Sunday, October 18, 2009

Lamb, Lobster and a whole lot of fun

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My brother and sister-in-law came into town and boy did we have fun. My brother was really the first person in my life that I thought was a "chef". Ok, I was 8 years younger than him and I looked up to him, but really he introduced me to my first "out of the norm" food. So when I knew he was going to visit I realized that we had to eat well. Uh, like I don't usually have that expectation. So first night that we cooked was a paella (which I have already posted).

The second night was lobster. We bought them steamed and we also bought some steamers and had those too.

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Next night was a rack of lamb. It wasn't frenched or a crown. It came straight off a farm and I had asked for the rack rack rather than chops. This is part of the lamb that lives in my freezer. We simply roasted it with garlic, salt and pepper.

Meantime, I made a potato dish out of the Gourmet magazine (retrospective issue) that I always talk about. This recipe was from the 50's and we were dubious, but it turned out well and tasted great.

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Earlier in the day we had visited Wilson Farms and tasted a butternut squash dish that they were giving samples of. We got a copy of the recipe and we made it for dinner. This dish was unbelievable and you really have to give it a try.

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Baked Butternut Squash
with Breadcrumbs and Chestnuts


2 lbs. Butternut squash, peeled
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 ½ cups plain breadcrumbs
½ cup chestnuts, chopped (I used walnuts)
1 Tbs. sage, chopped
1 ½ sticks butter (½ stick melted)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt & pepper

Steam, boil or roast squash until tender. Mash with sugar, cinnamon, ½ stick butter and salt & pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt ½ stick of butter at medium high heat in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Mix onions with squash . In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, chestnuts, sage, melted butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put squash mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top. Bake until hot and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.


All the while I was drinking my beloved California "Eric Ross" wine. My sister-in-law is the one that thought clearly enough to take all these pictures. I may have drank a bit of glog as well.

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Ok, so it is NOT Xmas, but it is SNOWING here. I swear.




And although it looks like a meal the Flintstones would eat it was great. Best lamb I have ever have had. Did I mention that it is Leyden Glen lamb? THE best!!!! (thanks Kristen!)


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8 comments :

  1. Well, as long as you didn't also have Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you may be able to avoid becoming a modern Stone Age family...

    On a serious note, this looks like a terrific spread. What a lucky brother you have!

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  2. I am loving lamb lately... Very lucky brother

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  3. Looks like a lot of fun to me! I would have enjoyed a brother like that too, unfortunately I don't have one! One good thing about NE is that you have great seafood :o) Next time I ever stop there, I will drop by your house :o)

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  4. Baked butternut squash sounds excellent!

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  5. I love lamb, looks delicious! Congrats on your award too!

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  6. Baked butternut squash sounds excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well, as long as you didn't also have Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you may be able to avoid becoming a modern Stone Age family...

    On a serious note, this looks like a terrific spread. What a lucky brother you have!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like a lot of fun to me! I would have enjoyed a brother like that too, unfortunately I don't have one! One good thing about NE is that you have great seafood :o) Next time I ever stop there, I will drop by your house :o)

    ReplyDelete