ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH BLACK OLIVES

     Recipe adapted from Sara Jenkins, New Italian Pantry
     Makes 6 servings (plus about 1 cup porchetta salt). Start to finish : 1 hour 45 minutes (plus 24 hours resting time for the Porchetta salt).

     INGREDIENTS       

     Porchetta Salt
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons roughly chopped sage leaves

1 tablespoon fennel pollen

1 cup fine sea salt

 Roasted Leg of Lamb

¼ cup pitted kalamata olives

2 garlic cloves

3 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped

1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves removed

One 4-pound boned and butterflied leg of lamb

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

      1. Make the salt: In a food processor, pulse the garlic with the fennel seeds, rosemary, sage and fennel pollen until finely chopped. Add the salt and pulse until incorporated. Spread the mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet and let dry out at room temperature for 24 hours.
2. The next day, return the mixture to the food processor and blend until finely ground. Transfer the porchetta salt to an airtight container and set aside.

3. Make the lamb: Preheat the oven to 375º. Finely chop the olives, garlic, rosemary and oregano together. Using a paring knife, make small slits, about ½-inch deep, all over the skin side of the lamb and rub the herb mixture into each one. Spread any leftover herb mixture on the inside of the leg and tie the leg with kitchen twine. Season the lamb all over with the porchetta salt and black pepper. (Reserve the remaining porchetta salt for another use.)

4. In a large ovenproof skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the lamb for about 1 hour or until the internal temperature registers 155º on a meat thermometer for medium. Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board to slice and serve.

PALEO SPICY RIB

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs pork spare ribs
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sweet basil, dried
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste after dish is cooked

For the sauce:

• 1 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 serrano peppers, chopped and peeled
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ small onion, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 pinches of salt

Instructions: 

1. Cut ribs into single pieces.
2. Rub pieces with the spices and place in the slow cooker.
3. Put tomatoes in a bowl, smash them with a fork and mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
4. Pour mixture over the ribs, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until ribs are tender.
5. Add salt and pepper after cooking.

BUTTERMILK BERRY MUFFINS

I received this recipe in my email. It is from 101 Cookbooks.  The muffins look very appetizing on the pictures.  As soon as my oven is repaired I will try it. My oven broke down Thursday. I was at the moment of placing the baking sheet with "lussekatt" (Swedish wheat buns) in the oven and it wouldn't turn on. I am lucky, I have nice neighbours and I was able to do the baking. 

I used frozen huckleberries here, but you can substitute blueberries, mixed berries, toasted seeds, dried fruit, etc, etc. I make cinnamon sugar for topping. heidi@heidiswanson.com

1 1/4 cups / 5 1/2 oz / 160 g whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/4 cups / 10 1/2 oz / 295 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup / 3 1/2 oz / 100 g firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder

5 1/2 oz mashed, ripe banana (~2 med.)
240 ml buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup / 4 oz / 115 g unsalted butter, barely melted

1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g berries, plus more for topping
rose cinnamon sugar*

Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C, with a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with papers. I used baking cups here, with those you can skip the tin.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In another bowl combine the banana, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Stir until blended and uniform.

Gently stir the berries into the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over dry, and mix until just combined. For tender muffins, do your best to avoid over-blending.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full (maybe a bit more than that), sprinkle with more berries and a generous dusting of cinnamon rose sugar.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden-topped, and a tester comes out clean.

Makes 8-12 muffins.

*Make rose cinnamon sugar by combining 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon crushed, dried rose petals.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min

THE BEST HERBS FOR PETS

 

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) is a beautiful, stately plant that no garden should be without. In most parts of the United States, it’s easy to grow from seeds or root divisions. In my practice, I used echinacea to support and enhance the immune system. While most sources say echinacea’s roots contain the most potent medicine, I had good success using aerial parts (leaves and flowers), mixed with some root when I wanted a more potent dosage.

Aloe (Aloe vera) is another plant I think every garden should have, even though you will most likely need to bring it indoors during the winter. There is simply no better topical healing agent than fresh aloe juice for cuts, abrasions and especially burns. To use, just break off a leaf and squeeze the juice on the affected area of the skin.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) looks and acts like an invasive weed—it’s very easy to grow, but you’ll need to keep it under control. Motherwort is a powerful medicinal for heart conditions, especially those associated with anxiety and tension. I use either the fresh or dried aerial parts.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is another beautiful, easy-to-grow addition to any garden. The herb can help your pet relax, and also can help treat inflammation and gastric upset. Harvest the aerial parts and use them as a tea for your pet, or chop up the flowers and sprinkle over your pet’s food.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) are relaxing and sedating to all critters, but cats are especially susceptible to their effects. (For cats, the calming and sedative actions come after the intense initial euphoria.) These plants are easy to grow, unless your neighborhood happens to have one or two voracious plant-eating cats roaming the area. In that case, you may either position chicken wire screens over the plants for protection or grow these herbs indoors in pots to keep them safe.

Oat (Avena sativa) is one of my favorite nervous system tonics. It’s palatable for almost all animals, it’s beneficial to the nervous system and it’s easy to grow. When we plant oats, we harvest the still-green oat heads (when the seeds are “milky”) for herbal use, and then we till the rest of the plant under as mulch.

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Randy Kidd holds doctorates in veterinary medicine and veterinary and clinical pa

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED MUSHROOMS RECIPE

The toasted flavor of the sunflower seeds nicely complements the blue cheese in this stuffing. This version is cheesy and delicious.
Serves 4
 
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 12 large mushrooms
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons fine bread or cracker crumbs
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the sunflower seeds in a baking dish large enough to hold the 12 mushrooms (to save you from dirtying an extra pan) and toast them in the oven until lightly golden, about 7 minutes.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve for another use. Wipe the mushroom caps clean with a damp cloth.
3. Mash the blue cheese, cream cheese, and milk in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in the toasted sunflower seeds and bread crumbs.
4. Fill each mushroom cap with this mixture. Butter the baking dish and arrange the mushroom caps within. May be prepared to this point up to 24 hours in advance, covered, and chilled. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden on top and juicy. Serve immediately.
 
For more recipes, see the original article, 3 Vegetarian Appetizer Recipes.
Recipe is excerpted from Simply Satisfying: Over 200 Vegetarian Recipes You’ll Want to Make Again and Again, copyright © Jeanne Lemlin, 2012. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. Buy this book from our store: Simply Satisfying.

POPPY CAKE

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My friend made this cake for us. It was delicious.  Watching her making it, it didnt seem difficult. :))

100 g butter or margarine

30 g icing sugar

1 pckage of vanillesugar

1 tsp cinnamon

a little bit of salt (if poppy is unsalted)

4 eggs

90 g sugar

150 g crunched poppy

70 g crunched hazelnuts

Beat the 4 eggwhites with 90 g sugar, put away; mix the poppy and the hazelnuts with a tsp of baking powder, put away;

Beat the butter with the yellow of eggs(?) and the vanillasugar and cinnamon and salt, put inside the poppy-nut-mixture, then the beaten eggwhite.

Put into the form and bake it about 45 – 50 minutes.

Cool it.

For cream take 500ml no fat yoghurt, 250 g of no or low fat cream cheese, 2 tblesp of lemonjuice, some vanillaextract, mix it. Solve 6 leaves of gelatine and mix it to the cream. Give it on the cake, put it into the fridge for about 2 hours.

Crunch (?) 500 g of berries, give a bit of stevia or sweetener to it, solve 5 leaves of gelatins and put it to the berries, give it onto the cream and let it cool in the fridge for about another hour.