Braised Boneless Leg of Lamb with Almonds, Apricots, and Dates.

Ingredients(8 servings):

• One 31/2- to 4-pound boneless butterflied leg of lamb, all surface fat trimmed
• 6 ounces dried apricots
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Butcher’s twine
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 4 pitted dates, fi nely chopped
• 11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons fi nely grated lemon zest
• 2 cups beef broth
• Two 4-inch cinnamon sticks

Preparation:

1. Lay the leg of lamb rough side up on your work surface so that it’s an oblong with the ends pointing away from you left and right. Lay the dried apricots over the meat, starting at the left side and working three quarters of the way across the meat. Sprinkle the almonds, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper over the apricots.
2. Starting at one long side of the oblong, the end without any dried apricots, roll the leg of lamb closed, sealing everything inside. Tie the butcher’s twine in four places around the leg to hold it closed, with one tie at each end.
3. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Heat a large casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the tied leg of lamb. Brown it on all sides, about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a large plate and set aside.
5. Add the onion, garlic, and dates to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and saffron; cook for 20 seconds, then stir in the tomato paste and lemon zest until the paste dissolves and coats the vegetables. Pour in the broth, add the cinnamon sticks, and bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly.
7. Return the leg of lamb and any accumulated juices to the pan, cover, and place in the oven. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg registers. 125°F (our definition of rare), about 1 hour and 20 minutes 135°F (our definition of—and preference for—medium-rare), about 1 hour and 30 minutes 145°F (the USDA recommendation for medium-rare), about 1 hour and 40 minutes or 160°F (the USDA recommendation for medium), about 2 hours In any case, take the meat’s temperature after 1 hour to see how it’s cooking.
8. Transfer the leg of lamb to a carving board; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes—the temperature will go up by about 5 degrees. Discard the cinnamon sticks, skim any fat off the juices in
9. the pan, and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Slice the meat into rounds before serving and serve with the pan juices on the side. Variations: Substitute chopped dried cherries or chopped dried cranberries for the apricots. Add 2 bay leaves with the cinnamon sticks; discard them along with the sticks.
10. Reduce the broth to 1 cup; add 1 cup white wine with the remaining broth.

Fettuccine with Peas and Ham

Ingredients(4 servings):

• 5 T unsalted butter
• 1 c Parmesan cheese
• 6 ea green onions
• 1 lb fettuccine cooked
• 8 oz mushrooms sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 c whipping cream
• 1 ea 10 oz pk frozen tiny peas
• 4 oz boiled ham chopped

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium head.
2. Add shallots and saute until soft.
3. Add mushrooms, increase heat to high and cook until mushrooms are very lightly browned.
   
4. Add cream and boil two minutes.
5. Stir in peas and cook about 30 seconds.
6. Reduce heat to low; blend in ham cheese and fettuccine and toss until heated, well combined and sauce clings to pasta.
7. Season to taste.
8. Serve immediately.

Roast Pork with Sticky Rice

Ingredients:

• 3 c Uncooked sticky rice
• 6 c Very warm (almost hot) water
• 4 tb Oil
• 1 1/2 lb Pork roast
• 2 tb Oyster sauce
• 5 tb Sugar
• 1 tb Thai dark sweet soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tb Light soy sauce
• 3 tb Whiskey (optional)
• 1/4 c Chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 c Chopped green onions
• 3 md Cucumbers; sliced
• 2 lg Tomatoes
• Sliced fresh chilies

Preparation:

1. Wash and pat dry the pork. Slice into large pieces--about 1" thick.
2. Poke both sides of each piece with a fork or skewer and place in a flat bottom container with lid.
3. Blend oyster sauce, sugar, the two soys and whiskey well. Pour over the pork and mix. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. Overnight for best result.
4. Soak sticky rice in water for 30 mins and drain well.
5. Pour rice in a wet-paper towel lined steamer and steam over high heat for 40-45 minutes.
6. Place cooked rice in a container and mix with the oil to coat well.
7. Cover and set aside. Charcoal grill the pork over medium heat until well done.
8. Drizzle some of the marinating liquid on each side halfway through the cooking time.
9. In a small sauce pan, bring the rest of marinating liquid to a boil and pour into a gravy bowl.
10. Slice pork into 1" X 1 1/2" pieces and about 1/4" thick.
11. Spread the rice onto a platter. Cover with the pork pieces and pour the marinating liquid over the pork.
12. Sprinkle cilantro, green onions and chilies.
13. Garnish with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

