March 2021

Nostalgia and Mint (Recipes at the bottom)

Mint has always been an important part of my family’s menu. For as long as I can remember, my grandfather was making a salad with mint or making his mint “BBQ” sauce to top everything from ribs to chicken. Throughout my childhood, there was always mint growing in the yard. I have fond memories of picking the leaves and placing them on my tongue. It’s not just in my life that mint has been prominent. Throughout history, mint has been used in many ways.

Mints are mentioned in early medieval plant lists. Apicius listed mint as an ingredient in several dishes in his famous cookbook as early as the first century. Charlemagne(742-814) decreed that mint and other herbs be grown in his famous gardens. The Pharisees paid their tithes in mint, anise, and cumin according to the biblical record. In Babylon, mint was added to Turnip stew in one of the oldest recipes known, written on a stone tablet.

In Middle Eastern cultures, mint was used to make tea and served to welcome guests, and in ancient Greece, mint leaves are crushed and rubbed on the table to show hospitality to visitors.

Native mints were growing in America before the first settlers from Europe arrived. The settlers added to the mint species by bringing their own varieties.

Mints are still widely used all over the world today. Spearmint flavored mint is the most commonly used, of which there are several varieties.

They are sharp and clean tasting, probably why mint sauces and jellies have often been paired with fatty red meats such as Beef and Lamb. Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce was served as a main course item on the Titanic. Not a bad last meal as far as I am concerned!

This recipe is interesting because I have never before seen the addition of the cherry to mint sauce but was intrigued by the depth and flavor it adds. The Lamb chops are natural with this sauce, and as far as I am concerned, there is no better choice of meat to accompany such a rich and flavorful sauce.

Cherry Mint Sauce

Serves 6

2 Cups dried Cherries

4 Cups Cabernet wine

2 Cups Mint Stems

1 Cup Mint Leaves – chopped

1/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup Water

1/8 Cup Cornstarch

Place Cherries, wine, and mint stems in a large skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce by 2/3, then remove stems. Whisk in chopped mint and sugar. In a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch to form a slurry and add to the skillet. Cook the sauce until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Serve over Lamb, Venison, Beef, or Duck.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Serves 6

3 Lamb rib racks, bones cleaned and cut into individual chops – rinsed and patted dry

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

4 Garlic cloves, sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Cups Cherry Mint Sauce (recipe above)

6 Each Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Place Lamb chops in a large resealable plastic bag or container and add the oil, rosemary, and garlic and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, preheat the grill, remove the lamb from marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place lamb chops on the grill at a 45-degree angle to establish grill marks. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature is 135-145 degrees. Remove the lamb from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the Cherry Mint sauce over the meat and serve. Garnish each plate with a sprig of mint if desired.

By Chef Kerry, ago

9 Tips That Make Weeknight Cooking Faster & Easier

  1. Think about what you might want to eat ahead of time when you aren’t busy.  

It’s all about having a plan, even if that plan is loosely followed.  While you’re zipping through social media, take note of things that look good to you that you think you can tackle.  While watching TV, notice things that you might be hungry for.  What about a dish you ate while you were out? Can you duplicate that?  Talk to the people in your house about what they might like to eat.  Decide how many meals you are going to cook for the week, and then make a list of your ideas.

2. Plan on a couple of your meals feeding you twice.

Look up recipes that follow your ideas, save the recipes and jot down a list of ingredients. 

Leftovers can help you get through your busier nights without having to cook or with very little cooking.  Embrace this concept, and your life will be easier.  Double recipes if needed to feed you more than once. Keep in mind that leftovers can be the same meal or a variation of the first meal.  For example, that roasted chicken you made with rice and salad on Day 1 can be eaten the same way on Day 3, or you could chop/shred the chicken, mix it and some rice with a little water and taco seasoning and make tacos for dinner. The chili you made on Sunday could turn into chili mac or nachos on Tuesday. 

Learning to create new dishes with your leftovers can prevent waste and save you time without everyone getting bored.

3. Go to the store with a list and follow it.

This will help you shop faster, stay on task, and not forget the things you need to fulfill your plan. Be sure to buy all your non-perishables in one visit to save you time down the road.  If you know you will use canned tomatoes a few times in the next month, buy a few cans.  Having a well-stocked pantry will help when unforeseen problems interrupt your plans and you need to improvise.

4. Be flexible, plan your time, and don’t bite off more than you can chew for a weeknight meal.

If you know you will get done working later on certain days, plan on using your leftovers those days. Plan the more time-consuming meals for days when you are off or not working as late.  Have a backup meal in the freezer in case of unforeseen problems during your workweek.  If you thought you would be finished early on Monday, and you were planning to cook, but you ended up working late, swap in one of your faster or leftover meals instead. 

