"It's on the list...really!"

I just did one last weekend Ron...unfortuately I can't post it until after the end of April....it's being entered in the misfit island contest

So, just to play along, here are a few recipes from my “to-do” list, and their sources.

From Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking:

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Winter Squash and Toasted Pine Nuts

2 lb thick bone-in lamb shoulder arm chops
2 ½-3 lb butternut squash
Coarse salt
1/8 tsp saffron threads
1 large onion, grated, plus 2 medium onions, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Moroccan Spice Mixture: La Kama*
2 tsp smen (optional)
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground ginger
1 tbls lavender or orange flower honey
3 tbls unsalted butter
2 tbls pine nuts, toasted

Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Cut the chops into 1 ½ inch chunks with the bones

Peel the squash and scrape out the seeds and membrane. Using the shredding disk on a food processor or the large holes on a box grater, shred the squash. Sprinkle liberally with coarse salt and drain in a colander for about 1 hour. At the same time, soak the saffron in 1/3 cup warm water.

Place the lamb, grated onion, saffron and its water, 1teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons of the spice mixture, and the smen in the tagine. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours.

Stir in the sliced onions and continue to cook, covered, for 1 hour longer. Pick out the pieces of lamb and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut out and discard the bones. Skim the fat off the cooking liquid in the tagine. Season the meat with salt and pepper and return to the tagine.

Rinse the grated squash under cold water and squeeze in your hands over a bowl to catch the juices. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice; discard the remainder. Place the grated squash in a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add the cinnamon, ginger, honey, and the reserved 2 tablespoons squash liquid. Slowly fry until the squash is thickened to a jam like consistency and colored a golden caramel, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300F. Ladle half the sauce from the tagine over the squash and stir to combine. Spread the squash evenly over the lamb. Dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and place the tagine in the top third of the oven. Raise the heat to 325F and bake, uncovered, until the squash is lightly glazed, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, be sure to set the tagine down on a wooden surface. Serve the tagine hot or warm, with the toasted pine nuts scattered on top.

*According to Ms Wolfert, La Kama spices are the favorite tagine seasoning mix in Tangier, where she lived for seven years. Here’s her recipe:

1 tbls ground ginger
1 tbls ground turmeric
1 tbls finely ground black pepper
2 tsp ground Ceylon or Mexican cinnamon
2 tsp ground cubeb berries (optional)
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg.

Combine the ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cubeb berries and nutmeg and transfer to a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in a dark place and use within 6 months.

Even among high end chefs, Heinz Beck’s recipes can be intimidating. Having worked my way through several dishes from his Finger Foods I well understand why. Beck’s food requires the utmost in concentration and attention to detail. Plus a lot of dexterity to assemble his amazing, jewel-like appetizers. Fussy hardly comes close describing it.
Apparently a gluten for punishment, when his next book came out I immediately ordered a copy, and, sure as shooting, starting flagging. When I was done I had 13 recipes marked, most of which are still on my to-do list.
Heading the list from Heinz Beck’s Beck is:
Lobster Medallions with Orange Sauce and a Basil Infusion

2 lobsters approx. 1 3/4lb each

Orange Sauce:

3 large oranges
Scant half cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup walnut oil
½ lemon
1 pinch sugar
Salt

Basil Infusion and Chips:

1 bunch basil with tiny leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Garnish:

4 zucchini flowers
1 oz butter
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup beer
1 egg white
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
Salt

Lobster: Tie the two lobsters with their undersides together so that the tails remain straight. Immerse them in 203F water from approximately 6 minutes, then drain and shell them.

Slice the tail meat into medallions and put them into heavy-duty plastic bags, overlapping slightly. Gently flatten the medallions while maintaining their round shape.

Orange sauce: Peel two of the oranges removing all of the white pith and separating the sections. Lightly sauté them in the two types of oil until they disintegrate. Squeeze the remaining orange and add the juice to the sautéed pulp. Reduce by half. Season with salt, a pinch of sugar and a little lemon juice. Strain.

Basil infused oil and chips: Process 2/3 of the basil with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt to obtain a fluid, homogenous infusion. Wash and dry the remaining basil leaves and fry them in extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt.

Garnish: Prepare a batter by melting the butter, allowing it to cool and then amalgamating the flour and beer. Allow it to rest for 1 hour at room temperature and then add the egg white, previously beaten until stiff. Salt to taste and coat the zucchini flowers, one by one after eliminating their pistils. Fry in hot extra virgin olive oil.

Presentation: Nap each plate with the orange sauce and top with the discs of lobster. Form a cornet from a square of wax paper, fill it with the basil infusion, and use it to trace parallel lines over the lobster. Decorate with the basic chips and fried zucchini flowers.

africanmeat wrote: my best was ester  cheese .