Aloe Harvest

My favorite Mama Aloe has been with me since I lived in Chapel Hill and she's a breeder.  Almost every plant lover that's been to my place has adopted at least one of Mama Aloe's babies.

This year she had a pretty easy delivery... no repotting and just a little digging and gentle wiggling.

After the quintuplets' delivery, we just topped her up with fresh potting soil and brought her inside to warm up since the weather's been getting chillier.  I miss the summer planting season but I can't wait for the autumn leaves, crisp air, and scarf-wearing weather!

Let me know if you're in the market to adopt one of these cuties and happy official end of summer!

Autumn Arugula

I rarely start from seed but Michael convinced me to try an autumn lettuce from seed this year.  I picked arugula since it's my favorite right now, sprinkled it into my container on Saturday, and waited.

The package said I had to wait 12-15 days.

But look what I saw this morning!?!?

Can't wait until harvest time!

Milk Chocolate Pots de Crème

Thanks to Food & Wine, dessert for The Hunger Games book club was incredible and inspired by the main character's first experience drinking hot chocolate.

I take a sip of the hot, sweet, creamy liquid and a shudder runs through me.  Even though the rest of the meal beckons, I ignore it until I've drained my cup. (p. 55)

This decadent, impressive, and make-ahead recipe will be on the short list of easy dinner party dessert options from this day forward!

INGREDIENTS
10 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
Crème fraîche and chocolate shavings, for garnish

In a large heatproof bowl, combine the milk and bittersweet chocolates.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, heavy cream and sugar to a boil, whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in half of the hot cream. Whisk the egg-and-cream mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of the spoon, about 4 minutes.

Pour the custard over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture into eight 4-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours.

Let the pots de crème stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Garnish with crème fraîche and chocolate shavings; serve.  (Instead of crème fraîche and chocolate shavings, I whipped up the remainder of the heavy cream with some sugar and vanilla extract then sprinkled the top with cocoa powder.)

MAKE AHEAD The pots de crème can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Basil Pesto

My favorite lunchtime leftover from book club was the pesto pasta!

Fortunately, "noodles in a green sauce" was served in The Hunger Games on p. 76 so we could use this fantastic pesto that we made from our freshly harvested sweet basil and thai basil.  It also worked out great for our vegan and vegetarian book club members that couldn't enjoy the lamb stew.

This is another For Cod and Country recipe and super simple.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup canola oil
1 pound fresh basil
salt

Toast walnuts.

Place garlic and oil in blender.  Purée.

Add basil.  Purée until mixture becomes a smooth paste.

Add walnuts.  Pulse until the pesto becomes thick.

Salt, to taste.

Serve with any type of pasta and sprinkle pine nuts, cheese, fresh basil, or anything else you want.  It'll always turn out delcious.

Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

Last night, I hosted this month's book club meeting for The Hunger Games and was lucky enough to have a multitude of food inspiration from the text.  Probably the most memorable dish in the book was Lamb Stew with Dried Plums.

The stew's made with tender chunks of lamb and dried plums today.  Perfect on the bed of wild rice.  (p. 113)

Honestly, this dish took a good 4+ hours to make but it turned out so delicious, we will make it again soon!  Perfect meal for the crisp autumn weather just around the corner.

Here's The Hunger Games' twist to the classic Julia Child's lamb stew recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1.  The lamb stew was served piled high over rice and eaten by the "bucketful." (p. 127)

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds lamb stew meat
2 to 4 Tbs. cooking oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 to 3 cups brown lamb or beef stock, or beef bouillon cubes
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/4 teaspoon thyme or rosemary
1 bay leaf
6 to 12 peeled "boiling" potatoes
6 peeled carrots
6 peeled turnips
12 to 18 peeled white onions about 1" diameter
10 pitted dried plums (prunes) sliced in half
1 cup shelled green peas or frozen peas
1/4 pound fresh green beans (about 1 cup), cut into 1/2" pieces
3 quarts boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt

Preheat oven to 450 F degrees.

1. Cut the lamb into 2-inch cubes and dry with paper towels. The meat will not brown if it is damp. Brown a few pieces at a time in hot fat or oil in the skillet. As they are browned, place them in a fire proof casserole with cover, large enough to accommodate meat and all vegetables.

