Sweet cherries just turned up at our farmer’s market (still waiting on sour!), as did currants. So right now we’re working our way through pint after pint of fruit. Our daughter has been lobbying for currant buns (because it’s what Mother Rabbit goes to buy in Peter Rabbit), but I think those are a little better right as summer turns into fall (probably because of the Kink’s line “Tea and toasted, buttered currant buns help to compensate for lack of sun.” For now, we’re going with our new favorite summer dessert- clafoutis. [Read more…]
queens county farm museum
People don’t usually associate Queens with idyllic rural landscapes. Honestly, for us, a trip to Queens usually means we’re going to the airport. Also, once we went to the Target on Queens Boulevard (never again!). Queens is a great place for Chinese and Indian food and cuisines from countries you’re only vaguely aware of–what do they eat in Tajikistan, anyway? Most parts are hard to get to by subway, so we usually stick to Brooklyn. But a few weekends ago, we discovered a new reason to make the drive out to Queens–the Queens County Farm Museum. [Read more…]
savory strawberry salad with buttermilk dressing
I’ve always been a bit dubious about savory strawberry preparations. With such subtle flavor, it seems the sweetness could easily be leached out of the delicate berries. But the other day, for whatever reason (chalk it up to a pregnancy craving) I needed some strawberries in my salad. Also, two eggs and buttermilk. Lucky for me, it was really simple to put this satisfying salad together. [Read more…]
lamb ragù over polenta
There’s something undeniably wonderful about having a fragrant, slow-simmered ragù on the stovetop for an entire Sunday. The richness permeates the air and gives the entire day a slow and luxurious feel. Languorous weekends have been in short supply for us lately, so smelling this ragù all day almost felt decadent.
Lamb is a favorite in this apartment, doubly so for stews and slow sauces. The heartiness of lamb shoulder and neck (the cuts we used here) is just unsurpassable. To keep the richness and fattiness of the lamb from being overwhelming, we use red wine and red wine vinegar to give the dish a little bracing edge, which is tempered by the sweetness of tomato paste. The trio of carrots, onion, and celery give it a classic feel, while the garlic and bay leaves keep it from being a staid dish even if it doesn’t have any unusual ingredients.
roast lamb sandwiches with mint yogurt sauce
One of the best things about roasting a leg of lamb is the leftovers. Thanksgiving has a reputation for being the holiday for leftovers, but that’s just based on volume. Based on quality, it’s pretty hard to compete with a post-Easter lamb sandwich. For an especially incredible lamb sandwich, we made this mint yogurt sauce, and we recommend you do the same.
Yogurt and lamb are both staples of Mediterranean cooking and besides going together well geographically, they also complement each other’s flavors well. Lamb is a pretty rich meat, which is offset nicely by the coolness of the yogurt and mint. Ours also had pickled red onions, which I highly recommend if you have them (and really, they’re easy to make). Overall, the entire dish brings the freshness of spring, which it a pretty big accomplishment for a sandwich.
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