Cooking
Or, Day two of our Cinco de Mayo feast!
This time, it was Chile-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Pumpkin Seed Sauce, and Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup.
First up, lamb chops.
(And yes, I substituted Veat for mine)
Chile powder, ground cumin, dried oregano and coarse salt, rubbed into lamb chops. Heat peanut oil in an oven-proof skillet, and cook chops about three minutes per side. Transfer to oven, and cook till desired done-ness.
Serve with a sauce of cilantro (which we don't like, so we used parsley), mint, shallot, serrano chile (oops...I was kind of on auto pilot here, and added an ancho chile, as well!), lime juice and salt...pureed till smooth.
Matt loved the lamb. It took him about five minutes to eat both. There was a nice, hearty and spicy thing going on from the rub. And the sauce? Whoo, baby. Hot. Really, really hot.
Could have something to do with that extra chile...
But, Matt wants me to make this again. Definitely a winner.
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
This is the only recipe not from Food & Wine...in fact, it's from an episode of 30 Minute Meals I saw some time ago!
Chopped onion, sauteed in olive oil (once around the pan!), till softened. Add broth, black beans, chopped tomatoes in juice, and canned pumpkin. Stir till combined, then boil for a few minutes.
Reduce heat, simmer, and add lots of spice!
First, add cream, then curry powder (which for us meant 2:1 garam masala and turmeric), ground cumin, cayenne and salt. Simmer a few minutes, and serve...garnishing with chopped chives.
Tasty! Creamy, with a nice, but not over-powering, pumpkin flavor. Spicy, but not too hot. I really like this. Matt's not so crazy about it...he doesn't like 'thick' soups, and thought the pumpkin came through too strong, was too sweet.
He also admitted he'd just eaten the spicy sauce with the lamb prior to the soup, and it could very well have affected his opinion.
It made a lot (the soup), so we're probably going to hand some of it of to the in-laws.
If the dishes from the previous day were easy, these were...super easy. I couldn't believe how quickly they came together. Less than twenty for the lamb, and not much more for the soup. And that's only because I was doing a billion other things at the same time...
Good meal. Love the soup.
And Matt whipped up a nice Watermelon Agua Fresca, to combat the heat!
I would give this meal a solid A.
- Marinated Lamb Loin Chops Recipe
It's traditional to serve leg of lamb or a crown roast for special occasions, but there are other cuts of lamb that are perfect for any old time, like lamb chops. Lamb loin chops are low in fat and an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin,...
- No Recipe Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Necessity is the mother of invention. Nothing could be truer in the kitchen. It's amazing what you can cook when you have very little in the pantry. It can be much more challenging and yet gratifying to try to figure out what do with the ingredients...
- Happy Halloween!
It seemed like such a great idea…pumpkin and black beans. I think I was pulling something out of the freezer when it came to me. There was a little leftover pumpkin in there and I thought, “I bet that would be good in chili.” I mulled it over...
- Let The Celebration Begin!
Day one of our (pre) Cinco de Mayo dinners...we have Chicken and Avocado Soup, garnished with Fried Tortillas, and Tomato, Avocado and Roasted Corn Salad. (all recipes are from the Food & Wine web site; you have to be a subscriber to read them. so, if...
- Chicken Braised In Pumpkin Seed Mole Verde
This recipe was really nice; it didn't have a particularly strong flavor, but it was a very...warm, comforting dish. A hint of citrus from the tomatillos. It worked equally well with tortillas, which is how I ate my leftover's the next two days. ...
Cooking
All Mexican Food, All the Time
Or, Day two of our Cinco de Mayo feast!
This time, it was Chile-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Pumpkin Seed Sauce, and Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup.
First up, lamb chops.
(And yes, I substituted Veat for mine)
Chile powder, ground cumin, dried oregano and coarse salt, rubbed into lamb chops. Heat peanut oil in an oven-proof skillet, and cook chops about three minutes per side. Transfer to oven, and cook till desired done-ness.
Serve with a sauce of cilantro (which we don't like, so we used parsley), mint, shallot, serrano chile (oops...I was kind of on auto pilot here, and added an ancho chile, as well!), lime juice and salt...pureed till smooth.
Matt loved the lamb. It took him about five minutes to eat both. There was a nice, hearty and spicy thing going on from the rub. And the sauce? Whoo, baby. Hot. Really, really hot.
Could have something to do with that extra chile...
But, Matt wants me to make this again. Definitely a winner.
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
This is the only recipe not from Food & Wine...in fact, it's from an episode of 30 Minute Meals I saw some time ago!
Chopped onion, sauteed in olive oil (once around the pan!), till softened. Add broth, black beans, chopped tomatoes in juice, and canned pumpkin. Stir till combined, then boil for a few minutes.
Reduce heat, simmer, and add lots of spice!
First, add cream, then curry powder (which for us meant 2:1 garam masala and turmeric), ground cumin, cayenne and salt. Simmer a few minutes, and serve...garnishing with chopped chives.
Tasty! Creamy, with a nice, but not over-powering, pumpkin flavor. Spicy, but not too hot. I really like this. Matt's not so crazy about it...he doesn't like 'thick' soups, and thought the pumpkin came through too strong, was too sweet.
He also admitted he'd just eaten the spicy sauce with the lamb prior to the soup, and it could very well have affected his opinion.
It made a lot (the soup), so we're probably going to hand some of it of to the in-laws.
If the dishes from the previous day were easy, these were...super easy. I couldn't believe how quickly they came together. Less than twenty for the lamb, and not much more for the soup. And that's only because I was doing a billion other things at the same time...
Good meal. Love the soup.
And Matt whipped up a nice Watermelon Agua Fresca, to combat the heat!
I would give this meal a solid A.
- Marinated Lamb Loin Chops Recipe
It's traditional to serve leg of lamb or a crown roast for special occasions, but there are other cuts of lamb that are perfect for any old time, like lamb chops. Lamb loin chops are low in fat and an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin,...
- No Recipe Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Necessity is the mother of invention. Nothing could be truer in the kitchen. It's amazing what you can cook when you have very little in the pantry. It can be much more challenging and yet gratifying to try to figure out what do with the ingredients...
- Happy Halloween!
It seemed like such a great idea…pumpkin and black beans. I think I was pulling something out of the freezer when it came to me. There was a little leftover pumpkin in there and I thought, “I bet that would be good in chili.” I mulled it over...
- Let The Celebration Begin!
Day one of our (pre) Cinco de Mayo dinners...we have Chicken and Avocado Soup, garnished with Fried Tortillas, and Tomato, Avocado and Roasted Corn Salad. (all recipes are from the Food & Wine web site; you have to be a subscriber to read them. so, if...
- Chicken Braised In Pumpkin Seed Mole Verde
This recipe was really nice; it didn't have a particularly strong flavor, but it was a very...warm, comforting dish. A hint of citrus from the tomatillos. It worked equally well with tortillas, which is how I ate my leftover's the next two days. ...