5. Combine and double up on tasks.

If you know you will use 3 onions this week, cut all three of them at once and separate them for the other meals.  If you are already roasting potatoes for one of your meals, maybe another vegetable can be roasted at the same time for a different meal.  If you are making ground meat for tacos, and then again for sloppy joe’s, cook all the ground meat at once and then cool and store the second half for the other meal.  This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it will be a time-saver you will appreciate when you need those things.  You can also cut and freeze vegetables you will cook later, like onion, celery, carrot, (Mirepoix) in recipe size bags for later use.  Next time you are making soup, sauce, stew, you can pull them out of the freezer.  I often wash and cut all my vegetables for the next 3 meals on the weekend (except salad stuff that doesn’t hold up well after washing). It not only saves time but also saves on dirty dishes day to day.

6. Make use of some pre-made products.

In a perfect world, we would only eat whole, unprocessed foods all the time, but this is far from a perfect world.  Things happen, and time is at a premium.  It’s ok to use pre-made foods to save time and supplement your recipes sometimes.  The rotisserie chicken from the grocery store can be eaten as is with a side you make, or it can be used to make chicken tacos, thrown in pasta with your own sauce or a container of store-bought sauce, made into BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches, or used as part of a Cobb salad.  Jarred sauces, canned soup, artichokes, beans, frozen vegetables are all good things to have on hand.

7. Make extra for the freezer.

Making some red sauce for pasta, double or triple the recipe.  Making meatballs, make enough for 4 meals instead.  You are making the kitchen dirty and spending the time anyway, and it won’t take double the time to make double the amount of food.  Freeze liquid items in freezer-safe zip lock bags flat, and they will take up less space and thaw faster.  Label your frozen foods so that you use the older items first, and you aren’t guessing what is in the container. Having frozen food like red sauce, gravy, pesto, chicken stock, meatballs, pasta dishes, rice dishes, etc., will give you something fast to eat on nights you are running late.  Individually wrap burger and sub rolls in plastic wrap and then seal in zip lock bags for freezing, this way they stay fresh longer, and you always have a bun available for a quick sandwich.

8. Make use of time saving kitchen equipment.

Having a slow cooker or a pressure cooker will save you a lot of time and planning.  You can load the slow cooker up with food the night before, then before work, take it out of the refrigerator, put it into the base, and turn it on.  When you get home or in 2-10 hours (depending on what you are making), your food is ready to eat with only one pot to clean.  Recipes for slow cookers are plentiful and usually easy.  Pressure cookers are also great at speeding up dinner.  Many items take half or less of the time to cook in the pressure cooker, even if they are still frozen.  Say you wanted beef stew, but you don’t have 4 or more hours to cook it, pressure cook it in 2 hours.  Forgot to pull the chicken out of the freezer to thaw, it will only take a few minutes longer in the pressure cooker if it’s frozen.  Fish fillets take a total of about 8 minutes from pressurizing to pressure release when frozen (2-3 minutes of actual cook time).  More recipes are being added online for pressure cookers every day. 

9. Jump start your veggies in the microwave.

Some vegetables take a long time to cook.  You can speed this process by first placing them with a ¼ cup of water into a microwave-safe container with a lid for 2-3 minutes.  This will steam the vegetables quickly. Check them with a fork.  When they are halfway done cooking, drain the water and sauté, roast, or grill them until they are done.  

By Chef Kerry, ago

Easy Week-Night Asian Lettuce Wraps

These lettuce wraps with Asian inspired flavors allow you the indulgence of delicious food without the extra calories of rice or bread.  They can be made with ground turkey or chicken to further reduce the calorie count without compromising flavor.  Fast and easy, they make a great weeknight dinner.  

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4-5

1 pound ground chicken, turkey or pork

3 Tablespoons of Hoisin sauce (check for gluten free options)

3 Tablespoons of soy sauce or Tamari for gluten free (low sodium is ok)

2 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Sriracha sauce (optional)

1 Tablespoon of Sesame oil

1 Tablespoon of Olive oil or Vegetable oil

1 Medium onion – diced 

1-3 cloves of garlic – minced

1 Tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

1 can of sliced water chestnuts – drained

3 green onions – sliced thin

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of shredded (or sliced thin) napa or red cabbage (optional)

1 cup of bean sprouts (optional)

1-2 fresh hot peppers or 1 Bell pepper – sliced thin (optional)

¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Large Leafy pliable lettuce leaves washed and dried (Boston Bibb / Butter lettuce work well)

Make the sauce:  In a small bowl, whisk together Hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and Sriracha. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet or frypan over medium heat until shimmering, add onions and hot peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  

Add garlic, ginger, and cabbage to the pan and cook for another minute.  

Add ground meat, and cook, breaking up with a spoon until opaque and mostly cooked through.  

Add peas and sauce to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add bean sprouts water chestnuts to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

Remove pan from heat and top with green onions.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each lettuce leaf and sprinkle cilantro on top. Serve immediately. 

By Chef Kerry, ago