Steak and Kidney Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 Kidney, beef
• 4 T Shortening
• 2 Onion chopped
• 2 lb Round steak cubed
• 1 1/2 T Worcester sauce
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/2 t Pepper
• 2 T Butter; softened
• 2 T Flour
• 2 T Parsley; minced
• 1 t Rosemary
• 1 t Oregano

Pastry

• 1 c Flour + 2 t
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/3 c Shortening
• 2 T water cold

Preparation:

1. Wash the kidney, remove membranes and fat, and cut kidney in 1" cubes. Cube the steak into 1" cubes.
2. Melt the shortening in a heavy pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until well browned.
3. Add the steak and kidneys.
4. When the meat is browned on all sides, pour on 2 cups of boiling water, Worcester, salt, and pepper.
5. Cove and cook over a very low heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the steak is tender.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
7. Blend the butter with the flour to make a beurre manie.
8. Drop small pellets of this paste into the sauce and stir to thicken it.
9. Put meat and sauce into a deep pie plate and sprinkle with parsley.
10. If you wish to use a pastry topping, roll out the dough and cover the pie plate.
11. Slash the top, crimp the edges, and bake about 30 minutes, or until well browned.

Pastry:

1. Mix the flour and salt.
2. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender.
3. Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tine peas; its texture will not be uniform but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces.
4. Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently into a ball.

Chicken Roasted in a Salt Crust

Ingredients(6 people):

• 6 pounds kosher salt
• 3 cups water
• One 16-ounce jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
• One 4- to 5-pound chicken, giblets and neck removed
• Butcher’s twine

Preparation:

1. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Stir the salt and water in a large bowl to form a thick, doughlike paste. Place 3 cups in the bottom of a large roasting pan, patting it out to about 5 inches larger than the chicken. Pack down, then cover completely with a double layer of overlap ping grape leaves (perhaps 15 in total), leaving a 1-inch border of salt at the edges.
3. Place the lemon quarters, bay leaves, and peppercorns inside the chicken, then truss the bird with butcher’s twine.
4. Place the chicken on the grape-leaf bed, then cover the chicken with the remaining grape leaves, leaving no exposed holes. Fold up any exposed leaves on the grape-leaf bed to meet those already on the chicken.
5. Gently mound the remaining salt dough onto the leaves, thereby covering the chicken but taking care not to disturb the leaves. Mold the salt mixture to the bird’s shape. Seal any and all cracks by wetting your hands and patting the salt in place.
6. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160°F or 175°F about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
7. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. (In this case, the internal temperature will rise in the salt dome as the chicken sits.)
8. Whack the crust a couple of times with a meat mallet to break it. Carefully remove the pieces, making sure they don’t crumble into the meat.
9. Remove and discard the grape leaves, lemon wedges, bay leaves, and peppercorns; transfer the chicken to a board for carving.

Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
• 2 large salmon fillets or sides, pin bones removed

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish.
2. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.
3. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.
4. Smoke fish over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Seafood a la Mediterranee

Ingredient:

• 18 large Shrimp
• 18 Cherrystone clams
• 18 Mussels
• 6 (4-oz.) lobster tails
• 3/4 cup Light olive oil
• 2 Onions (finely chopped)
• 3 Cl Garlic (finely minced)
• 2 cups White wine
• 3 cups Plum tomatoes (drained)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons Chopped italian parsley
• Salt and freshly ground Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Chopped curly parsley

Preparation:

1. To prepare shellfish, de-vein shrimp, leaving shell intact.
2. Scrub mussels and clams well, discarding opened ones.
3. Cut tailfins from lobster tails and leave meat in shell.
4. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
6. Add chopped onion and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
7. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Do not brown.
8. Add lobster tails and shrimp.
9. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, Italian
10. parsley, salt and pepper.
11. Increase heat and cook briskly for 6 more minutes.
12. Add the clams and mussels, cover, and continue to cook briskly for 12-15 minutes, or until the clams and mussels are open.
13. Discard any unopened clams or mussels.
14. Remove bay leaves.
15. Transfer stew to a heated serving dish.
16. Sprinkle with chopped curly parsley and serve with crusty bread and a crisp salad.