Eighth Post - Marinated Lamb Tenderloins with Zesty Asparagus

Ah, here's to celebrating the approach of the holiday weekend! Well, let's be honest... since when have I needed an excuse to celebrate by cooking?
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Tonight's dinner: marinated lamb tenderloins with asparagus. Here's what you'll need. Seeing as it's Thursday night, you probably want something easy to cook. I know I did...
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~Lamb tenderloins
~Herb marinade (see, I told you this was easy...)
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For the veggie - I chose asparagus because it's one of my favorites. I always take a few out of the bundles in the produce department. Why should I buy more than I'm going to eat? Five stalks for $0.54. Who can beat that?
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~Asparagus (as much as you want to break the bank for)
~Olive oil
~Chives
~Lemon juice
~Salt and pepper to taste
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And you thought the tricky part would be the lamb!
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So: Tonight is Thursday, and I have office hours and teach a course after (public speaking). I knew I'd be hungry, but very tempted to go the bowl-of-cereal route that has often tempted the late-night diner. Not so. I had a plan.
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I thawed out the three lamb tenderloins and placed them in a shallow dish. I poured on a bit of a herbed marinade. I used one I got from Meg - Two Sisters Gourmet balsamic Mediterranean herb dipping and grilling oil. Only I didn't use it for dipping or grilling. Hm. I would suspect any balsamic vinaigrette or marinade would do. I covered it with plastic wrap (to prevent my entire fridge from being marinade-scented) and stuck it in the fridge before I walked out the door.
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I ran to the store after class and grabbed some asparagus. Then straight home I went and took the lamb out of the fridge and let it get a little less chilled while I checked email and fed Ginny (Chef Michael's Pate for doggies, naturally).
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I got out my non-stick frying pan as mentioned earlier, and my smaller pan that used to be non-stick but is now so badly scarred from knives and forks that it's really not non-stick any more. In the larger pan, I placed about a tablespoon of olive oil and the asparagus. Out of nowhere came the thought of squeezing a little lemon juice onto them. In addition, I snipped up some remaining chives and salted and peppered them. In the other pan, I placed the lamb and the marinade from the dish.
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~~~PAUSE~~~
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I love lamb. And that would seem a silly thing to pause you for except for the fact that I feel the need to emphasize the fact that I've never had particularly good luck with cooking it. Chops come out dry. Shanks are unrecognizeable when I'm through with them. My mom makes a fabulous ground lamb patty in candied orange sauce, but ground lamb is not easy to find. So I decided to try my luck with tenderloins.
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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Lamb tenderloins are the way to go. Small strips of lamb richness that barely shrink when you cook them... juicey, flavorful - MMM!
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~~~UNPAUSE~~~
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So start up your two burners. Don't be shocked when the asparagus starts hopping about in the oil like I was. Turn the flame down and toss it around a bit. The marinade with the lamb will start sizzling nicely. Let it simmer and turn the chops every so often. Slice into your thickest one to make sure it's done to your preference. I prefer a little dark pink in the center, so my lamb and veggies were done around the same time.
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The lamb was tender and packed with flavor. The asparagus was perfectly yummy and the lemon, I think, added a little extra zest.
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I paired tonight's dinner with a Californian Pinot Noir (Arroyo del Sol by Arroyo Seco vineyards, 2005) - normally $24.00/bottle, I got it on sale at Premier for half-price. A little bit of a splurge, but I've been saving it for a special occasion. And getting lamb right IS a special occasion. Being New World, it's fruit forward, but with enough earthiness to balance out the herbs and lamb. It's one of the few wines out there that pairs well with asparagus, and so all-in-all, the whole thing came together nicely.
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And I have now found my favorite cut of lamb for cooking!
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Yours in the love of good food and wine (especially lamb and pinot),
AL
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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Seventh Post: Scallops in Roquefort Cream Sauce with Pasta in Herbed Butter

Scallops are a food that I've loved since I was a child. Yes, I was a foodie since Day One. This is actually one of the dishes I cooked immediately after moving into my new place. At the time, I had thought about posting it, but I inhaled it before I could photograph it. Honestly. It was a knee-jerk response; I couldn't help it.

