Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce. Swede And Parsnip Bake With Maple Bacon Crumble.

I pointed to two hags sitting across the bar and told my friend “That’s us in 10 years”. She said “That’s a mirror”.

Let’s make some delicious lamb. The garlickly meat is terrific with the cool, minty sauce. The turnip-parsnip side dish is a fun combination that gets a flavor elevation from the maple syrup and bacon.

Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

4 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
½ cup good olive oil
½ cup dry red wine
2 racks of lamb, frenched and cut into 8 chops each (I used lamb steaks)

Ingredients for the Yogurt Mint Sauce:

6 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
7 ounces Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the lamb in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the meat, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

2. When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat (I used a grill pan on the stove). Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.

Directions for the Yogurt Mint Sauce:

1. Place the green onions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and purée until it’s a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? Cookbook

Swede And Parsnip Bake With Maple Bacon Crumble

Ingredients:

1 medium swede (rutabaga), about 600g, peeled and cut into chunks
500g parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
25g butter, plus a little extra
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 1/2 cups roughly torn sourdough bread
2 Tbs thyme leaves

Directions:

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and add the swede chunks. Boil for 3 mins, then add the parsnips and boil the lot for 20 mins more or until tender. Drain well.

2. Return the vegetables to the pan and mash well with the butter, salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs until well combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to a 6 cup (1.5 liter) baking dish and smooth the surface.

4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add bacon. Cook for 5 minutes or until crisp.

5. Place olive oil, syrup, bread, thyme and bacon in a bowl and mix well. Spoon over the swede and parsnip mash.

6. Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from Donna Hay Magazine

Greek Lamb got me thinking about a book I recently read, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, which has a group of Greek/Classics majoring college students as the central characters. It is also set in Vermont, so I felt an immediate connection.

The book is completely engrossing, very sad, dark and bizarre. It is also at times quite humorous. The writing is excellent with thrilling descriptions throughout the novel. I loved the book so much that I reread it after finishing it. I wanted to go through the scenes again, and see how they played out, when I knew more about the characters and what ultimately happened.

Anyhow, I highly recommend reading The Secret History.

Which brings me to today’s musical choice.

The Divine Comedy have a greatest hits compilation album titled ‘The Secret History’. I love every song by The Divine Comedy, so of course I adore every track on this cd. Hard to choose a tune, so I am going to go with the first song, National Express. Makes me want to pull out a top hat and get a bunch of tap shoe shod gals to dance around with me.

“We’re going where the air is free
Tomorrow belongs to me
When you’re sad and feeling blue
With nothing better to do
Don’t just sit there feeling stressed
Take a trip on the National Express”

Oh, I’m feeling happy now.
The Divine Comedy-National Express

So happy, that I have happy feet.