click recipe to enlarge
Click recipe to enlarge
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Lamb Chops with Radicchio Slaw
This is a perfect early spring dish. Hopefully your weather allows you to get outside and light up the grill. Radicchio is a tad too bitter to eat on it’s own, at least for my liking. I thinly sliced and soaked it in ice water to get rid of some of the bitterness, then added a mild cabbage. With the lime and honey it had just the right amount of bitterness to complement the sweet and spicy lamb chops. I marinated the lamb overnight, but if you’re pressed for time marinade it for at least an hour, it gets better the longer it sits in the marinade. Assemble the slaw before you cook the lamb. Pre heat the grill to high, and grill for about 10 minutes turning once or twice. Lower one section of the grill to low and cook the lamb indirectly for another 5 minutes or until it’s cooked to your liking, then transfer it back to high, and brush with the reserved marinade while turning on all sides allowing the sugars to caramelize. I know this is a lot to ask given the smell and crispy goodness, let the lamb rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting in to it (yes, even just a little piece). Trust me, it’ll be well worth it!
I’m crazy for Japanese noodles. Any flavor, shape, size, or form – stir fried, in soups, hot, cold, sweet, spicy or tangy – I could eat them everyday, definitely my happy food. If you were to sit down with me to eat a bowl of noodles, I would probably embarrass you. Because of this, only my dearest, non judging, mutual noodle crazed friends join me to eat in public (yes, I’m talking about you V.V. & M.I.). We sit down, giddy with anticipation, roll up our sleeves, load up on napkins, and go at it. Aren’t friends like this the best! This Cha Soba (Green Tea Soba) with wild mushrooms is a tasty little dish I’ve been making for several years now. It comes together in a snap and is really good served at room temperature, so its perfect party fare. Overcooked noodles make me sad, so it’s important to cook the noodles first and shock them in cold water. Sauté the mushrooms and quickly combine everything in the hot pan, then into the serving dish. You can eat it on it’s own or serve it with grilled meats.
Shrimp Stuffed Broccoli Rabe
I ran across this on a Chinese takeout menu a while back and instantly thought…how the heck do you stuff a piece of broccoli? Of course I ordered it; couldn’t imagine what it would be like. It was shaped like dim sum (oooh, another thing I can’t seem to get enough of, focus), but tasted like a stir fry in bite size pieces. This restaurant served it with a simple teriyaki sauce. I immediately knew that I wanted to re-create it. My version has broccoli rabe, shrimp speckled with bits of lemon zest, cilantro and scallions. I made a super flavorful, lightweight Hoisin BBQ sauce to go with it. Definitely a keeper.
