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dinner on the 4th of july
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July 04, 2002
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« party of five | Main | don't sweat the simple stuff »
I plan to cook a lot over this vacation. Cooking is one of my preferred methods of avoiding things that I have to do. (Other time-tested methods include sex and video games, not necessarily in that order.)
I grilled a leg of lamb for dinner tonight. I'd bought a butterflied, boneless leg (hurrah for convenience foods!) from the store yesterday just for the purpose. I'd never grilled a leg of lamb before; I'd always felt that God made them to be roasted and that was that. But a twenty-minute cooking time seemed a good enough reason to abandon God's plan.
I also made a corn and sun-dried tomato chowder. This was definitely the star of the evening. Mostly because I've never made anything like this before. It's probably the best soup I've ever made. The interplay of flavors between the corn and the sun-dried tomatoes is exquisite -- you'll think you're having lunch at a three-star restaurant in Paris. Or something. And it's easy.
Grilled Leg of Lamb with Two Sauces
Marinade: o 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce o 1/2 cup dry red wine o 2 tbsp olive oil o 2 tbsp chopped mint o 1/2 tsp black pepper o 2 tbsp minced roasted garlic Additional sauce ingredients: o 1 cup dry red wine o 1 cup beef/chicken stock o 2 tbsp minced roasted garlic o 1 tsp Dijon mustard Yogurt sauce: o 1 cup plain yogurt o 3 tbsp minced roasted garlic o 3 tbsp chopped mint o 1 tbsp lemon juice Additional ingredients: o One boneless, butterflied leg of lamb Combine the marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized ziploc freezer bag. Put the leg of lamb in the bag and place in the refrigerator. Let marinade for 3 or 4 hours or overnight. Prepare the grill. Grill the butterflied leg for 8 to 10 minutes per side or until medium-rare. You may need to trim the thinner portions so they don't get overcooked. In the meantime, prepare the sauces. Combine the marinade ingredients with the additional sauce ingredients listed above in a saucepan on medium heat. Let this sauce reduce by half. Combine the yogurt sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
Corn and Sun-dried Tomato Chowder
Ingredients: o 4 ears of sweet corn o 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil o 1 tbsp fresh tarragon o 1 tsp cumin o 1/4 turmeric o 1 1/2 tsp minced lemon zest o 2 cans chicken stock o 1 cup white wine o 1 tbsp roasted garlic o 1 tbsp lemon juice o 1 cup creme fraiche o 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced Directions: Remove the corn from the cob. Reserve the cobs. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil and saute the garlic, tarragon, cumin, turmeric and lemon zest in it for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and the cobs, the stock, and the wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cobs and add the lemon juice and sour cream. Transfer to a blender and puree, in batches if necessary. Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Season to taste and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
Both of these recipes are adapted from The Wine Lover's Cookbook by Sid Goldstein. It's been very good to me so far. Find out more about it here:
July 4, 2002 in main_dishes, menus, old_site, recipes | Permalink
Comments
Orion,
You're corn and sun dried tomato chowder is one of the best soups ever. I've made it a couple of times for dinner parties and it's a hit with everyone, even the picky eaters. Thanks for the recipe.
Posted by: Liz at Jun 15, 2005 9:59:02 PM
