Gathering Around The Grill

 

We were so happy to welcome Reid and Jannell home from Asia this Canada Day weekend!  They were both super excited to have some meat and the first thing they wanted to have was a good old grilled burger with their soup. 

Fresh from the garden Green Pea Soup

This soup is a favorite, both for it’s delicious fresh flavours, and for the lovely smooth texture.

10 quarts fresh green peas (about 

5 cups hulled)

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

1 large yellow onion, diced

¾ cup celery, including leaves, chopped

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

8 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Garnish:

1 cup greek yoghurt

¼ cup fresh mint, chopped

¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

Pour olive oil into a large stockpot and add lettuce, onion, celery and parsley. Saute gently, until tender- this should take around 5-7 minutes.  Add 4 cups chicken stock, 3 cups hulled peas, bay leaf, salt and cayenne pepper.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the peas are soft, but not mushy. Keep a close eye on them. Remove the lid, take out the bay leaf and set aside to cool for 15 minutes, then puree in small batches in the blender or food processor.

Meanwhile, place the remaining chicken stock in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the remaining 2 cups of peas until they are tender-crisp, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add them to the pureed soup.

For the garnish:

Finely chop the chives and mint, stir into greek yoghurt and set aside until the soup is ready to serve. Place a dollop of yoghurt into the centre of each bowl/cup of soup.

Stuffed Leg of Lamb on the Keg

2 de-boned legs of lamb

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped garlic scapes

2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

2 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set a sauté pan over MEDIUM LOW heat, and add the olive oil, then the scapes.  Saute until fragrant and just tender, then add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds more.  Remove from heat and add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.  Let cool slightly. 

Lay the lamb out on a carving board.  Stuff the scape mixture into the crevices and then scatter over the surface of the meat.  Roll up the meat and tie securely with butcher twine.  Sprinkle the surface of the meat with pepper.

Meanwhile, light the charcoal in the Broil King Keg.  When the coals are glowing, scatter with some apple wood chips, place the diffuser in the Keg, and fill it with hot water.  Replace the grids and set the lamb roasts on the Keg.  Set to 2 and 2 for a temperature of about 225°F. 

At this point, do not make the mistake we did by cranking up the heat too high and going to our friends’ cottage for some lovely cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for a few hours with no-one on site to check the temperatures!  I’m afraid we overcooked these lovely roasts, though they had a nice smoke ring and were tender and flavourful.  Had we stuck with the 225°F for 3 hours it would have been perfect!

Carve into thick slices and serve with mint jelly.

Our garden was brimming with fresh broccoli and we made a healthy raw salad to accompany the lamb:

Broccoli Salad with Avocado Dressing

A few crowns of broccoli, separated into bite-sized florets

½ red onion

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

for the dressing:

1 ripe avocado

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

juice of 1 lime

handful fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the flesh of the avocado and all the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Whir until completely smooth.  If it is too thick, add some white balsamic vinegar or water to thin it a little.

Toss everything together in a medium bowl.