Easter 2005: Smoked Roasted Leg of Lamb &Grilled Whole Rockfish

Rick and Jane Rutherford, Dan Sullivan, and, recovering from foot surgery, George Watson, joined us for a splendid Easter dinner. In addition to the mains described here, we had cheeses and bread to start, a smoked bluefish and mango salad, asparagus with a butter / lemon & orange zest / garlic sauce, potatoes roasted in the juices of the lamb, and a huge berry cobbler with with whipped cream.

Grilled Whole Rockfish

This Rockfish Recipe is based on one from the MD Seafood Marketing Program.

1 4-6 lb. Rockfish, dressed
1 lemon
4 green onions, sliced thin; instead, I diced one medium to large yellow onion
4 mushrooms, chopped; I used more, med. dice
Pepper to taste; I added also 1/2 chopped jalepeno - it gave a nice zing
½ cup chopped sweet pepper - I used a sweet red peppep
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon lite soy sauce - and a bit of teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil - a bit more
¼ teaspoon garlic powder - I would only used minced fresh garlic
¼ cup dry vermouth, or white wine - I also used white wine, quite a bit more than 1/4 cup, as I cooked it down several times
8 strips bacon - omitted, see below.

Toothpicks

Start fire with charcoal briquettes. As I already had a nice fire going from cooking lamb roast, we just added cherry wood logs as needed.

Squeeze lemon juice on Rockfish, inside and out and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Sauté vegetables in olive oil and lite soy sauce with seasonings and dry vermouth.

Cover with lid and add water - or wine - as necessary to keep vegetables from burning. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Stuff fish with vegetables and wrap bacon around the fish to hold together and secure with toothpicks - I used dental floss to sew up the fish as well as short wooden skeweres. Grill fish in wire rack - which lacking I placed fish on foil in a large pan and sat this to the side of the grill off the fire. Cook about 10 minutes, flip and cook about 10 more minutes until fish is done (about 20-25 minutes). But did not flip. Do not allow fire to flame up. Sprinkle with water as necessary. To serve: Remove bacon and toothpicks. Carefully remove skin. Place skinless pieces of fish and stuffing on platter and serve immediately.

Smoke Roasted Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:
1 4-6 lb boneless lamb leg

MARINADE FOR LEG OF LAMB
Based on one on COOKS.COM, also Cuisine of the Sun

2 oz. lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup dry red wine up to 2 cups
4 oz. olive oil
2 large cloves garlic -- minced or more
1 lemon -- zested and 1/2 orange zest
2 med. onions, chopped
1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce -- omitted
1 teaspoon soy sauce - or two
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. caraway seeds - or fennel seeds, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 pinch kosher salt

This may be used to marinate 8 lamb chops or a 6 pound leg of lamb.

Combine all of the above ingredients. Place meat in a plastic bag, pour the marinade on top and place in the refrigerator 12 hours. Or leave out for several hours in cool room. Place meat in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and bake at 325 degrees for 3 1/2 hours, basting often with the marinade. When using lamb chops, marinate them the same way and grill.

To Cook the Roast in a grill / smoker: Start the charcoal 1/2 hour before time to put meat on. Figure 20-30 min. / lb. Use a thermometer to guage cooking stage. Omit foil.

If you want good smoke, soak some flavorful wood chips in water. I had a lot of cherry wood which makes excellent smoke. As it has been out in the weather all winter, I used it damp on top of the charcoal both for flavor and for heat. I kept the fire on one side of the rectangular grill, with the logs on the charcoal. Then, with the stuffed leg in the cotton mesh bag it came in, I placed it on the grill over the heat - this for a few minutes until blackened on the fire side. Then, using available tools - I found wooden salad "claws" to be the best device for moving the meat around - turn meat over and roast on second side for a couple more minutes. Now place on a rack in a pan on the cool side of the grill. Pour a couple tablespoonsful of marinade over the roast as well as two cups of liquid - white wine, dry white vermouth or water in the lower pan. Lower the top of the grill to contain heat and smoke and roast until an internal temperature of 130-140 for rare to medium rare. This should take two to three hours. Add wood or charcoal as needed to maintain heat of 300-325. Baste whenever you add wood or every 20-30 min. Keep liquid in lower pan so that juices from meat will not burn.

