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Lamb Rump Roast with Lentils

After a few weeks getting food at the pub while the oven’s been broken, and a terribly inconvenient case of bronchitis over New Years, I’ve gotten back into cooking. The lentils, we won’t talk about. They didn’t go so well. But, in general, lentils of some sort would be great with this roast.

Last time I made this, I had two smaller rumps, and it worked out great. This was a bit larger, enough for 2, but I still marinated for 24 hours prior and that really makes a big difference. The recipe is only altered slightly, and it’s served with greek yogurt that’s been blended with some mint and jalepeno for a bit of kick.

Ingredients (lamb):

1 lamb rump roast (enough for 2 people)
1/2 cup thyme
1/2 cup oregano
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, diced
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients and toss into a tupperware to marinade overnight. Remove lamb from marinade, and set the herbs aside. Get an oven-proof pan smoking hot, add a bit of olive oil, and sear the fatty side of the lamb for about 5 minutes, until it’s starting to get really brown and burned. Flip it over, toss the marinade into the pan around the lamb, and bake for 30 minutes at 175C / 350F. Remove when the internal temperature is 50C, let rest for 5 minutes or until the temperature comes to 55C. Slice and serve on lentils.

Moroccan Eggplant and Lentils with Homemade Beef Sausage

Inspired by a TV show whose name I can’t remember, where the host made a sausage-maker out of your ordinary caulk gun from the hardware store, I decided to make sausages at home. They’re not worth discussing, yet, as what you see here is basically dry beef in a tube. This is better than what I expected, after what happened my first try, where I bought regular intestines at a Vietnamese butcher shop. That, we’re never speaking of again.

The lentils though, were killer. Check out this Maggie Beer recipe, and don’t be scared to make some cheaper substitutions. Instead of pomegranate molasses, I used pomegranate juice and honey (I didn’t have molasses). And the preserved lemons? Lemon zest and a bit of vinegar. I only had cilantro, and not nearly enough, which worked fine, and the goat’s cheese was really nice with it.

Confit Duck Breast with Spiced Rhubarb Sauce and Braised Lentils

Sigh. So, I’ve been fairly vocal for my dislike of Jamie Oliver, but on a hot tip I downloaded his app, and hate to admit, it’s brilliant. I’ve been cooking quite a lot from it, and some of the recipes are just amazing. There’s one for Moroccan lamb shanks that makes it worth it, but this was just fantastic too. The duck and sauce are from the app, but the lentils I made from what I had around.

On a side note, I always thought dried lentils needed to cook for hours, so I bought tinned. They only need 30 minutes before they’re soft, I’m never making tinned again!

Ingredients:

300 grams green/brown lentils
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrot sticks, diced
1 cup diced fennel
1/2 cup diced spicy salami (or whatever cured meat you have)
3 bay leaves
5 thyme sprigs
1 leek, sliced
6 cups chicken stock
Salt, pepper, and olive oil

Saute the leeks for 3-4 minutes before adding the rest of the veggies. Cook about 5 minutes, and then add the rest. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you prefer a soup/stew, just quit cooking a bit early, and for something more solid cook all the liquid out.

Chorizo, Lentils and Tomato with Scrambled Egg

I know, I know. The breakfast posts. There’s about a million. I really just love breakfast, and cereal bores me. There’s really nothing worse than a bowl of Raisin Bran.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 can of lentils, drained
2 chorizo, sliced
1 punnet cherry/grape tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh thyme and oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Splash of red wine
Bit of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

In a pan, cook up the chorizo in olive oil. Add the tomatoes, lentils, herbs, salt, pepper, chili, lemon and wine, and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Pour into a pan greased with a bit of olive oil on medium heat, continuing to whisk until the eggs start to set. Fold eggs once or twice until they are cooked through. Serve on lentils and top with feta.

Oh, and vote for me, pretty please? The blogster awards don’t have much time left to vote, and I would love your support!

Slow Cooked Beef with Polenta

I had quite a bit of polenta and sauce leftover from this recipe, so I went into round two with what I had in the fridge.

In the slow cooker, I added 2 steaks (seared), caramelized onion, the leftover sauce, 1 can lentils (drained), 3/4 cup of wine, and 3/4 cup of beef stock.

Reheat the polenta with a bit of thyme and serve together.

Red Wine and Sage Lentils

I had a few things in my fridge I wanted to use up, so I made some very rich lentils for lunch today that finished up what I had on hand. Very quick and easy to make, and would be a great side dish for dinner as well.

Ingredients:

1 can cooked lentils, drained
Half a red onion, diced
1 portabello mushroom, diced
Sage leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Start to cook the onions, sage, salt and pepper in 3 tbsp olive oil. Once they start to become translucent, add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add balsamic and cook down slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, on medium-low heat, until the liquid has absorbed and turned into more of a sauce. Served with a poached egg.