Lamb shoulder steak

I didn't know there was such things as shoulder steaks...but then I saw some in the lamb section of the local Asian grocery...and it was cheaper than normal steaks so I gave them a try. A lot of recipes I looked at called for braising shoulder cuts, but since this steak was pretty thing, I just put a rub/marinade on and pan seared it.

Lamb shoulder steak
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Rosemary

And this was the side dish:
Spaghetti squash
Spinach
Shallots
Cumin
Garlic salt

The steak was quite tasty and not as chew as I feared it might be. The spaghetti squash was also quite nice. It'll make it onto the repeat roster. =)

Lamb Shank

I've always wanted to try cooking lamb shank...so when I saw it go on sale at T&T I picked up a package of three shanks. When I opened the package, I found the shanks were covered in silverskin. From watching cooking shows, I remember chefs always had to cut this chewy stuff off before cooking it...so I proceeded to wrestle with cutting/shaving/ripping/tearing the skins off. I got the shanks about 85% clean before giving up....I needed to get these cooking else we wouldn't have dinner on time.

Lamb shanks
Onion, Shallots
Garlic
Carrots
Tomatoes
Potato
Cumin
Rosemary
Thyme
Basil
Chicken Stock
Rice Wine

I rubbed cornstarch on the shanks and then started to sear them in a big pot with onions. Once browned, I deglazed with rice wine, threw everything else in, added chicken stock and covered the pot for a good simmer. Once the carrots were soft, I moved the shanks to one side, stuck in my immersion blender and pureed some of the veggies to make a thicker sauce.

 

 

It was only cooking for about 50 min before we had to eat....so though it was cooked...and tasty...it was not fall-off-the-bone soft. Resimmering the leftover shank for an hour the next day did the trick however. Will definitely be making something like this again!

Pineapple Salsa

There's a bit much going on in the photo...but this post is really about the pineapple salsa. There were a few pieces left over from the pineapple we cut up so I decided to use it as a salsa over pork chops. It's got a very summery, sweet and fresh taste...brings out the flavor of the pork really nicely.

Salsa:
Pineapple
Tomato
Cilantro
Shallot
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Honey



But why stop there...I had a bit of salsa left over so the next morning, it went over eggs on toast for breakfast. Yum!

Barley & Lentil Salad

It was Meatless Monday in the house and I realized I forgot to buy some heartier vegetarian produce. So what could I make? Rummaging through my cupboard I came across some pot barley and lentils. It was a bit hot outside to be eating stew, but I could turn it into a salad! So here it is:

Pot barley
Lentils
Tomato
Egg (this is allowed for vegetarian meals right?)
Shallot
Dried figs
Dried Basil and Oregano
Cumin
S&P to taste

It was scopped onto a bed of baby romaine and dressed with the lime vinegrette I've been making a lot of. Turned out....not bad. The figs added bursts of sweetness that went with the citrusy dressing really well. The barley really soaked up the dressing so I'll need to add more to get some taste into it. But it was filling...with lots of good fibre. Until next Monday!

Red Cabbage Slaw #2

Last time I only used half a head of cabbage...so I made a slaw again with the remaining half. Slight variances made but still light, crunchy and yummy.

Slaw:
Half red cabbage
Granny Smith apple
Carrot
One shallot
Raisins
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Chia seeds

Dressing:
Orange juice
Olive Oil
Honey dijon mustard
Salt
Honey

The dressing wasn't bad, but it wasn't the greatest...I think I needed more acidity in the taste. The Lemon dressing is still my favorite. What would you recommend adding instead?

Next time.

Red Cabbage Slaw

I discovered my love for red cabbage slaw while on a trip to Israel recently. It's cool, crunchy, light and tastes like summer. There's so many different ways to do this slaw so you'll probably see several variations come through this blog. So yum! I unfortunately ate the whole thing before remembering to take a photo of it....so next time. Here's what went into it:

Half a red cabbage, slivered
Some fennel
One shallot
Handful of raisins
Cilantro

For the dressing:

Mayo
Honey Dijon mustard
Sugar
Salt & pepper
Lime juice
Some vinegar