After reaching heat, turn meat out into a pan and keep warm in a warming oven or oven turned on to lowest heat. Meat will keep without further cooking for as much as a couple of hours, at least. Make gravy with drippings. (See my notes for a future discussion of gravy prep.)

Basil Scallops & Pasta, Shad Roe with Tomato-Anchovy Sauce

Basil Pan-Seared Scallops over Pasta

NOTES:
While pretty much following this recipe, I found it important to make sure that the scallops were not cooked for too long. The way I cooked them, for just two or three minutes per side, did not result in much color. The color developed in the sauce from the carmelization of the juices from the scallops after they were cooked and set aside on a plate, covered, in the warming oven.

Also, I took 9 spears of half-inch thick asparagus, broke off the bottoms (and boiled them as a treat for Luigi) and then sliced up the remaining bottom half of the spears on the bias. As the pasta was cooking, after about five minutes, I put the bottom slices into the boiling water with the pasta. When the pasta was just about done, I put the tops in the boiling water, to give them a minute or two of blanching.

For the sauce, once the scallops were cooked, I took the marinade and added it into the pan to simmer down. To serve, I took the rotini pasta from the pot and put in a temporary dish and poured the sauce over it, reserving the asparagus tips. Then I put the sauced pasta back into the pan on the fire in which I had just made the sauce and stirred it around to pick up the fond from the pan. When ready to serve, I put the warm scallops on the pasta and then dressed it with the asparagus tips - pretty, and tasty, too.

When purchasing the scallops, be sure to look for a subtle pink or creme color. Stark white scallops have been soaked in water to add extra weight. Other pastas such as rotini, shells, or penne can be substituted for the farfalle. Makes an excellent main course, or add spinach or asparagus to turn it into a meal in itself.

Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 20 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 35 Minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Grace

1 (16 ounce) package farfalle or (bow tie) pasta
24 scallops, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried basil
9 tablespoons whipped butter

Directions
1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rotini pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse, and transfer to a large serving bowl.

2 Meanwhile, place scallops in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Pour mixture over scallops. Arrange scallops in a single layer in a large baking dish or plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried basil over scallops so that only one side is sparsely coated with basil.

3 Heat a large skillet over medium-high, and melt one tablespoon of butter in the pan. Place 12 scallops basil-side down, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until dark golden brown. I think the heat must be higher to get as much color as the recipe suggests or else the scallops are going to be overcooked. Better cooked well and not too much color than to have color and rubbery scallops. Turn scallops, and cook the other side. Cook the remaining 12 scallops the same way.

4 In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Or, as I said above, use the marinade and the pan used to sautee the scallops, both with the added advantage of having any juice from the scallops.

5 Toss pasta with butter and olive oil mixture. Divide pasta onto plates, and top with scallops.

Shad Roe with Tomato-Anchovy Sauce
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

My modifications were to use just one set of shad roe for the three of us, separated, briefly (30 sec.) parboiled to firm them. Note that the roe were so delicate that when sauteeing they split open in a couple of places. I just continued cooking, and, with the sauce, they were excellent. To serve, I placed them on a warmed plate, cut each into four or five pieces, then poured the delicious sauce over them.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 4 servings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic or more
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 1/4 cups seeded, chopped plum tomatoes - I used canned tomato strips - worked great.
2 teaspoons drained small capers
Pinch red pepper flakes - Didn't have any; used 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Essence, or more, recipe follows - not included in this posting.
2 pairs shad roe (4 lobes), with unbroken membranes - used only one pair; now a delicacy at 10.99 for 1 set.
1/2 cup olive oil or, mix of half olive oil, half butter

Baby arugula
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil

To make the sauce, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until starting to color, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the anchovies, lower the heat, and stir, crushing them into a paste against the sides of the pan. But note that they will cook down themselves while the sauce is simmering, if you give it enough time - more like 20-30 min, instead of 15. Add the tomatoes, capers, red pepper flakes, and white wine and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Add the parsley, butter, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings to taste. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Combine the flour and Essence in a shallow dish. Dredge the roe in the flour, shaking to remove any excess.