2. Sprinkle the lamb in the casserole with sugar and toss over moderately high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar has caramelized. This will give a fine amber color to the sauce.

3. Toss the meat with the salt and pepper, then with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle level of preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Toss the meat and return it to the oven for 4 to 5 minutes more. This browns the flour evenly and coats the lamb with a light crust. Remove the casserole from oven and turn oven down to 350 F degrees.

4. Pour out the fat; add 2 cups of stock or bouillon to the saute skillet. Bring to the boil and scrape up coagulated saute juices. Then pour the liquid into the casserole. Bring to the simmer for a few seconds shaking and stirring to mix liquid and flour. Add the tomatoes and the other ingredients EXCEPT vegetables. Bring to the simmer for 1 minute, then add more stock if necessary; meat should be almost covered by liquid.

5. Put the lid on the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven; regulate heat so casserole simmers slowly and regularly for 1 hour. While casserole simmers, prepare vegetables as follows.

6. Vegetables preparation:
-Trim the potatoes into ovals 1 1/2-inches long, and cover with cold water until ready to use.
-Quarter the carrots and turnips, cut them into 1 1/2 inch lengths, and, if you have the patience, trim the edges to round them slightly.
- Pierce a cross in the root ends of the onions so they will cook evenly.

7. Then pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a bowl. Rinse out the casserole. Remove any loose bones and return the lamb to the casserole. Skim the fat off the sauce in the bowl, correct seasoning, and pour sauce back into casserole.

8. Press the vegetables into the casserole around and between the pieces of lamb. Baste with the sauce. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove, cover and return to the oven. Simmers slowly and steadily for 30 minutes and add dried plums, then continue simmering for another 30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, tilt casserole, and skim off fat. Taste sauce again, and correct seasoning.

9. While the casserole is in the oven, drop the peas (if fresh) and beans into the boiling water and boil rapidly, uncovered for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender. Immediately drain in a colander. Run cold water over them for 2 to 3 minutes to stop the cooking and to set the color. Put aside until ready to use.

10. May prepare dish ahead to this point. Set casserole aside, cover askew. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove before proceeding with recipe.

11. Shortly before serving, place the peas and beans in the casserole on top of the other ingredients and baste with the bubbling sauce. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the green vegetables are tender.

Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb (or Bison) with Spiced Yogurt and Herbs

The original recipe in Food & Wine is Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb with Spiced Yogurt and Herbs but we used a dakota cut of bison instead (because it almost thawed on our drive back up from Asheville and we just HAD to eat it right away).  I know, it's a rough life for us.

Michael had spotted the recipe in this month's Food & Wine and it was AMAZING!  We put it in the crock pot from 8 am (when we left for work) and ate it around 8:30 pm (about an hour after we got home from work).  It literally fell off the bone.

We had more herb salad, couscous and yogurt left over so we made chicken korma the next night and finished it all up.  We're definitely making this again... I'm still licking my lips as I write this post.  So good.

INGREDIENTS
Lamb
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 onions, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
15 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
3 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
One 5-pound semi-boneless leg of lamb (aitchbone removed), tied
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Spiced Yogurt
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Herb Salad
3/4 cup packed parsley leaves
3/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup packed tarragon leaves
1/2 cup snipped chives
1 jalapeño—halved, seeded and very thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooked couscous, for serving

MAKE THE LAMB In a large crock pot, whisk the chicken stock with the wine, lemon juice, honey, allspice, cloves, coriander, paprika, oregano, thyme and peppercorns. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeños in an even layer. Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper and place it in the crock pot, fat side up.

Cook on low for at least 5 hours (the longer, the better).  Take the lamb out and pull out bones.

Strain the braising liquid into a medium saucepan and skim off the fat. Boil the liquid until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Season the jus with salt and pepper; keep warm.

MAKE THE SPICED YOGURT Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.

MAKE THE HERB SALAD Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut up meat into bite-size pieces. Arrange the lamb on a bed of couscous on a large, deep platter. Drizzle the jus and spiced yogurt over the lamb, top with the herb salad and serve.

MAKE AHEAD
The lamb can be refrigerated with its reduced jus overnight. Reheat and slice before serving.