Dinner | Adventures in Thyme

Greek Lamb Shells

March 25, 2015 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Greek Lamb Shells

Have you heard the song by Meghan Trainor “It’s All About That Bass”? I love the beat and the chorus “I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble” but I don’t sing it like that, no for me it goes something like this, “It’s all ’bout the sauce, ’bout the sauce, nothing else”. That’s why I love this recipe for Greek Lamb Shells so much, they’re delicious, but the Tzatziki sauce knocks it out of the park.

Here’s what you’ll need for the Lamb shells:

Container of Vegetable Stock
16 oz ground lamb
7 oz Feta (we use a sheep/goat combination brand by Mt. Vikos)
10 oz chopped spinach (we use the frozen option, just thaw and squeeze out the water)
1 small shallot finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
dash of granulated garlic
Box of large pasta shells

Tzatziki:
1 small container Goat Yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3 or 4 large fresh Basil leaves, chopped fine
1/2 tablespoon Shallot, chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 or 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped fine, if you want

For the Tzatziki, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour to a day or two to let the flavors combine.

In a skillet cook the lamb until done. Drain off most of the oil, and put the lamb into a bowl. Into the skillet cook your shallot until translucent, then add the spinach. Stir for a few minutes to separate the spinach then add the meat back into the skillet. Add all the herbs/spices/salt and stir the mixture well. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside to cool.

While it’s cooling, heat a pot of water to boiling and add the pasta. You’ll cook the pasta to almost al dente, the shells will finish cooking in the oven. It’s also time to get your oven pre-heating to 400 degrees F.

Just before the shells are ready add your feta to the meat mixture stirring well.

Pour the shells into a strainer and run cold water over the shells. This will stop the cooking process AND you won’t burn your fingers when you stuff them with the meat.

Now for the fun part.. into a baking dish pour enough of the vegetable stock to cover the bottom, maybe 1/4 inch or so, then stuff the shells and place them (opening side up) into the dish. Cover with tin foil and bake about 30 mins.

Serve with Tzatziki Sauce and pecorino cheese.

Do It Yourself Chicken Soup

March 4, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Chicken Soup

Simple meals can be the best meals. Tonight’s recipe is really a canvas upon which your guests, or family, can create their own masterpiece. By providing hot stock and a selection of ingredients it allows for more time at the table enjoying lively conversation and togetherness. No meal is truly complete unless it can be shared with those you care about, and that my friend is nourishment for the spirit!

For this dish you’ll need:

Chicken stock (2 boxes, 3 if you are feeding more than 4 or are really hungry)
One box of your favorite pasta
Whatever vegetables look good or you are growing in your garden (We used Sweat Potato, Turnip, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Carrot and Mushrooms)
Chicken (a roasted chicken from the grocery store works great)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Green Onion
Parsely

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut your vegetables into bite sized or smaller pieces, toss with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and roast 20-30 minutes (longer for bigger pieces) or until they begin to brown and get soft.

While the vegetables are roasting place one box of chicken stock in a large pot, add at least an equal amount of water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender. (You may need to add water while they cook, just keep an eye on the level of your liquid). Cooking in the stock will give the noodles some flavor of their own!

Place your remaining boxes of stock in a pot and heat to boiling, reduce the heat and keep simmering until the rest of your ingredients are ready.

While everything is cooking, strip the meat off of your chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. You can separate white and dark meat if that is important to your guests and simple enough to do!

Once everything is cooked, place the vegetables and chicken on a plate or in separate bowls, as you prefer. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Now for the fun part. Put all of the ingredients out on the table. Let your diners assemble their soup and add the stock. Top with green onion and or parsley.

Enjoy.

Tangerine Beef

February 18, 2015 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Tangerine Beef

My recent stroll thru Whole Foods brought me face to face with the Sumo Tangerine. Have you ever seen one? A pyramid of large orange colored fruit beckoned me closer as I heard Frank Sinatra singing “Tangerine” from 1962. I think I was hypnotized by their appearance and tasted a sample. Delightfully sweet, and very juicy, I bought three and decided tonight I’d let them keep me under their spell for dinner. So, we offer you Tangerine Beef, and although not pictured, is a delicious Tangerine Margarita to go with it. Enjoy!

Tangerine Beef

In a large bowl mix the following together. I recommend mixing with your hands, it coats the meat very evenly.
2 lbs Tri Tip sliced against the grain ~1/4 inch
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Set this aside while you work on the rest of the meal.

Sauce
4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
4 Tablespoons Extra Dry Sherry
4 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce (you can get this in the Asian section of your supermarket)
3 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 cup Tangerine Juice

Mix together and set aside.

Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of oil, add meat and fry until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Add sauce. When it starts to boil (which isn’t long), serve immediately with rice. We added Orange Cauliflower to the plate to keep the theme going, looks kinda neat!

Our Tangerine Margarita is courtesy of Food Network. The tangerine added a really wonderful citrus element that wasn’t overshadowed by the lime. Lock the front door and pour yourself another, you won’t be going anywhere fast with more than one of these. 🙂

Simple Soup with Wontons

February 11, 2015 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Won Tons and Won Ton Soup

Once upon a time I found myself standing next to a cooking pot with a carrot that I’d made out of construction paper. The pot was surrounded by other hungry villagers (aka my fellow Kindergarteners) each holding their own paper vegetable and peering into the pot atop a fake firepit. My teacher placed a stone in the cooking pot and we each added our humble offering. She stirred it lovingly and soon after we “ate” of its riches. It was a wonderful lesson about sharing, and how wonderful soup is – real or imagined!

Tonight I’m sharing a very simple soup, easily thrown together with whatever you might have in your fridge’s veggie bin.

Soup:
1 32oz container of Chicken Stock
Baby Bok Choy
sliced Mushrooms
sliced Green Onion (Scallions)

Wontons:
1 lb ground Pork (not sausage, you want unseasoned)
4 teaspoons Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated Ginger
2 oz diced Water Chestnuts
1 stalk Green Onion sliced
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 package of square Wonton Skins
1 beaten Egg

Pour chicken stock into a pot and bring to a simmer. While the stock is heating up mix together all the wonton ingredients EXCEPT the last two.

There are two tips I would offer when working with wonton skins, work quickly, and keep them damp. What I mean by that is keep a slightly damp papertowel over the package of unused wonton skins while you work, and a damp papertowel over the completed wontons.

With clean hands remove a few wonton skins from the package and arrange on clean cutting board. Carefully dip your finger into the beaten egg and draw around the outside edge of each wonton (a finger’s width). The egg will be the binding that seals your wonton. Place a generous teaspoon into the center of each skin and carefully fold the wonton in half (into a triangle). It is very important to gently squeeze out the air as you seal each skin. If you make a mistake and the seal isn’t so good, or you’ve overstuffed them, etc, place these “mistakes” to the side, we will get to those later…

Once your wontons are sealed and ready, carefully place into the simmering broth. About 5 mins into the cooking time add your vegetables (carrots take longer – but it’s up to you what vegetable and how cooked you want them). For my bok choy, onions and mushrooms, I cooked an additional 5 mins for a total cooking time of 10 mins. (If you are at all worried about your wontons, remove one and cut in half, if the juice runs out clear from the meat, they are done.)

Ladle the broth, veggies and a few wontons into a bowl and you’ve got yourself a quick and fabulous little bit o’soupy heaven.

So let’s move on to those wontons that didn’t quite make the cut. Heat your oven to 375 degrees F, and on a nonstick baking mat, or parchment paper, arrange your wontons so they don’t touch. Spray each wonton (both sides) with a little bit of cooking spray so they will crisp as they bake. In my convection oven it took about 20 mins. Just be careful to watch that the skins don’t burn. Again, if the juices run out clear, the wontons are cooked.

These crunchy dumplings need sauce, so below is a dipping sauce to dunk them in. Mix all ingredients together, and enjoy eating your mistakes! Oh go on, have another!

1 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 sliced Green Onion
1 teaspoon of Honey
a few tablespoons of Water
optional: Hot Chili Flakes

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

February 4, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Sweat and Sour Pork Meatballs

Here in America, much of the news lately has been consumed with coverage regarding deflated balls (NFL footballs). Few have been unable to resist the urge to take to social media or put their special touch on headlines decrying soft balls. So who are we to let the subject slip by without manhandling a ball or two, slathering sauce all over it and serving it up for din-din. This is a surprisingly simple recipe and much preferred over similar sweet and sour offerings from local takeouts. Enjoy!

Meatballs

1-1/4 lbs ground Pork
1 large Apple, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated Ginger
1/4 to 1/2 small Onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 oz Water Chestnuts, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Sweet and Sour sauce

32 oz Chicken Stock
1 medium Onion, cut into wedges
1 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup Honey
1 large Bell Pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Garnish

Green Onions sliced or slivered
Sesame Seeds

Directions

Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well combined. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion the meat and then roll into balls. This recipe makes approximately 14 meatballs. Heat a little olive oil over medium-high in a non-stick pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. Do not remove meatballs from pan when done.

Now add the Chicken Stock and bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the onion and cook another 5 to 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the vinegar, honey and soy sauce. Add the corn starch to the vinegar mixture, mix in well. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add the vinegar mixture and the bell pepper. You’ll want to bring this back up to a boil uncovered for about five minutes. This will thicken the sauce and soften the bell pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or noodles.