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So, due to you, my loyal readers, I have attempted to replicate the meal for the sole purpose of posting about it.

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And since I have about 3 loyal readers, we all know the real reason I cooked this again is because I LOVE SCALLOPS.

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This is a pretty easy and quick meal to cook. I'd say 15-20 minutes total. Here's what you'll need:

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~Scallops - since they vary greatly in size, I'll leave the number up to you. I purchased these monster scallops from Wegmans - given the size, four was more than plenty.

~Heavy cream

~Roquefort (or any bleu; gorgonzola would be nice as well)

~Parmesan

~White wine

~Olive oil

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For the pasta:

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~Pasta (whatever kind you fancy. As previously mentioned, I heart rainbow rotini)

~Butter

~Herbs (I am growing quite fond of fresh basil)

~Chives

~Salt/pepper to taste

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Start your water boiling for the pasta. In the mean time, get everything out. I'm learning, as I grow more serious about culinary hedonism as a hobby, that prep bowls really serve more of a purpose than just making people in cooking shows look fancy. Having everything measured, cut, ready, and at your fingertips cuts time and mess down considerably when cooking. I bought a really cute nesting set of 5 orange prep bowls (at Wegmans, naturally) the other day and have been enjoying them tremendously. Here's a pic of my counter set for cooking:

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So you've got your water boiling (salted to taste), now add your pasta. Keep an eye on the clock; pasta will be done in 10 minutes. Remember your wooden spoon so it won't boil over.

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In the mean time, get your herbs prepared. If you're using fresh, snip them into a small prep bowl. As previously mentioned, I'm falling in love with chives - all the zest of garlic and onion without the mess! I snipped about three of them into little pieces into a bowl. If you're using fresh basil, snip an appropriate amount into the same bowl. You can use dried basil if you don't have any fresh; I have for years!

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Once that's done, start about a tablespoon of olive oil sizzlin' in your non-stick pan. I bought a really cute Italian non-stick pan (from TOPS! HA!) that has really been a life-saver. I highly reccommend a non-stick. Toss your scallops onto the pan and just brown the outsides of them. Put them into a prep bowl.

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Let the pan cool a little bit; toss in some roquefort (I used some from the same flight I mentioned in the last post). Add some heavy cream and some white wine. (I used some of Victorian Chautauqua from Vetter Vineyards that I've been enjoying throughout this week. It's light, fruity and sweet. It really is a great companion to the roquefort, whether you're eating and drinking them separately or cooking them together.) Stir around a bit and tilt the pan so that the sauce is not spread too thin over the hot surface of the pan; you don't want it to scald. Once it starts sizzling, add some grated parmesan. You want the sauce blended and creamy before you place the scallops back in the pan.

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Put the scallops back in the pan and allow them to cook in the creamy cheese sauce. Occasionally, tip the pan so that the sauce flows around the scallops. Turn them occasionally. If you're cooking on a large pan, keep them toward the middle over the direct heat of the flame.

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While your scallops are cooking, melt some butter in a medium sauce pan or skillet. As soon as it start sizzling, add the fresh (or dried) herbs and turn off the heat. Drain your pasta and dump it into the skillet. Toss it around the herbed butter and let it sit there until your scallops are done. Watch for them to be completely opaque in the middle.

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When the scallops have turned golden brown around the edges, serve with the pasta. I paired tonight's dinner with a Chardonnay (my most favorite wine of all). I went on the "similarities" pairing principle - scallops are rich and buttery and so is Chardonnay. I uncorked an organic Chilean chard by 35° South of San Pedro vineyards. It has a sweet, vanilla aroma, and is quite heavy in body. It paired beautifully with the scallops and their sauce, never allowing the meal to get too rich. It's oaky enough to let you taste earthiness, which I think is the perfect compliment to this seafood dish.

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All in all, it's a lovely dinner!

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Yours in the love of good food and wine,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.