Winter Comforts

It is a busy time of year, getting ready for our families to start gathering for the Christmas holidays. We love it!  Yet, we have learned over the years not to forget to enjoy the moment.  We both found ourselves with some time to slow down this weekend and prepared some healthful and easy meals --- in times like this, we like to prepare food from our “go- to” repertoire. 

An unexpectedly quiet weekend meant Ted and Andrea could slip away to Ellicottville for a restorative few days of hiking, reading and knitting by the fire, and of course grilling!  We stopped at our favourite American grocery store, Wegmans, and selected a succulent rack of lamb, as well as some fresh vegetables to grill.  Thanks to  Broil King's The Perfect Savoury Mediterranean Rub, the meat and vegetables were a snap to prepare.  That left plenty of time to devote to the Better Than Sex Risotto. 

Quick Rack of Lamb

1 rack of lamb for 2-3 people
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Broil King Perfect Savoury Mediterranean Rub

Brush the lamb with olive oil, and sprinkle the rub over all sides of the meat.  Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour.  Meanwhile, preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes.  Clean the grids with a wire brush, then coat them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.  Place the lamb on the grill, and cook for a total of about 25 minutes, following the guide for perfect grill marks.
Serve with mint or red pepper jelly. 


 Back in Waterloo, Mark and Kris were anxious to get their Christmas tree before the snow flew, so Mark, Jackie and Pepper headed out to the woods.  Each year, the trees seem to get bigger!!  
Meanwhile, Kris was trying to find some room in the freezer to accomodate some Christmas goodies.  We decided that it was time to smoke the duck legs that we had picked up at the market earlier in the fall. Here are 2 great meals that came out of that endeavour!! Check out this link for our instructions on smoking duck legs.

Here are the recipes for 2 great meals that came out of that endeavour!!

Lentils with bacon and dried cherries

1 can green lentils, rinsed and drained

4 slices smoked bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup dried cherries

Rinse and drain lentils, then set aside. Place bacon into a sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon and set it aside. Drain off bacon fat. Into the same pan, add olive oil, shallots and garlic. Saute gently until the shallots and garlic are translucent, approximately 6-7 minutes. Increase heat and deglaze pan with red wine. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add drained lentils, and heat for another 3-4 minutes until warm. Add dried cherries and garnish with parsley.

Thai red curry with crispy duck legs

6 smoked duck legs

1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, beaten
1” ginger, sliced into coins and smashed
1 tsp red curry paste
½ cup chicken or fish stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp fish sauce
garnish with thai basil

In a saucepot,  bring the coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, curry paste, stock and brown sugar to a simmer.   Simmer 30-45 minutes, until reduced by about 1/3.  Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and fish sauce. Strain well through a fine mesh strainer into a large saute pan. Add the smoked duck legs and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until flavours are blended. Serve with steamed brown basmati rice and steamed asian greens. Garnish with thai basil.