Baaaah!!!!!!

Lamb that is!

Greek was on the menu tonight.  Metro had a sale last weekend on Lamb Shoulder.  If you are not with familiar with lamb it can be very pricey and rarely is marked down.  There are a few packs in the freezer for the coming drought of lamb that is... won't be buying again for a while.  Now this wasn't a truly authentic greek dish as it would have had a few more ingredients on my part but for a quick whip up it suffices.

So Chef Blodgett Marinated the beast for about an hour at room temperature.  If you have time then I recommend that you marinade the beast for 6 hours in the fridge.  You don't want it too long though because the Lemon in the mixture will start to brown the meat. 

The marinade was a combo of  Dijon mustard, Rosemary, Lemon Juice (fresh is always better), Garlic, Salt (you can use regular or Kosher), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Greek Oil would give a nice touch), Fresh Ground Pepper (I never use packaged ground pepper).

1/2 Cup of Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons of Rosemary

2 Teaspoons of Salt

4 Cloves of Minced Garlic

1/2 Cup of Olive Oil

1-2 Tablespoons of Salt

4-6 Lamb Shoulders

Mix the ingredients together adding the Oil Olive gradually at the end.  Marinate as noted  Once you are ready to cook them in order to avoid burning the outside, since we are grilling them, please wipe them down almost dry.  While drying them set your grill to a medium-high temperature.  After the grill has heated throw those bad boys on there.  Let them cook for about 6 minutes per side or until desired rareness.  Remember lamb is not suppose to be well done and will continue to cook for a minute or two after being removed from heat.  

So while you are marinating the lamb I recommend preparing a little rice dish.  The original recipe I had found online but decided to tweak it a little.  You are going to need Onions, Carrots, Garlic Cloves, Pepper, Salt, Lemon Juice, Rice (Jasmine is my preference), Fresh Rosemary, Fresh Parsley, Chicken Broth (If you know how to make a home made broth do it up).  If you want to get creative you can also add Broad Beans (I recommend reading up on how to properly prepare it is easy to overcook).  

Chop up 1 onion and fry in Olive Oil.  Cook for about 2-4 minutes.  Do not let the Onions brown.  Prepare your Chicken Broth at this time.  You will need about 4 cups. Chop up finely (I use a processor to save time) 1-2 Carrots.  Throw it in the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add your minced garlic, 3 Tablespoons of Parsly, and 1 Tablespoon of Pepper, Salt and Rosemary.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add a little more oil to keep from drying.  Add a teaspoon of Lemon Juice and then mix in your chicken broth.  Bring to a light boil.  Throw in 1 1/2 cups of white rice.  Let boil for about 2 minutes and then reduce to low heat.  Stir occasionally.  It will take about 15-20 minutes to fully cook.  Let Cool and Serve.

Kali Orexi

Chez Blodge