. . .Lando has to cool off under the bed. There’s nothing (other than bacon, steak, or meatballs) that he likes better than outdoor sunshine and indoor shade.
Jun30
Jun28
Barbequed ribs
Paco is in Dallas this week, but for whatever reason, right before leaving for Texas, he wanted to make ribs. He bakes them slowly in the oven so that they’re tender but not falling off the bone, then finishes them on the grill.
We served them with macaroni salad and sweet and tangy cole slaw. This would make a great 4th of July meal!
Barbequed Ribs
1 rack of pork ribs (regular back ribs, baby back ribs, or spare ribs)
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
your favorite barbeque sauce
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place the ribs on a baking sheet, and season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. Cook for three hours.
When the ribs are tender, remove them from the oven. Preheat the grill to medium high heat, then grill for 10 minutes on each side. While the ribs are cooking, baste them with barbeque sauce.
Slice the rack into individual ribs and enjoy!
Jun27
Macaroni salad
I love macaroni salad, but I consider it to be a guilty pleasure, based on the mayonnaise-heavy versions at Hawaiian barbeque restaurants and delis. By making it at home it doesn’t exactly become health food, but it certainly a lot lighter than the deli version!
Macaroni Salad
(serves 8)
3 c uncooked macaroni
1/2 c mayo
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T pickle juice
2 T sugar
1 T dijon mustard
3/4 tsp kosher salt
a few grinds of black pepper
6 scallions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 c bread and butter pickles, finely chopped
Prepare the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Combine the mayo, vinegar, pickle juice, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to create a dressing.
In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, scallions, bell pepper, and pickles. Add the dressing and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Jun26
(Almost) Vegetarian Monday
I love meat. Obviously. Some of my favorite dishes are meatballs, steak, carnitas, and salads with bacon.
By now we all know that consuming meat is not good for the environment, so I try to do my part in balancing out the universe by eating vegetarian meals a few times a week. On Monday, I inadvertently had an almost meat-free day.
Here’s what I had:
Breakfast – Eggs scrambled with spinach
Lunch – Broccoli Parmesan Fritters from Smitten Kitchen, with apple sauce. The savoriness of the fritters was perfect with apple sauce.
Dinner – Portobello mushroom sandwiches and macaroni salad. The slice prosciutto on the sandwich could be omitted to make the meal vegetarian, but I really enjoy the hint of salt it brings to the sandwich.
Do you ever deliberately eat vegetarian meals?
Jun21
Grilled lamb with yogurt and mint sauce
We buy boneless legs of lamb at Costco, cut them into three pieces, and freeze them individually. Leg of lamb is great roasted, grilled, stewed, and ground for burgers.
When we lived in San Francisco, we used to roast it. While delicious, this can leave your whole house smelling like lamb for days, and the drippings in the roasting pan are hard to clean. Now that we have a patio and a grill, we can get an even better char on the outside by grilling it, without the messy clean-up or lingering smell.
If you don’t have a grill, it’s still worth it to roast it in the oven. Cover your pan in foil before putting the lamb in it, so that you won’t have to scrub the pan as much. For whatever reason, lamb fat is very hard to clean. Keep a window or door open while cooking, to allow the smell to escape.
We served last night’s lamb with roasted yukon gold potatoes, cauliflower roasted with cumin seeds, yogurt and mint sauce (recipe below), and chili sauce.
Grilled Lamb
1 lb of boneless leg of lamb
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil
Season the lamb generously with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and black pepper. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Grill on medium-high heat for 12 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your lamb. (Butterfly it for quicker cooking time.) Remove from heat and rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, then slice against the grain.
Yogurt and Mint Sauce
8 oz plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
2 T chopped mint
Put all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Tiny Perfect Bites 