T'was the Night Before Easter

It started about two or three weeks before Easter.  I found a recipe in the newspaper and cut it out to give to my friend, Linda.  It kind of grew from there.  The recipe was for Lamb Chops with Parsley-Pistachio Pesto.  Then she found a recipe for Curried Carrots.  I offered to make couscous to go with the lamb.  And, she decided to add asparagus to the menu.  A little fresh crusty bread with some olive oil and fig-balsamic vinegar to dip it in and a cousin with a great desert recipe.  We were all set for our 'the night before Easter' dinner.

Stevie is the meat master so he was in charge of the lamb.  We decided to do a leg of lamb instead of the chops ('cause we are too cheap to feed that many people lamb chops).  Stevie did the 'set it and forget it' method, which turned out great!

You probably want to know why we decided on 'the night before Easter'.  I don't know what to say about that.  We were lazy?  We needed a full day to recover before going back to work on Monday?  It's more fun to party on Saturday night than Sunday morning?  Who knows!

Inspite of our choice of day and hour, it was a huge culinary success.  More about the details for the other recipes later.  This post is dedicated to the pesto.  Which, of course, was spectacularly yummy!

So, here's the whole recipe.  But keep in mind, I only made the pesto.

Lamb Chops with Parsley Pistachio Pesto

INGREDIENTS

For the pesto:

2	c fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
1	clove garlic, peeled
⅓	c shelled pistachios
⅓	c olive oil
4	T shredded Parmesan cheese
	water as needed
	salt
	freshly ground black pepper

For the lamb:

8	lamb chops, about 1 to 1½ inches thick
	salt to taste
	black pepper to taste
1	T olive oil

Directions

1. To make the pesto:  In a food processor, combine the parsley leaves, garlic and pistachios; pulse to combine. With the motor on, add the olive oil and process until mixture is smooth. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. Add water as needed so the pesto has the consistency of thin, grainy mustard. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use.

2. To make the lamb:  Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking. Trim any excess fat from the chops. Pat the lamb chops dry with paper towel. Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper or favorite all-purpose seasoning.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Working in batches, place 4 lamb chops in the skillet and cook until nicely browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side for a medium-rare that is more on the rare side. Remove lamb chops from the skillet and transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 4 chops. Serve with the pesto on the side or place a dollop on each chop.

The Parsley Waltz

Last spring Elizabeth and I thought we were going to cook our way through a recipe book that I own called 100 Great Recipes – Vegetarian by Vicki Smallwood.  Put your mind at ease.  We didn’t do it.  You won’t have to suffer through that experience with us.  Turns out that not all 100 recipes were compelling enough to prompt us to buy the ingredients and take the time to experiment. However, we did find a few worthy of our efforts.

Our deal was that one of us would pick the recipe and buy the ingredients, while the other one ‘hosted’ the event (read ‘clean my house’).  We took turns each week; one week at her place, the next at mine.  So, I’m not sure how it happened that Elizabeth picked out the recipe, I ended up buying the ingredients, and then we ended up cooking at her house.

I confess I wasn’t sure what to expect of a recipe call Green Couscous.  Reading over the list of ingredients didn’t help.  But, Elizabeth was determined to try it.  What could I do?  I went shopping.  Cooking day came and I still had my doubts.   We plowed ahead with chopping and heating and tossing.  By the time we took our first bite, all my fears were gone.  Delicious!  We indulged in ‘seconds’ and ‘thirds’.  It was a good thing we doubled the recipe or I wouldn’t have had any to take home for my taste-tester.

It’s a quick recipe that I’d be proud to serve anytime, anywhere.  It’s fresh, loaded with flavor, and uncomplicated.  Curly-leaf parsley and fresh mint waltz together through the bowl with the lemon juice, diced cucumber and tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil in this yummy dish…Mmmmm!  The subtle ingredient is the bouillon cube that is added to the hot water before reconstituting the couscous.  It provides a wonderful background of flavors for the star ingredients.  It should been eaten sooner than later, so the mint doesn’t turn wimpy and the cucumbers and tomatoes don’t disintegrate.  But, trust me, that won’t be a problem!  ‘Cause this disappears really FAST!

Green Couscous

INGREDIENTS

1	cup couscous
1	Vegetable stock cube
1	4-inch piece cucumber (English)
2	Large tomatoes
1 ½	oz fresh mint
1 ½	oz fresh curly-leaf parsley
2	T olive oil
2	t lemon juice
	Salt Freshly ground black pepper

1.     Place the couscous in a large bowl.  Dissolve the stock cube (or paste-concentrate) in 1 ¼ cups boiling water, then pour over the couscous and stir once.  Cover with plastic wrap and set to one side to soak for 10-15 minutes.

2.     Halve the cucumber.  Use a teaspoon to remove the seeds from the cucumber and discard.  Now cut the flesh into fine dice.

3.     Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and discard.  Cut the flesh into fine dice.

4.     Remove all the stalks from the mint and parsley and then finely chop.

5.     Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the couscous, along with the tomatoes and cucumbers, and fork through. Season to taste and serve.

Serves 4