Warm Up with a Spicy Indian Dish Tonight

Warm Up with a Spicy Indian Dish Tonight

Another fabulous Christmas dinner is spicy lamb, made the way they love it in India. My recipe features a lamb tenderloin – the center portion cut from the rack of lamb. With the Christmas countdown at 13 days, I say you cheat a little and make this dinner partly take-out.

You can purchase lamb from your local butcher, from specialty markets like The Fresh Market and online. If you are unable to find lamb loins, substitute with a whole rack of lamb. Season the rack with salt and pepper. Grill or broil the lamb for 12 to 15 minutes per rack. Rest the lamb for 5 minutes. Cut the lamb into double chops, and serve over a spicy Indian spinach sauce. So far as sauces go, this is one of my favorites! Mostly because it’s so versatile. This rich, spicy spinach sauce works great on chicken or pork…. So, don’t fret. It’s all about Christmas!!

The only thing you need to worry about is having enough bread on hand to dip into the saag, the spicy spinach sauce this meal revolves around. I think spinach is the perfect accompaniment for lamb; the two served together is sure to be a Sunday favorite, if you don’t get a chance to debut it sooner.

And speaking of acting fast….no Christmas is complete without a personalized copy of SUNDAY BEST DISHES: A COOKBOOK FOR PASSIONATE COOKS. Email me your address at jorj@jorj.com and I’ll sail my glossy, beautiful cookbook right over, with a cute bookplate made out just for you!

Spicy Lamb Saag

MAKES 6 to 8 SERVINGS

Spinach

2 pounds fresh baby spinach

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced, about 2 cups

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Use a microwave steam dish, or a steamer basket over boiling water to steam the spinach (in batches). Drain in a colander.

Place the ginger, jalapeno pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to caramelize, about 8 to 10 minutes (note: not sure if it takes that long to turn brown). Add the ginger and spices and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in the tomatoes and cook until most of the moisture begins to evaporate, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and garam masala. Cook until the spinach is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the yogurt. Stir until the sauce thickens.

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Lamb

1 (2.5 to 3-pound) package lamb tenderloins

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the loins to the pan and sear on all sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes total. The lamb should be quite rare in the center. Let the lamb rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Cut into 2-inch diagonal slices and add to the sauce. Add the butter to the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Traditional accompaniments for Saag are naan (Indian flatbread) and rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Glamorous Christmas Dinner…Veal Chops Milanese

A Glamorous Christmas Dinner…Veal Chops Milanese

It’s HOLIDAY PARTY time! Invite your besties over for an intimate holiday dinner party. My recipe for Veal Chop Milanese with Baby Broccoli yields four nice, big portions and is ideal when gathering your nearest and dearest to toast the holiday season! The recipe is an Italian classic, and pairs well with red wine. Think Cabernet Sauvignon and subtlety sweet Merlot, and plan on sparing a bottle per every two guests.

An intimate Christmas dinner by a roaring fire, or under the glow of a candelabra should hit all the right sweet, subtle notes, and that’s why this DISH OF THE DAY features baby broccoli as its side.

In case you’re wondering what Baby broccoli looks like, it’s in season now through early spring; it’s different than standard broccoli in that it has a mild, peppery and subtlety sweet taste. The entire plant is edible. Remember that baby broccoli, sautéed with a bit of garlic and lemon, is always an elegant and welcome side dish. SUNDAY BEST runneth over with festive dishes like these.

If you want 2018 to be elegant and gourmet year, order SUNDAY BEST DISHES for the foodie on your Christmas list! Nothing will delight me more than getting a hand cramp, personalizing copies, so shoot me an email with your address. I’ve always believed truly great recipes make the season warm and bright, and that’s why I’m sharing them with you on this Christmas Countdown! Only 16 days left. Tick tock!

Veal Chops Milanese

with Baby Broccoli

MAKES 4 LARGE SERVINGS

 

Chops

4 veal rib chops, about ¾ pounds each, about 3-inches thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1 cup prepared Italian bread crumbs

2 or more large lemons

1 bunch baby broccoli, trimmed and blanched

Use a sharp knife to cut through the chops, splitting the veal into halves without detaching from the bone. Place the butterflied chops onto your work surface in between layers of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound the meat to ½-inch thickness. Season the chops with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place the bread crumbs into a shallow bowl or plate. Lay the chops into the bread crumbs pushing down so that they adhere to the meat. Place the chops (one at a time depending on the size of your skillet) into the hot oil. Squeeze lemon juice onto each chop. Cook until the bottom is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn, sprinkle with additional juice and cook on the second side until golden, about 5 minutes more.

Toss the broccoli into the pan. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the stuffed veal chops on a platter with the broccoli draped on top.