Kalamata Olives to the Rescue

 

Back when I was a teenager, I spent a summer in Greece as part of the American Field Service program.  I discovered such foods as Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie), goats’ milk, fresh figs, phyllo dough and baklava and came home 10 pounds heavier.

Lamb Can Be a Satisfying Comfort Food

When I think back on my favorite childhood foods, I think of lamb chops.  We didn’t have them very often, probably because they were expensive.  But they were easy to cook—just stick them under the broiler for a few minutes per side and serve.  The only problem I could see was how small they were.  We needed several side dishes to fill out the meal.

In the years since then, I’ve eaten lamb chops a few times,

Using Up Wine

Boeuf Bourguignon 

Back in the Dark Ages when I was teaching myself to cook, I stumbled on a recipe that called for a cup of wine.  Innocent that I was, I went to my local Bohack, a now defunct New York grocery chain, and consulted with one of the checkout clerks.  She told me what aisle had cooking wine. 

Mom Cooking Tip 160

                Semi-frozen raw meat is much easier to cut thinly than meat at room temperature.

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Why Not Use Lamb in a Stir-Fry?

I tend to get trapped making the same dishes over and over.  It’s the easy way out since I hate hearing complaints from family members when they’re presented with a dish they’ve never seen before.

Sometimes when I’m trying something new, I make it resemble a dish I know they already like.  That approach can backfire if they decide they don’t like that dish after all and ask me never to make it again.  This time though, when I made my friend Abby’s lamb stir-fry recipe, the plan worked.

Leftover Lamb

I came to roasting a leg of lamb quite late in my cooking life.  Mainly I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to carve it properly. Unlike a prime rib of beef, which has one big bone, a leg of lamb has 2 major bones that present themselves at odd angles.  Most recipes make a big deal out of how to carve this cut without making a fool of yourself.

Since a leg of lamb is expensive, it was highly unlikely that I would ever buy one just for Bart and me.  There would be way too much meat for the two of us.  What would I do with the leftovers?

The Secret of Lamb Chops

I’ve always liked lamb chops.  They’re hard to ruin.  Even inexperienced cooks can grill a lamb chop.  Just don’t cook it too long—3-4 minutes per side--unless you like your meat super-well-done.  If you don’t have a grill or broiler, a frying pan will do.

The biggest obstacle to lamb chops is their cost.  My local grocery store is selling loin chops for $12.99 a pound and shoulder chops (also called blade or arms chops) for $10.99 a pound.  Luckily they’re often on sale for considerably less.  When I spotted shoulder chops for $2.99 per pound, I stocked up.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 89

Roast Pork Loin

Roasts provide lots of meals.  Buy them when they’re on sale, cook them and then freeze half the leftovers.  Use the rest for sandwiches, cut up in tortillas or soup or a simple repeat of your original dinner.  I just bought a 4-pound pork loin roast for $10 and used some of the leftovers for Cuban Sandwiches.  

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Mom Cooking Tip 124

To remove fat from gravy, soup or meat stews, refrigerate the cooked food overnight.  The fat will solidify and rise to the top of the container.  Use a fork or large soup spoon to lift the fat off and discard.  This technique is easier and more effective than trying to spoon away fat while the dish is still cooking.

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Question for Mom

Will a candy thermometer also work as a meat thermometer?  -- Ginger B.

No.  A candy thermometer can clip to the side of a pot or a deep-fat fryer and measure the temperature of hot oil or melted sugar used in making candy such as fudge.  A candy thermometer may go as high as 400 degrees. A meat thermometer, which registers the internal temperature of roasting meat, generally goes only as high as 180 degrees.  Some candy thermometers have a spike at one end, making you think maybe they would work on meat, but they aren’t meant to determine whether the chicken is fully cooked.

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Question for Mom

Why do recipes say that roasted meat and poultry should rest for at least 15 minutes when they come out of the oven? - Angie P.

Resting time allows the juices to settle back into the cooked meat or poultry and also makes carving easier.
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Mom Cooking Tip 104

Frying Chicken Tikka

Use tongs rather than a fork to turn meat as it cooks.  That way the juices won’t drip out through the holes made by the fork. 

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The Joy and Agony of Leftovers

Sometimes I’m thrilled when I open the fridge and see nicely wrapped packages of leftovers.  “Ah,” I think to myself.  “Dinner is going to be easy tonight.  Thank goodness I have a microwave.”

Other times I cringe.  “Oh, no!  Not more turkey.”

A Dish Worthy of Henry VIII

I have to confess that some years ago I cut down on my meat consumption, favoring fish and poultry.  But some meat dishes I just cannot resist.  One of them is Lamb Shanks.

Most stores don’t carry lamb shanks, so you may have to ask the butcher to order them for you.  I discovered some frozen ones from New Zealand on sale last week for $2.99 a pound.  Three lamb shanks together weighed more than four pounds.  Once thawed, they looked like weapons, not dinner.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 55

Oven-Roasted Tilapia Kebabs

To feed more people with a set amount of meat or fish, turn it into kebabs. Add to the skewers such vegetables as whole mushrooms, onion chunks, zucchini slices, bell pepper pieces or 1-inch slices of uncooked corn on the cob. Dab with oil and then grill, oven-roast or pan-fry.

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Mystery Meat

Greek Roast Leg of Lamb

Like most home cooks, I fall into ruts.  The same old stuff is easy to make, everyone eats it and I can prepare it in my sleep. It’s comforting, but where’s the thrill of the new and exciting?  

It’s not that I want to dine on exotic animals, but when a mountain lion crept into the Los Angeles Zoo recently and gobbled up a koala I did wonder what it tasted like.  I had venison once as a kid but have no recollection of its flavor.  A friend shot a bear recently, and his wife filled the freezer with bear meat.  I never got to try it because they live 3,000 miles away, but she said it tasted fatty.

Mom Cooking Tip 44

Freeze ground meat in gallon-size plastic freezer bags. Flatten the meat as much as you can before sealing. It will freeze faster and thaw more quickly. If you decide you only need half the package for a meal, whack the still-frozen meat on the edge of the counter to split it in half.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 35

Buy meat in bulk, divide it into portions for 2 or 4, wrap well and freeze until needed.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 34

If you’re tired of rich holiday food and also want to save some money, make a big baked potato or two medium-size potatoes as your entrée. If you must have a little meat, add some chopped-up leftover turkey, beef, pork or ham and top with salsa.

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Mom Cooking Tip 21

If you have questions for the Meat Department, shop in the morning when the butcher is more likely to be available.

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