Fish Tacos and Other Recipes from our Delicious Dinner Parties
Author: Dino
Dino agreed to join the supper club based on the assumption that he wouldn't be preparing dishes, only tasting them. Even though he was completely misled, Dino has begrudgingly learned to enjoy dabbling in the culinary arts.
Remove rind. Next, cut bacon into 1 ½ inch long and ¼ inch thick pieces. Simmer bacon and rind for about 10 minutes in water. Drain the water, and let them dry. Preheat your oven precisely to 450 F. Turn on the heat. Take a pan and put some oil into it. Next, put bacon into the pan and sauté it over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it turn light-brown in color. Remove the bacon from heat and take it out into a dish. Set it aside. Reheat the fat left in the pan until it is almost smoking.
Take the lamb, and dry it with the help of a towel. Sauté it in the hot oil and fat until it is nicely browned on every side. Add it to the bacon you placed aside before. Brown the vegetables in the same fat. Pour out the fat. Put the lamb and bacon into the casserole and add some salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour and toss everything together in order to coat the lamb. Set the casserole in the preheat oven for about 4 minutes. Take it out, toss the meat and put it back into oven. Let it cook for another 4 minutes. Take the casserole out of the oven, and turn the heat to 325 F.
Pour in some stock and wine to cover the lamb. Add garlic, herbs, tomato paste, and bacon rind to the pot. Bring everything to a full boil using the stove. Cover the casserole and set it in the lower-third portion of your preheated oven. Regulate the heat in order to ensure that the liquid simmers slowly for about 3 hours. Test the meat with the fork. If it pierces easily, it is ready.
When the lamb is in the oven, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Melt half tablespoon of butter in a skillet and bring it to bubble. Add the onions to the butter and sauté it over medium heat for about ten minutes. Make sure that the onions are browned evenly from all sides. Pour in the white wine. Season the mixture to taste. Cover the skillet and simmer the onions for approximately 45 minutes. The onions must be perfectly tender. However, they must retain their shape when the liquid is evaporated. Set it aside.
Melt the other half tablespoon of butter in another skillet and bring it to bubble. Add the mushrooms to the butter and toss them for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn brown. Set them aside.
Finally, check if the lamb is ready. If it is tender, take the content of casserole out into a sieve. Skim the fat off the sauce. Put that sauce into a pan and simmer it until it thickens. Pour it back on the lamb. Garnish the dish using parsley, and serve with rich, noodles or mashed potatoes.
Yield: About 40 lentil balls, 8–10 appetizer servings
Time: About an hour
Ingredients
2 cups red lentils
Salt
1 cup fine bulgur
½ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons Biber Salcasi (Turkish red pepper paste (not harissa), or a mix of puréed roasted hot and sweet red peppers)
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Black pepper to taste
½ cup scallions, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
Step 1
In a small saucepan, combine the lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the water, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the bulgur and remove from the heat.
Cover and set aside until the bulgur is very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
In a small skillet over low heat, heat the oil and add the onion, sautéing until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato and pepper pastes and mix well.
Remove from the heat and cool.
Add cumin, crushed red pepper and black pepper.
Season with salt to taste.
Step 3
Add the onion mixture to the lentil mixture and toss to mix.
Add the scallions and parsley, mixing gently.
Line a platter or individual serving plates with lettuce leaves.
With dampened hands, form the lentil mixture into oval walnut-size balls.
Serve immediately, or cover lightly and refrigerate up to one hour.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving (8 Servings)
368 calories
14 grams fat
2 grams saturated fat
10 grams monounsaturated fat
1 gram polyunsaturated fat
47 grams carbohydrates
8 grams dietary fiber
2 grams sugars
14 grams protein
319 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Many instructions on how to make Turkish coffee use the term “boil,” however those who have properly prepared it would never use this term. Unfortunately the instructions I followed not only used the term, but had me boil the coffee 3 separate times. This caused the lovely foam to evaporate and die. YOU BASTARDS!
If someone serves you Turkish coffee without foam, throw it in their face.
Ideally, Turkish coffee will have a layer of foam on top as pictured above. If desired, sugar is added at the brewing stage as stirring the coffee would break down the foam layer. Also, Turkish coffee is to be served in demitasse cups, not mugs. I obviously had no idea what I was doing.
When it comes to Turkish coffee, if someone had said it was my ‘first rodeo’ they’d have spoken a double entendre. What I prepared was more Cowboy Coffee than actual Turkish coffee. Here is a better-researched version of of how to prepare Turkish coffee.
Equipment
Ibrik/Cezve (Turkish coffee pot) or a small saucepan
A metal spoon
Demitasse cups
Thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
Serves 2
6 oz cold water
1 Tbsp extra-fine (powder consistency) ground Arabic coffee
(finest burr grinder setting, or ask for Turkish grind at your grocery store or roaster)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/8 tspn ground cardamom, or 1-2 cardamom pods (optional)
Directions
Add water (and sugar) to the pot and heat on medium high, but do not boil; if using sugar, the water is ready once the sugar has melted
Remove from heat, add coffee but do not stir– allow grounds to float on top
Return pan to burner set to medium-low (temperature should never exceed 158°F)
When the grounds sink, stir several times; eventually a foam will form on top
When the foam begins to rise (will look like a boil-over), remove from heat
After it has completely settled down, return pan to burner
When the foam returns, keep it foaming for as long as possible. Once a second rise/boil-over occurs, remove from heat
First, pour some coffee fairly quickly into demitasse cups; then do a second, slower pour, allowing an equal amount of foam to transfer to each cup. Do not stir (sugar should be added at brewing step) as this would break down the foam
Allow ~30 seconds for the grinds to settle before consuming
