Bear Cuisine

Low Tech Cooking

There are so many ways to classify the dishes that one cooks--by technique, by ingredients, by country of origin,by season or, as the most recent of Saveur reminded me, by the type of cooking vessel which is used. I have long been a collector of clay pots and love the different shapes and kinds of clay that are used in different parts of the world.  They all speak of the earth and remind us of our intimate connection to it. The article by Maria Speck, "Good Earth," prompted me to look in the cabinet were I keep most of these treasures and there, prominently displayed, was my Romertopf.

 At one time it was in constant use, but, for reasons I don't remember, had fallen out of favor. I was delighted to see it again and promptly put it to work to make a delicious Indian-style Lamb Pot Roast.

RAAN MUSSALAM

• 8 cloves garlic
  
• 1 small onion quartered
  
• 1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  
• 1/3 cup blanched almonds
  
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon garam masala*
  
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  
• 3 teaspoons saffron
  
• 4 serrano chiles, stemmed
  
• 1 1/2 cups yogurt
  
• 1 6 to 7 pound leg of lamb, boned
  
• Kosher salt to taste
  
• Juice of 1 lime
  
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
  

1. In a food processor, pulse garlic, onions, ginger, raisins, coconut, almonds, 2 tablespoons garam masala, sugar, 2 teaspoons saffron and 3 chiles to a paste. Add 1/2 cup yogurt; pulse to combine. With a sharp knife make 1/4"-deep cuts all over lamb. Season inside of lamb with salt; rub with half the yogurt mixture, working it into the cuts. Roll lamb into a cylinder; tie at 1" intervals with kitchen twine. Season outside of lamb with salt; rub with remaining yogurt mixture. Cover; let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Finely chop remaining chile; combine with lime juice and remaining garam masala, saffron, and yogurt in a small bowl. Refrigerate sauce.

3. Soak Romertopf roaster in water for 15 minutes; drain. Put sliced onion into bottom of pot; top with lamb. Cover place in a cold oven; turn heat to 325 degrees. Bake until lamb is tender, about 3 hours. Uncover; cook, basting occasionally with juices, until browned, about 30 minutes more. Transfer lamb to a cutting board. Pour juices and onions into a 2-quart saucepan; boil over hight heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions to a platter with a slotted spoon. Slice lamb and lay over onions; drizzle with reduced juices and garnish with cilantro. Sere with the yogurt sauce.

*I take a short cut with the garam masala  and use an excellent commerical mixture made by Ajika.com.

(from Saveur, #116)

Frugal Cuisine

Every year we buy a whole or half lamb from Shepherd's Lamb in Tierra Amarilla,NM and part of the package includes lamb neck bones. Other than using them to make stock, I have always been at a loss as to what to do with them. One evening I was perusing The River Cottage Cookbook and found this recipe. This dish couldn't be simpler to make and it is quite tasty.

IVAN'S NECK OF LAMB WITH LEMON AND THYME

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds neck of lamb on the bone
• juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 7-8 sprigs of thyme
• a wine glass of water or lamb stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan or deep-sided frying pan. Add the lamb and allow it to sizzle and spit for a few minutes, turning until it is lightly browned all over. Add the lemon juice, thyme, water or stock and some salt and pepper to the pan. Then turn down the heat, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer. Leave to simmer, with the lid on, for 45-50 minutes, until the meat is tender.

Serve with plenty of good white bread and a simple salad.

(Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The River Cottage Cookbook. Collins, 2003)

Welcome Guests

The other evening we had friends, new friends, over for dinner. Ray and Ann are definitely on the "invite again" list. Not only have they mastered the art of conversation--an increasingly lost art in my experience--but they appreciated the food which had been set before them. At one point, I thought they might actually lick their plates. These are most welcome guests and I would be more than happy to entertain them again.

What did we have that evening? Rack of Lamb roasted with a Lemon Zest-Chile Rub accompanied by New Mexican Rice and Naked Chile Rellenos, served with Red Chile Crema. Dessert was Chocolate-Chile Ice Cream. Really, it was a very simple meal, but even I(after my daughter, my toughest critic)thought that dinner was excellent.

Fresh Lemon Zest Chile-Herb Rub

Yield: enough for 8 to 12 pounds of meat

1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons, pure ground hot and mild New Mexican red chiles
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest

1. Mix all ingredients together, then spoon mixture lightly onto meat, rubbing it into surface with your fingers.
2. Freeze any leftovers.

(adapted from Jane Butel's Southwestern Grill and Jane Butel's On-Line Cooking School)

I put the rub on the meat in the morning and then put it in the fridge until I was ready to cook it.
The original recipe called for 1/4 cup sugar, but I left it out because I didn't want the rub to burn during the cooking.

Roast the lamb for 10 minutes at 500 degrees F and 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. This left most of the lamb rare to medium rare. In my opinion, the proper way to serve and eat lamb.

Naked Chiles Rellenos

Yield: 4 servings

4 whole roasted , peeled and seeded green chiles (I used poblanos)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces goat cheese
3 to 4 leaves Romaine or curly leaf lettuce, whole or shredded
1 small tomato, diced

1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the chiles by stabbing a small hoe in each near the top. Combine softened cream cheese and goat cheese. Mix until well blended. Stuff the chiles by spooning the cheese mixture into the hole. (If you find that you need to slit the chiles along the side in order to stuff them, don't worry. You can serve them with that side down and no one will be the wiser.)

2. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To serve, place 1 chile on each plate and garnish with lettuce and tomatoes.

(adapted from Jane Butel's Hotter than Hell and Jane Butel's On-Line Cooking School)

Red Chile Crema

Combine some sour cream (or creme fraiche) with a bit of cream until you have a liquid that will flow smoothly through a squeeze bottle. Add red chile to taste and mix thoroughly. Put the mixture into a squeeze bottle and let your creativity flow as you use the crema to decorate the plates and the food.

New Mexican Rice

2 cups Basmatic Rice
1 14 oz. can Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes with medium green chile
1 medium onion, medium dice
2 cups coarsely chopped coriander
salt to taste.

1. Soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Rinse until water is clear.
2. Saute onion until it is soft; add tomatoes and cook approximately 5 minutes.
3. Put rice and tomato mixture into rice cooker.
4. Add enough water to the 4 cup mark on the white rice scale.
5. When rice is finished cooking, stir in cilantro.

I love my rice cooker. It is very versatile and on an occasion such as this, I can put the rice in it, turn it on and forget it. The cooker will keep the food warm until it is ready to serve and the rice is perfect--every time.

Aztec "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

2 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 to 3 teaspoons chile powder
2 tablespoons brandy

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently,until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, then whisk until it is completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, chile powder and brandy. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.( from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop.)