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the roe and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. (The roe still will be slightly pink inside.) Remove and lightly season with salt and pepper. Can be cooked longer, if cooked slowly; keep warm in warming oven.

Divide the roe among 4 plates and serve with the tomato-anchovy sauce on the side. I served them sliced with sauce over pieces of roe. A rich, deep, mellow flavor combination.

Trout Butterflied in vinaigrette, Broiled for dinner

And then we went off to see the Annapolis Opera's Madama Butterfly. Karl gave a brilliant lecture beforehand and the production went very well.

Now, off to get ready to go to the prison at MCIJ with Dan Sullivan for the RUF program.

Trout with Herb Vinaigrette from the Internet, somewhere.

You can bake it, broil it, sauté it, pan-sear it, blacken it or throw it on the grill. Personally, I prefer to cook it on the grill to smoky fruit wood coals along with some sweet bell peppers and red onions, but you do what you want. If your trout is dry, don’t blame it on the fish - you’ve overcooked it. If you have trouble with fish sticking to the grill when you barbecue, make sure that the grate is clean and hot. The fish is much more likely to stick to a grill that is not very hot. If that still doesn’t work, dust the fish with a little seasoned flour before grilling. If that doesn’t work, give up and put the fish under the broiler.

To butterfly your trout, use a sharp boning knife and, starting at the head, run the knife between both sides and the spine. This will separate the bones from the spine and fish can be opened up flat. After cooking, the bones can be easily removed.

4 servings

4 one pound trout (weight after cleaning, head-on), butterflied
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch salt
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (seems like a lot - cut in half.)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced (only used one.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh herbs, chopped (had fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary)

Season fish with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Baste the fish with the stuff in the jar and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. I prepared the pan for the broiler by covering it with a sheet of foil. Then I brushed the flesh side of each fish with some of the vinaigrette and placed it skin-side up on the foil.

As I was going to broil the fish in the oven, I then pre-heated the oven. Next, basted the fish on the skin side and put the pan under the broiler. Cook until fins and skin begin to char and seve with more vinaigrette on the side. Or: Place fish, skin-side down on a medium heat barbecue. Cover with lid or foil for 5 minutes, baste again and give the fish a quarter turn with a spatula. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes more. Fish should be done throughout. Remove bones and serve with vinaigrette on the side.

Salmon Ginger Teriyaki Tonight...

And for dinner tonight:

Ginger Glazed Salmon Teriyaki w. salad, and, perhaps, oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary.

Ginger Glazed Salmon Teriyaki
Recipe modified from one courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

"The subtle elegance of Oriental seasonings sings in and over the great taste of wild BC salmon or even with store bought farmed salmon fillet. If frozen, salmon should be thawed before marinating to maximize the marriage of flavours."

Makes 4 servings
4 wild salmon steaks, cut about 1” (2.5 cm) thick
Or 1 wild salmon fillet, about 1½ lbs/750 g or 4 salmon steaks
¼ cup low-salt soy sauce Or ¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar and / or same amount(s) fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. finely minced ginger
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup brown sugar but, substitute half with maple syrup
¼ cup water

1. Heat brown sugar, soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic and lemon juice in a fry pan large enough to hold the salmon snugly. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar is melted. Cool.
2. Place steaks in shallow glass dish or in a plastic bag. Brush on both sides of salmon and let salmon sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or in refrigerator for several hours. Perhaps, place salmon in plastic bag to insure thorough coverage. Brush ginger mixture over salmon again.
3. Pour marinade into pan approx. same size as salmon and heat to simmer. Add salmon, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer salmon for 5-6 minutes per side.
Or: Broil or barbecue on oiled grill 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning once and basting again.
4. Remove the salmon and keep warm.
5. Boil the sauce until thickened, about 4 minutes. Simmer remaining ginger mixture 2 to 3 minutes or until syrupy.
6. Serve the salmon drizzled with sauce and garnished with lemon slices, immediately before serving with rice and vegetables.

