Lemon Herb Lamb Loin Kebabs

Kebabs are to lamb like a little wine is to love. They bring the best tender essence and the promise of romance with a splash of flair. So much richer and complex than just a plain, dependable slice of roast lamb, as good as that can be, kebabs are a very act of summer fling.

Consider this marinade/sauce for other proteins on kebabs as well such as beef, pork, chicken or tofu.

While leg or shoulder meat is great for simmered curries and stews, lamb loin chop meat is used here, because it remains ultimately tender even with the limited cooking typical of a kebab. A sweet, savory and tart mixture is split to act as a marinade and a reserved portion as a sauce (never use the marinade itself as a sauce as it may not be cooked through sufficiently - that's why we reserve some mixture before using the rest as a marinade).

Summer is for lovers, so get to it and swoon over this.

4 lamb loin chops

Marinade & Sauce:

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

4 fresh sage leaves

2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp favorite hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Chili paste)

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp honey

2 colored bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces, about 20-24 pieces

10-12 small button mushrooms or 3 large, quartered to about 3/4-inch

4 large (8-10 inc) or 5 medium (6-8 inch) skewers

Place the marinade/sauce herbs and garlic in a small food processor. Mince the herbs well.

Add the remaining marinade/sauce ingredients and process to mix well.

You should have about one cup. Reserve 1/3 cup of sauce in a small bowl. Place remaining marinade/sauce in a medium bowl.

The lamb loin chop is equivalent to the beef T-bone steak, comprising the tenderloin on one side of the bone and the rib-eye on the other. Use a very sharp boning knife to remove the meat from the chop bone as intact as possible; you want pieces that are 3/4-1-inch large. If intact- the tenderloin can be cut in half, while the ribeye can be cut into thirds.

Tip the lamb cubes into the bowl with the marinade. Stir to coat well.

Allow the lamb to marinate at least an an hour, or up to overnight, covered in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, return the lamb to room temperature.

If using wooden skewers, soak them for 20 minutes completely immersed in water. Thread the meat and veggies on the skewers evenly, alternating meat and veggie to your artistic fancy.

Heat grill to high. When ready to cook, reduce heat to medium. Spray kebabs with oil. Lay kebabs on grill, oil-side down.

Close grill and cook 3-4 minutes. Oil top side of kebabs. Carefully flip kebabs using oven mits. Cook reverse side covered, for another 3-4 minutes.

Now flip kebabs to one side, cook 2 minutes more uncovered, and then finish the last side, cooking for about another 2 minutes.

Using an instant-read digital thermometer, measure the internal temperature of several meat cubes. Remove kebabs from heat when lamb reaches 130F. Place kebabs on a platter, and distribute reserved sauce evenly over kebabs. Cover kebabs with aluminum foil and let rest 5 minutes. They will heat through and raise the temperature to about 135F for medium rare.

Serves 4.

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F.

Scrambled Benedict

This is the ultimate Sunday brunch item. Don't be intimidated about making a Hollandaise sauce - it is so much easier and quicker than you may think. And it is oh, so luscious over eggs. You can poach your eggs or fry them; whatever you prefer. My favorite is poached, but others in the family like scrambled better, so I scrambled. Happy brunching. Hollandaise Sauce: 2 egg yokes, in a small bowl 1/2 cup butter, just melted in microwave 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp lukewarm water 2 English muffins 2 remaining egg whites 3 eggs 1 Tbsp cream dash dried dill Set up a double boiler (I use a medium pot with a metal bowl on top), and bring 2 cups water to the boil. Reduce heat to low. In the yet unheated double boiler top bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Warm over double boiler. Whisk the egg yokes together. Slowly whisk the yokes into the warmed butter mixture, drizzling the yokes in slowly. Whisk continuously. If the

Coconut Rice Noodles with Eggplant

Noodle bowls are always a welcome dish for a wholesome dinner meal after an outing like grooming roses with your Park friends. Or whatever you've been doing in the afternoon. This will satisfy an appetite after a good day's work, with hearty eggplant, satisfying noodles and a cozy broth of coconut and tomatoes. Garnish with basil or mint. 1/2 lb dried wide rice noodles 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp salted butter 1 medium onion, sliced kernels from 1 fresh corn stalk, or 1/2 cup frozen 3/4 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4-inch fresh ginger, minced 1 tsp favorite curry powder 1 can whole coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s) 2 cups chicken (or veggie broth) - I used home-made stock 1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved Set a medium pot of water to boil for the noodles. Simmer according to package directions until just before cooked. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes on

Cuisine Eric

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