Lamb Shanks Briased in Root Beer (TTH)

• 4 lamb shanks (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• One 12-ounce bottle root beer
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 6 fresh flat-leaf parsley stems, plus 1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf

Mise en place.

Dredge lamb shanks in flour and sear in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown.

Bloody murder.

Browned shanks.

Reduce heat to minimum and soften aromatic vegetables.  Oh, since this is a dish I made upon moving from Cambridge to Malden, I didn't realize that nearly all my carrots had gone bad.

Instead of going out and buying more, I used parsnips.  Given the nature of the dish, I figured it would be a good idea.

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until it caramelizes.

Add root beer, chicken stock, parsley stems, rosemary, bay leaf, and lamb shanks, along with any accumulated juices.  Braise in a 325 degree oven until tender and...

Goddamn MAGICAL.  Blanket it all with the mixed herbs; or rather, strictly parsley in my lazy case.  Microwave-in-a-bag vegetables and we're good.

It seems as if I might have a reason to bother attempting side dishes so...  I guess I'll keep you posted.

Mixed Grill with Chimichurri (FM)

• 1 or 2 eggplants, cut into thick slices
• 2 cups fresh parsley (mostly leave, but thin stems are okay)
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or lemon juice [Again, I'm using sherry vinegar. I have it on hand.  Why not?]
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 2 portobellol mushrooms
• 2 summer squash, cut lengthwise into thick slices
• 4 ripe tomatoes, cored but left whole
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork tenderloin, cut in half crosswise and pounded to 1/2 inch thick [latter]
• 1 bunch scallions [nope]

Yeah, I tried to make chimichurri sauce in my low-end blender.  It didn't work.

Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley (an alternative version uses coriander), minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white or red wine vinegar. Additional flavorings such as coriander, paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, and bay leaf may be included. In its red version, tomato and red bell pepper may also be added. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat. Chimichurri is available bottled or dehydrated for preparation by mixing with oil and water. Somewhat similar sauces are pistou and pesto.

Salt, pepper, oil, garlic, and a crazy amount of parsley.  Drizzle in more oil as the machine is running as well as sherry vinegar.

When it comes to grilling the actual food, it's pretty basically.  Olive, salt, and pepper.

Tenderloin and tomato.

Running up and down the stairs like mad while "hosting" a cookout party in my back yard was pretty exhausting, but I ate bits and pieces when I got the chance and was frankly well on my way to being full once all the cooking was done.
There's a splash of the romesco sauce as well.  My friends thoroughly enjoyed both sauces.  Chimichurri sauce is also a big winner though twice as much a headache because it has twice as much picked parsley in it.

Roast Potatoes and Chicken with Romesco (FM)

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
• 1 1/2 lbs new potatoes or small potatoes, halved
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 large or medium ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, or to taste
• 1 packed cup fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine vinegar [I used sherry vinegar]

Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 10 minutes in single layer.

Top potatoes with rosemary sprigs, then chicken and salt and pepper.  Drizzle with another 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes.

 

Throw ingredients for romesco into blender.

Romesco (Catalan pronunciation: [ruˈmɛsku]) is a nut and red pepper-based sauce from Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. It is typically made from any mixture of roasted or raw almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive or sunflower oil, bitxo peppers (similar to New Mexico chiles) and/or nyora peppers (a small, round, variety of red bell pepper). Flour or ground stale bread may be used as a thickener or to provide texture. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onions. Leaves of fennel or mint may be added, particularly if served with fish or escargot. It is very often served with seafood, but can also be served with a wide variety of other foods, including poultry and some red meats like lamb and vegetables. During the springtime, salsa romesco is served as an accompanying dip for calçots, a spring onion typical to Catalonia, during traditional springtime calçot barbecues called "calçotades". During calçotades, calçots are roasted over an open fire until their outer layer is charred. The charred layer is then removed and the tender part of the onion may be dipped into the romesco.

Deliciousness in wait.

 

OMG, I found a new favorite sauce.  Romescu is beautiful, rich, tangy, nutty, flavorful...  Awesome on the roast chicken and potatoes.

Plenty of leftover sauce for my forthcoming Mixed Grill entry.

Harira [Ramadan Soup] (BRW)

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 pound boneless lamb shoulder or boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, large stems removed, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro, large stems removed, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, or 1 cup canned or precooked chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup dried lentils, picked over
• 2 larges tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped or about 2 cups drained canned
• 1/4 cup vermicelli or other thin noodles broken into small pieces
• 2 lemons

Mise en place.  The bowl of herbs had me crying uncle after processing the parsley and halfway through the cilantro.  The two herbs grow very differently since parsley has several branches per stem and cilantro only has one small clump of leaves.

Browning the lamb.

Cook onions until they soften a bit.

Add herbs and spices.  That big bowl of herbs wilted down in moments.

Add chickpeas and 6 cups of water.  Cook until they begin to soften.

Add lentils and simmer for 30 minutes.  Do the same to the tomatoes.

Add noodles 10 minutes before serving.  (Since the stew is so hearty in the first place I didn't worry about the whole noodles getting mushy in leftovers thing since they absorb excess liquid thing since there wasn't much excess liquid to begin with.)  Add the juice of one lemon.  The dish was supposed to be served with lemon wedges, but the soup was waaay tart enough with the one lemon.

Pretty good, interesting, hearty stew though the herbs were a pain.  Also, I fear that I've been adding too many lean dishes to my biweekly menu plans for the the season.  It only drives me to eat lots of Chinese takeout and TV dinners.