Boneless Leg of Lamb on the Rotisserie

WINTER MUST BE JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

 



We kicked off the weekend by packing up Christmas puddings at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Kitchener.  Each year, we become honorary members of the Harris family for a day as we pitch in to help fill the orders for these traditional home-made puddings. Yummmm! The aromas are not those of the usual gymnasium!!!! We had a craving for dried fruit for the rest of the weekend!! Last year, church volunteers made 2,700 pounds of Christmas pudding and nearly $18,000 was collected in sales.

Carla and her happy gang of pudding packers!!

SNOW - FINALLY (but alas, only briefly!!

It was a treat driving down to Ellicottville for the first time this season and finding the town blanketed in a few inches of fresh snow!  There were actually kids tobogganing down the main hill on Friday night, but by Saturday most of the white stuff had melted.  Still, it was a nice glimpse of what’s ahead!  We enjoyed a relaxing weekend hiking with our friends David and Jennifer and their Golden Retriever, Apple.

After Friday’s dinner out at Dina’s, we were ready for a home-cooked meal on Saturday.  On the menu:

Boneless Leg of Lamb on the Rotisserie

Steamed Broccoli

Sautéed Mushrooms

Grilled Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Lasagna

Salad with Grilled Pears, Honey Pecans and Stilton Cheese

Boneless Leg of Lamb on the Rotisserie

3-4 pound boneless leg of lamb

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the marinade ingredients.   Place the lamb in a re-sealable plastic bag or in a shallow glass dish, and spread the marinade evenly over the meat.  Refrigerate at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.

Set up the barbecue for rotisserie cooking, referring to our guide under Techniques on the home page.

Place the roast on a spit rod and secure the forks in place.  Adjust the barbecue temperature to around 375°.  Cook to desired doneness, around 20 minutes per pound.  Tent with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes to reabsorb juices.

Grilled Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350°

 

1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 head garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Olive oil

 2 ½ tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups milk

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 cup Grana Padano, divided

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch kosher salt

 

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sheets of fresh lasagna noodles

Preheat barbecue on HIGH.  Meanwhile, brush the squash with olive oil and wrap the garlic in foil.  Reduce the heat to MEDIUM and place the squash, cut side down, on the cooking grids.  Sear the squash for about 10 minutes, then turn skin side down and place on the upper racks.  Place the garlic on the upper racks as well, and cook until both are soft and tender to the touch, about 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the goat cheese sauce.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour, continuing to stir for 3-4 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened and beginning to bubble.  Remove from heat, and whisk in the goat cheese, sage and ½ cup Grana Padano.  Set aside.

When the squash and garlic are cooked through and cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and squeeze out the roasted garlic, and mash them together in a bowl with the rosemary.  Stir in the cheese sauce mixture, reserving ¼ cup to spread over the bottom of the 9”x9” glass dish.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg, ricotta, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the lasagne sheets 2 at a time, laying them out on clean dish towels as they cook.

To assemble the lasagna:

Place one layer of cooked lasagne noodles in the prepared glass pan, cutting with scissors to fit as necessary.  Spread ¼ of the ricotta mixture in a thin layer over the noodles, followed by ¼ of the squash mixture.  Repeat these layers 3 more times, and sprinkle with the remaining Grana Padano.  Cover loosely with foil, and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Salad with Grilled Pears, Honey Pecans and Stilton Cheese

1 firm ripe bosc pear, peeled and cut into 12 slices

Olive oil

For the honey pecans:

1 cup pecans

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

Pinch salt

2 ounces stilton cheese, crumbled

6 cups baby greens

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon honey

1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat barbecue and reduce temperature to MEDIUM.  Toss the pear slices with a little olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Grill on both sides, turning at right angles for perfect grill marks.  Remove from barbecue when tender and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the pecans:  Combine the pecans, honey, water and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook and stir until most of the honey mixture is reduced and coating the nuts, then turn them out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until deep golden.   Let cool completely.

To assemble the salad:  toss the greens with the dressing and divide them onto 4 plates.  Arrange three pear slices on top of each, then sprinkle with nuts and cheese. 


AND ANOTHER THING.......

Last week, we promised some recipes that make good use of the leftovers from our smoked duck and smoked salmon dinner. Here is a delicious, rich recipe that utilizes the smoked salmon. This is rich and filling, but do not worry, we eat it as a special treat meal, rounded out with a huge fresh green salad. Do not worry about the calories so much. It's the flavour that is memorable here!

Fettucine with Smoked Salmon and Vodka

¼ cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ tsp chili flakes

¼ lb smoked salmon, cut into chunks

1 large tomato, seeded

3 tbsp vodka

2 cups whipping cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 ½ lb fettucine

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and chili flakes and cook 5 minutes, until onion is golden.  Add salmon and tomato.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Increase heat to high and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in vodka, reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.  Add cream and continue to simmer until reduced again by half.

Meanwhile, cook fettucine in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain and place in a warm serving bowl.  Add sauce and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.

Serves 6.