Dinner last night: Cioppino

After my yoga class, I came home and finished up a cioppino. With a glass of red wine, a delicious green salad with pears and plenty of French bread, it was delicious.

Cioppino in Crockpot a la mal

A seafood stew from many sources. Generally believed to have been first created between Monterrey and San Francisco by Italian fisherman. Serve with a loaf of warm, crusty bread, preferably a sourdough, to sop up the broth!

Prep Time: approx. 30 min.
Cook Time: approx. 3-6 hours in crockpot.
Ready in: approx. 7-8 hours.

-- Type of Prep : Crock Pot, Slow Cook

Makes 12 to 14 servings.
See end for Origins.
-- 3/4 cup butter (or olive oil or combination)
-- 2 onions, chopped
-- 2 / 6 / 8 cloves garlic, minced
-- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
-- 1 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
-- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes and juice
-- 2 carrots, chopped
-- 2 celery, chopped
-- 1 parsnip, chopped (optional)
-- 1 hot pepper (optional), chopped - used 1 serrano, chopped
-- 2 large green peppers, diced and/or 1 red pepper, chopped
-- 1 cup water
-- fish fumet or make your own with 1 pkg. Japanese dried bonito flakes in hot water

-- 2 bay leaves
-- 1 tablespoon dried basil
-- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or more
-- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or more
-- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or more
(-- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper- omitted: quite spicy enough from serrano; use only if no hot pepper)
-- 1 t. oregano or coriander seed (some suggest adding ground fennel, too)
-- 2 cups white wine or 1 red & 1 white or all red

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined: I used 12, deveined but unpeeled 21-30 ct.
(1 1/2 pounds bay scallops)
(18 small clams)
(18 mussels, cleaned and debearded)
(1 1/2 cups crabmeat)
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed: used 1 1/2 lb. catfish

Directions
1. Over medium-low heat melt 2 TB butter, 1/4 C. olive oil in large stockpot,
add onions, garlic and parsley and sweat. Cook slowly, stirring
occasionally until onions are soft. Add carrots, celery, a parsnip if you have it.

2. Add tomatoes to the pot (break them into chunks as you
add them, if not using diced tomatoes.) Add water, bay leaves, basil, thyme,
oregano, water and wine. Mix well. Bring to simmer for 30 minutes or so.

3. Then place all ingredients in slow cooker except seafood. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

4. To get ready to serve, turn the heat of the crockpot up to HIGH.

5. Make a broth to cook the seafood in another stockpot. Add 1 cup dry white wine, 1/2 cup dry red, a cup or so of water to a large stockpot and bring to a simmer. Take 2 or 3 cups of juice from the crockpot and add to stockpot.

6. A few minutes before serving, put the cubed fish in the pot. After 3 minutes put in the shrimp and other shellfish. Cook gently just until the shrimp show color and any shellfish ha ve opened - do NOT overcook: shrimp and scallops, if using, should be tender and juicy, not cooked until rubbery.

7. Meanwhile, take another 2-3 cups of soup base and put in a container using a hand blender or put in a blender and puree. As the seafood is finishing cooking add this puree to the stockpot. Finally, as 2-3 cups of the veggies from the soup base in the crockpot to the stockpot with the seafood.

8. Now serve the soup. Put several pieces of fish in each soup plate. Using a ladle fill the soup plates with the soup from the stockpot in which you cooked the fish. Top each plate with several shrimp. Sprinkle each plate with chopped parsley and serve.

"Serve with true sourdough bread if you can find it. We here in San Francisco are lucky in that we have a choice of several really 'sour' tasting brands. By the way, don't be afraid to dunk your bread in the cioppino as it's considered perfectly good manners in this case.

Will's Notes:
*You can add water to the recipe to thin out the Cioppino somewhat but we prefer it nice and thick.
**Use your imagination and personal preferences as to which seafoods to add. "

Origins in 6 recipes online, e.g., Allrecipes and others, Submitted by Star Pooley, and Helen Brown's West Coast Cook Book and Leith's Fish Bible, among others.