Recipes, tips and reviews
These recipes are developed, tested and re-tested until perfect. Try one at home tonight.
I used the Japanese Kuri squash which is a fiery red colour. It roasts well. You can use any drier variety of squash for this curry.
The best Scottish shortbread handed down through my family. Crumbly, sweet and buttery.
This dish has a salty, savoury sauce with a little bit of a kick. If you don't want the spice of the jalapenos, leave it out, and finely diced onion can be used instead of the shallots.
This is the one hors d’oeuvre that I keep being asked for time and time again. It’s crunchy, creamy, spicy and hits all the high spots.
Mushrooms and squash have a real affinity and this soup proves it. I like to use oyster mushrooms, but chanterelles, which I found at the supermarket this week, provide the best flavour.
The fifth taste, umami, has much to do with glutamate, an amino acid found in such foods as prosciutto, soy sauce and a number of cheeses. Umami can show up in your glass, too (fermentation is glutamate’s old friend).
When this recipe originally ran in The Globe and Mail, I received a lovely note from reader Barbara Zuchowicz. This dish reminded her of a wonderful meal she had in Italy: "It brought back joyful memories of a trip to Italy my late husband, an exceptional cook, and I took a number of years ago.
Lamb on the bone is a favourite in Middle Eastern cuisine, so taking that spicing and slathering it on shoulder chops is a winning recipe. I tested different cooking lengths. The one-hour timing – slightly pink with a more gentle flavour – was my favourite. (I found two hours was a little drier and three was tender and full-flavoured, falling off the bone.)
Read MoreServe these burgers in tortillas or on naan bread, topped with the spiced mint butter.
Read MoreCutting the lamb into steaks allows each person to have it cooked to their liking. And it looks lovely on the plate if sliced before serving. This recipe was adapted from one I tried in the south of France after the cruise finished.
Buy boned, butterflied lamb legs for a sophisticated but easily carved dinner. These legs take no time to bake. Lamb fat congeals at a low temperature, so it's important to heat the plates before serving the dish. Most of the fat is on the outside rather than in strips marbling the meat so, if desired, cut off the fat after cooking to save on calories and saturated fat.
The subtle taste of the anchovies gives the lamb an elusive but not salty flavour. Serve with flat pasta squares or orzo tossed in butter.
Read MoreRack of lamb can be prepared ahead of time until just before baking. If you do not have a skillet big enough for the racks then use a roasting pan.
Read MoreLamb breast looks much like a rack of spareribs and is available at European butchers as well as many others. I could not find them at the supermarket, but they are worth the hunt. They are succulent and tasty – a real treat for bone lovers.
While there are many versions of chimichurri, it's always spicy, herbal and fresh. This version is used both as a baste for the lamb and as a finished sauce. Use a bone-in lamb leg for maximum flavour. The thickness of the meat affects the timing so have a meat thermometer handy. For medium rare, it should read 140 F at the thickest part.
Butterflied leg of lamb gets short shrift after barbecue season, but it makes an elegant oven roast that is very easy to carve. This dish features a complex blend of flavours (the spiciness of the cumin and coriander is balanced by the honey and the tartness of the mustard).
Read MoreYou need a boned leg of lamb for this with the shank bone left on. My butcher butterflies it and then ties it up. This for makes a superb presentation. The seasoning paste enlivens the lamb flavour and makes it look very attractive when it is sliced. Serve with asparagus and roasted mini root vegetables.
Read MoreIt’s best to buy lamb that’s already boned and butterflied. For the sauce, harvest a variety of herbs of your choice from your garden or balcony. Watercress or arugula adds a spicy note to the salsa but either may be replaced by parsley.
Serve with garlicky sautéed spinach and fingerling potatoes. Look for loin chops that have a good piece of fillet in them.
Read MoreThese shanks are slow-cooked and end up glazed with a flavourful sauce. If you cook this the day before, chilling it makes it easy to skim the fat from the sauce. Serve with steamed rice and curried peas and carrots. If preferred, remove the meat from the shanks and add to the sauce for reheating.
This dish was inspired by a sous vide lamb shoulder I had in Paris. I do not have a sous vide machine but found this very slow method of cooking the shoulder produced similarly succulent results.
Read MoreServe with an arugula salad dressed with olive oil and lemon. If you need a sauce for the lamb, deglaze the pan with about 1 cup stock then reduce and finish with 2 tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp grated orange zest.
Read MoreUse a butterflied leg of lamb. Because it is uneven in size, once grilled it offers rare and more well-done portions in the same piece of meat, making it perfect to suit most diners’ tastes. Serve with grilled naan brushed with garlic butter and snap peas.
Read MoreDavid Tanis, a former chef at Chez Panisse, creates beautiful cookbooks. He concentrates on simple recipes with an abundance of flavour. The recipes in his latest book, One Good Dish, are easy to make and his instructions are impeccable. For this dish, I used lamb loins, which worked perfectly.
Read MoreOld-fashioned legs of lamb have fallen victim to quick-and-easy cooking, but roasting lamb is what we all should do come Easter.
Read MoreBuy boned butterflied lamb legs for a sophisticated but easy carving dinner. These legs take no time to bake to a juicy crispness. Serve with sugar snap peas and mashed or roasted potatoes.
Read MoreLamb on the bone is a favourite in Middle Eastern cuisine, so taking that spicing and slathering it on shoulder chops is a winning recipe. I tested different cooking lengths.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
