Foodmomiac

Winging it (Chorizo Kale Pasta)

Chorizo Kale Pasta
Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

We were away all last weekend in Toledo, which was a lot of fun, but we didn't get home until late Sunday night. This translates to no groceries in the house. I DID get our au pair a Trader Joe's gift card, so that she could pick things up for the house while we're at work, but that seems to have translated from English to German into, "Hey, go buy as much mochi as you can find! Hurry! Fill the freezer with mochi!!" So... lots of Japanese ice cream. But, in terms of other food? Not so much. I take full blame for this. Sending an 18-year-old to the grocery store with no list is just not smart. So, anyway... we don't have much food.

Luckily, we did have some fun ingredients left over from last week's trip to the Farmer's Market, including kale and lamb chorizo. I decided to create a pasta dish. I minced one small onion and sauteed it in a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil. Then, I sliced up two links of the chorizo and added those, cooking them until they were nice and brown. I then added a couple of tablespoons of flour to create a roux. I poured in a box of chicken broth, added the cleaned and chopped kale, and covered the pan until the kale was steamed to perfection and the sauce was slightly thickened. (I stirred occasionally to help things along). While I made the sauce, I cooked the pasta. Once it was done, I drained it, added it to the sauce, and tossed the whole concoction with a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Yum - it was really good!

P.S. How is everyone doing with the shred? I've missed a few days, but I'm up to Level 3. Was not a huge fan of Level 2.

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Fresh Herbs

  Grilled Rack of Lamb with Fresh Herbs 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

We were supposed to eat this last night, but summer thunderstorms have hit Chicago with a vengeance, and grilled lamb was out of the question (I had a feta cheese omelet instead).

The thunderstorms came again tonight, but they let up long enough for Michael to grill up this beautiful rack of lamb that we got from the Green City Farmers Market on Saturday.

The lamb sat in marinade, in a ziploc bag, for about 24 hours. The marinade consisted of fresh mint, fresh parsley, dry vermouth, dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil. I love fresh mint with lamb. This was delicious.

In other news, we picked our au pair last night. Her name is Patricia, and she is from Brazil. She is very sweet, and signs her emails, "Kisses, Paty." I like that. I also like that she is organized. We could use a little bit of that. In her words, "I don't like the messy." Yeah, me either, but I am surrounded by the messy. Hopefully, Paty can help.

Grilled Lamb Chop, Greek Salad

  Grilled Lamb Chop, Greek Salad 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Finally, a nice home-cooked meal. It was almost like a dream sequence to be cooking in my kitchen. It has just been so long.

BUT, since Max was home sick, I took him to Costco after his nap (b/c chasing around a sick, rambunctious toddler through my cluttered apartment is just a nightmare) for some supplies. Top of my list was Ketel One Vodka. As we were getting ready to go, I said, "Let's go Max! Mommy needs to get some vodka."

Now, let me say that Max is not a talker. Well, he talks, but honestly, we have no clue what the hell he is saying most of the time. Everything sounds like "hota!" But, now you can add "vodka" to his vocabulary. I guess he liked the sound of it. A we walked through Costco, other shoppers were treated to my toddler yelling, "vah ka!, vah ka!" Good mothering, I tell ya.

Anyway, we bought lamb chops. I always buy lamb at Costco, because it always looks tasty. And, Amy Fanning (who just had her second baby - congrats!) sent me a fabulous lamb marinade a while back that is foolproof. Even when you TOTALLY mess around with the recipe like I did. Here you go (with my alterations in bold):

FANNING LAMB

4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup dry vermouth
1 tbsp. rosemary (I used dill, b/c I like making it Greek style)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce, b/c I am allergic to anchovies, one of the main ingredients of Worcestershire)
2/3 cup dijon mustard

1 4-6 lb. leg of lamb (we like the boneless one at Costco, fat removed) (ha! I used chops, but I've also done this with the leg, and it was terrific)

Combine ingredients for marinade and mix well.  Place lamb in the marinade for 24 hours in the fridge, turning every couple hours (except when you are asleep!). (OK, I marinated the chops for 1/2 hour, and they were still incredibly flavorful, so if you don't plan ahead, don't worry.)

Place butterflied leg of lamb on grill over medium heat.  Sprinkle rosemary on coals for extra flavor.  Cook lamb for 20 minutes on each side, brushing with marinade as you go.   (With the chops, I think we cooked for 10 minutes total.) Remove from grill and let rest – cut into thin slices.  Serves 6-8.