotija, and pickled chiles. I wish this would appear in front of me right now.

Have you tried tongue?

3/27/19

Lamb Shank With Fennel, Onions & Potatoes

Knock knock. Who's there? FedEx delivering a lamb shank from Superior Farms.

Oh, this doesn't happen to you? Well, then you'll just have to go out and buy your own to make my Lamb Shank With Fennel, Onions & Potatoes recipe.

Last week I received a free lamb shank from Superior Farms and created a quick'ish recipe that only takes 40 minutes in a pressure cooker. You could use the same ingredients and roast yours in the oven, but it'll take hours.

Note: this is not a sponsored post. I'm not getting reimbursement: I just love lamb and was happy to receive a sample.

Lamb Shank With Fennel, Onions & Potatoes
Serves 1, but you can easily double the ingredients

Ingredients
1 fennel, sliced into 1/4" planks
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 cup cider (or use wine or chicken broth)
1 lamb shank, extra fat removed, seasoned with salt and pepper
pan roasted potatoes
fennel fronds

Directions
1. Add fennel, onions, cider and lamb shank to your pressure cooker/instant pot and pressurize for 40 minutes. Allow 10-15 minutes for natural pressure release.
2. Spoon out fennel and onions onto a plate, place the lamb shank on top and drizzle with some of the extra sauce. Top with fennel fronds and serve with potatoes.

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