Halloween Feast, Part One

Ah, Halloween. It's my favorite part of fall. Anything involving costumes and chocolate makes me very happy. All day on Saturday, I played in the kitchen. Early in the afternoon I made meringue cupcakes to take to a friend's Halloween/birthday party. (You can see how cute they were in the picture of me rocking some Lucille Ball at right.) I was hoping they would be tall enough to turn into ghosts, but they didn't quite grow enough in the oven. Next time I might fill them with twice as much meringue and see if they would be tall enough to turn into sweet ghosties with a bit of icing.

Before leaving for said party, Nick and I prepared a dinner for another couple and ourselves. The menu included a rack of lamb, baked squash, and buttery salad. Since we were cooking indoors, I used the main oven for the lamb and the mini counter oven for the squash. I made a mint-basil pesto for the lamb (courtesy of a FoodNetwork.com recipe), which was complemented by the light garlic flavor of the squash. The salad was a bag of buttery lettuces tossed with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. I have to say, enjoying this meal with friends over good conversation, a bottle of red, and candlelight was better than going out to eat!

Bon appetitie!

Baked Acorn Squash 1 small acorn squash, halved, seeded, and sliced 0.25" thick
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 tablespoons EVOO
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the acorn squash with the garlic, salt, pepper, and EVOO. Roast until the squash is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

If you are cooking this with the lamb, set the dish aside. Put the squash in the oven just after sticking the lamb in the oven.

Rack of Lamb with Mint-Basil Pesto
Found on the Food Network website

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 (1 1/2-pounds each) racks of lamb, trimmed and frenched

Directions

Blend the mint, basil, nuts, cheese, lemon juice, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor until the herbs are finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually blend in 1/3 cup of oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

enerously sprinkle the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a grill pan or heavy large skillet over high heat. Place 1 lamb rack in the skillet and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the lamb rack meat side up on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 2 lamb racks.

Roast the lamb in the oven until cooked to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb racks to a work surface. Set aside for 10 minutes. Cut the lamb between the bones into single chops. Spread the pesto over 1 cut side of each chop. Arrange the chops, pesto side up, on plates or a platter, and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The pesto and lamb racks may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover the pesto and lamb separately and refrigerate. Allow extra time for the chilled lamb to roast.

Alternately, the racks of lamb can be sliced then broiled before serving. To broil the lamb: Use 18 to 24 meaty single lamb rib chops (about 2 1/2 ounces each, from 3 racks of lamb). Preheat the broiler. Arrange the lamb chops in a single layer over 2 heavy baking sheets. Lightly brush the lamb chops with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Watching closely, broil the lamb chops 3 inches from the heat source until cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Spread the pesto over the chops. Arrange the chops pesto side up on plates or a platter, and serve.

Two-fer Tuesday

Part One: A delicious Mediterranean-inspired dinner

Part Two: A pot of veggie broth for future dishes

Since both parts are very simple, making it a Two-fer Tuesday was quite easy:

1) Marinade chicken breasts in Italian dressing (I use Drew’s dressings from the store) the night before, that morning, or at least 2 hours before baking

2) Start vegetable broth

3) Make the veggies

Vegetable Stock

Keep jars of this flavorful stock in your freezer and you’ll always be prepared.

3 quarts water

1 tablespoon salt

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

4 celery stalks, leaves left on

4 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 dill seeds

8 whole peppercorns

1 large tomato, halved

1-2 bunches fresh herbs of choice (thyme, majoram, savory, etc.)

2 teaspoons dried herbs of choice

Leek leaves (leftovers from your veggies) – optional

1 tablespoon butter

1) In a non-stick skillet, melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in your skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté until onions begin to become transparent, over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

2) Add all of the ingredients and the onions and carrots to the pot. Bring to a simmer slowly, cover with a lid, and let the mixture cook for 2-3 hours. Move the stock into the refrigerator to let cool.

3) Strain the stock through a fine strainer or mesh and discard any solid materials leftover. Transfer liquid into mason jars or other tightly sealed containers and freeze.

Sauteéd Baby Squash with Basil and Feta

This simple preparation yields delicious results in a versatile side dish. If baby pattypan squash* are not available, substitute four cups of thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash.

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups baby pattypan squash, halved (about 18 ounces)

2 cups sliced leek*

½ tablespoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat; heat 20 seconds. Add squash and leek to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and pepper. Transfer squash mixture to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup).

CALORIES 61 (43% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 0.6g, mono 1.6g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.3g; CARB 7.5g; FIBER 1.7g, CHOL 1mg, IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 253mg; CALC 30mg

Recipe from Cooking Light, April 2008, p. 142

* Since I have never knowingly laid eyes on a baby pattypan squash, and I couldn’t find one at the Farmer’s Market, I picked 2 little zucchini and one yellow squash.

** Since I had never cooked with a leek before, I just got one leek, and the dish turned out great. If you are like me, and don’t know how to prep a leek, go to this helpful website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_fruits_vegetables/article/0,1904,FOOD_19000_1729784,00.html