Author: indulgentsimplicity1

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm obsessed with food. By nights are spent as a Labor and Delivery nurse, but my days are filled with dreaming up new recipes to share with my family and friends. I like to tweak pretty simple ingredients and make them indulgent with inspiration from my childhood and my healthy lifestyle. I hope that my followers and viewers are able to get a sense of my passion for cooking and sharing food through my recipes.
Meat

Grilled Lamb

indulgentsimplicity1

photo-2Summer nights are made for grilled lamb, red wine and lots of veggies. Grilling a leg of lamb may seem daunting.  So, take a deep breath, drown your fears with a glass of red wine (which is how I solve most of life’s problems😜) and continue reading…. Grilled lamb lends itself best marinating with fresh herbs, since it’s such a gamey piece of meat. Fresh herbs always seem readily available in grocery stores, but it makes much more sense to visit my sweet aunt in Westchester so I can take some of hers😜. My aunt grows all of her own herbs; thyme, mint, scallions. I don’t have much of a green thumb (or a fancy garden), but most of the women in my family do. My best strategy for finding the freshest of herbs is to always make it known when I’m in their neighborhoods, so I can sample their produce🥬🥒. They love me, so they’re always happy to oblige!!! Leg of lamb is a labor of love, but if you follow these steps, it should be a cinch to make!

Grilled Lamb

  • 2 lbs of Butterflied Leg of Lamb, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1/4 of a Cup of Olive Oil
  • 10 cloves of garlic, minced, plus 8 whole cloves, peeled
  • 4 Scallion bunches, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 Sprigs of thyme, stripped of leaves
  • 1/2 cup of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 whole rosemary sprigs
  • 3 Tbsp of salt
  • 1/2 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper

1.   Dry the lamb with paper towels.

2.  Season the lamb on both sides with the salt and pepper.

3.  Spread the minced garlic, olive oil, parsley, thyme, scallions, mint and rosemary sprig on the face up side of the butterflied lamb.  Let the lamb marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

4.  Take the lamb out an hour before you are about to grill it, so that it can come to room temperature.

5. Working carefully, roll the lamb away from you until you’ve formed a log.

6. Use toothpicks to seal the seams.

7. Make eight slits on the surface of the lamb and stuff the additional 8 cloves of garlic in the slits.

8. Place the lamb on the grill over direct heat for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Image This is the finished product.

7.  Transfer the lamb to an oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes at 325 degrees, for medium rare.

8.  Let the lamb rest completely before slicing and serving.

Fish

Codfish and Potato Cakes

indulgentsimplicity1

photo-1Codfish, known to Italians as Bacalao and lovingly  to my grandmother as “salfish” is a commonly used ingredient in West Indian cooking. I remember sitting on my grandmother’s kitchen countertop when I was little while she meticulously boiled and cleaned her codfish, removing the bones and  reiterating to me again and again “Salfish tastes the sweetest when you fry it in oil”.  Now, salted fish doesn’t exactly sound appetizing and may evoke memories of  awry childhood adventures to the fish market (that is, if you come from an immigrant family).  I always remember going to the fish market with my mom on Saturdays and being absolutely terrified of  my soon to be dinner (though I did forget about it by the time dinner was served:)  Nowadays, I choose to buy my salted fish at the regular grocery store in bags free of bones. Please try this recipe and leave your comments below!

  • 1 lb  of salted codfish
  • 3/4 Cup of half and half
  • 1/2 lb of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 Medium white onion, chopped
  • 4 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1 Medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp of old bay seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp of sriracha
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Cup of panko breadcrumbs, plus 2 cups for dredging
  • 3 Garlic cloves
  • 1/2 Cup of light extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 Cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp of salt

1. Soak the salted codfish in a large bowl with hot water over night for at least 8 hours.  When you are ready to prepare, drain, wash and add the fish to a large stockpot with boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes.

2.  While the codfish is boiling,  bring the potatoes and garlic cloves to a boil with water in another pot.  Add salt and cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.

3.  Drain the potatoes and garlic and mash with half and half. Lumps are perfectly fine!

4.   Drain the codfish and break it up with your hands while running it over cold water. Combine with the mashed potatoes.

5.  In a small frying pan, saute the chopped bell pepper, onion and celery and season with Old Bay. Add the vegetables to the fish and potato mixture.

6.  Once cooled, combine the egg, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, lemon zest, chopped parsley, lemon juice and sriracha to the potatoes and fish.

7.  Put the remainder of the panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

8. Take a golf ball sized handful and form into cakes with the palms of your hands.

9.  Dredge the fish cakes in the panko breadcrumbs on both sides, making sure to have an even coating on both sides of the cake.

10.  Heat the oil in a frying pan.

11.  Add the cakes to the oil, taking care to leave enough room between the cakes for flipping.  Hint: Overcrowding the pan with the fishcakes drops the temperature of the oil, leaving you with soggy, not crispy cakes!

12.  Fry on each side for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes, until golden brown.

13.  Immediately transfer the cakes to a cooling rack.  Keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until you’re ready to serve them.

14.  Serve with a salad for a light lunch or as an appetizer.