Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Molasses

To further demonstrate that I don't only make and eat sweets, I hereby present my easy go-to dish for when we want comfort food, which is most of the time: lamb chops, roasted baby potatoes and broccolini.

Lamb is ubiquitous in South Africa -- the arid Karoo region produces arguably the most mild-flavored lamb in the world and you can buy it at gas stations (no joke) -- but I've never much cared for it and my husband isn't a fan of the pungent stuff here in the States. So I have a trick, if you will, for mellowing the flavor: pomegranate molasses. It's not easy to find, but is well worth a trip to a specialty market or the Internet. (I buy Sadaf brand from chefshop.com, which has but one ingredient: California pomegranates.)

Pomegranate molasses is brilliant because you can use it in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Much like balsamic reduction -- but better -- it's a great component in salad dressings and sauces and is equally delicious simply drizzled over ice cream or strawberries.

And drizzling is exactly how I use it to flavor lamb chops.  Season your chops with salt and pepper, grill for about 5 minutes on each side (for medium), remove to a platter, and generously drizzle with pomegranate molasses. Booyah. Delicious.

To make the potatoes, simply toss them with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes. After 20 minutes I move the potatoes around so they get brown and crispy on both sides.

World Cup Lunch: Bison Steak and Mushroom Pies

Today I made a big batch of Bison Steak and Mushroom Pies for my husband, who has been asking me to make Steak and Kidney Pies ever since we returned from South Africa in April. Since today was the World Cup final and closing ceremonies, and we were missing our family in South Africa terribly, I figured the pies would make a fitting lunch.

This was my maiden voyage into Steak and Kidney Pie territory, so I consulted my go-to cookbook for all things English: Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking. The filling from her Steak and Kidney Pudding recipe fit the bill, with some modifications -- most notably, substituting bison steaks for beef chuck, and making hand pies instead of steamed puddings.

The recipe had to be further altered when I went to the market to buy the kidneys and found they were out. So I increased the quantities of steak and mushrooms to compensate.

Bison Steak and Mushroom Pies

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Steak and Kidney Pudding

Makes 12 small hand pies

Note: This recipe is not complicated, but it is a lengthy endeavor, as the filling must simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. I made my filling the day before assembling and baking the pies, which is recommended as it improves the flavors. The filling is insanely delicious, and would be good in a variety of dishes or as a stew on its own.

For the filling:

3 tablespoons all-purpose wheat or gluten-free flour

1/2 teaspoon English dry mustard (e.g., Coleman's)

Salt & freshly-ground pepper

24 ounces bison steak (such as filets mignons), cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or meat of your choice, such as beef chuck, lamb, etc.)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, diced

8 ounces crimini (baby portobello) mushrooms, halved (or quartered, if large)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons beef stock

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons stout or dark ale (such as Guinness)

2 teaspoons natural oyster sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water (if needed to thicken the filling)

For the pastry:

4 sheets puff pastry or 1 recipe of your favorite pie dough (enough for a large double-crust pie)

For the egg wash (optional):

1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon milk or water

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Combine the flour, mustard, salt and pepper (to taste) in a gallon Ziploc bag. Add the steak and shake to coat with flour.


2. In a dutch oven or heavy, lidded pot set over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brown the steak in batches, removing each to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Be sure to scrape the floury bits from the bottom of the pan and add more oil as needed. Set aside.


3. Saute the onion in the pan until it starts to turn translucent, adding more oil if needed. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to soften.


4. Return the meat to the pan with the onions and mushrooms, and add the beef stock, stout and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Cover and transfer to the preheated oven to cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.


Note: My filling was still quite watery after 1 1/2 hours, so I removed the lid, increased the oven temp to 350 degrees, and cooked the filling for another 1/2 hour. If the filling needs to be thickened further yet, transfer the pan to the stove top, slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture while bringing to a boil, and stir until thickened. Set aside to cool. At this point, you may refrigerate or freeze all or half the filling for later use.


5. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. On a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry or pie dough to an approximately 10x10-inch square, then cut into quarters. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each square, then fold in half diagonally as if making a turnover. Press the dough together around the filling, trimming to a half-circle and crimping the edges with a flour-dipped fork to seal. Transfer each pie to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate so as to prevent the dough from becoming gooey. (Depending on your number of baking sheets and the size of your oven, you may have to assemble and bake the pies in batches. I ended up with four pies on each of my four baking sheets, which I then baked two at a time.)


6. If desired, brush each pie with the egg wash. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned, then reduce heat to 400 degrees, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back, and cook for about another 15 minutes or until well-browned and bubbling. Serve immediately or cool completely, wrap tightly, and refrigerate or freeze for later.

Kickass Chicken Pies

When my husband and I were in his home town, Cape Town, in March, we met an old friend of his for an afternoon snack at Jardine Bakery, the walk-up takeaway counter at the side of Jardine restaurant. The boys sampled a few sandwiches, and I went for a "Kickass Pie": a stunning muffin-sized (and shaped) chicken and mushroom hand pie.

Hand pies are ubiquitous in Cape Town, and I sampled as many as I could reasonably get away with while we were there. But Jardine's were a clear standout. The buttery, flaky crust gave way to chunks of mushroom and chicken in a tangy, creamy sauce that tasted of creme fraiche, lemon, thyme and nutmeg.

I forgot to take a photo, but the image at left (from Google Images) approximates Jardine's Kickass Pies.

I've always made individual chicken pot pies for my husband. Stored in the freezer, they can be popped into the microwave for a quick lunch or a savory bite with afternoon tea. So when we returned from Cape Town, I set out to recreate those Kickass Pies from Jardine.

However, in an effort to cut down on the fat and empty calories in my pies, I decided to make single-crust pot pies in 12-oz ramekins (the perfect size for my 6' 5" husband). You, of course, could make smaller pies in, say, 8-oz ramekins. And you could make these gluten- and/or dairy-free by making the appropriate substitutions.

Kickass Chicken Pies
Makes 6 pies if using 12-ounce ramekins

Ingredients
4 6-oz boneless, skinless free-range chicken breasts
salt & pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
1 lb button and/or crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium free-range chicken broth or stock
1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 ounces creme fraiche
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pie crust*

*If using store-bought pie crust, you will need about 1 1/2 9-inch rounds. (For my most recent batch of pies, I used Wholly Wholesome Organic Whole Wheat frozen pie shells from Whole Foods, which I thawed, then cut and cobbled together.) If using homemade, you'll need enough for 1 1/2 single-crust pies.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a half-sheet jelly roll pan with aluminum foil.

2. Generously season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes (or until internal temp of thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees/they are cooked through/juices run clear), turning over after the first 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, chop or shred into bite-sized pieces.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat, saute the leeks in the olive oil (seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper) until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are also mostly cooked and have released their liquids.

4. Add the flour to the middle of the saute pan and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the chicken broth and simmer, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken.

5. Add the creme fraiche, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg and chopped/shredded chicken. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Set the chicken mixture aside to cool (if you assemble the pies while the chicken mixture is hot, the crust will get soggy).

7. Heat the oven to 400 degrees or to the temperature specified on the pie crust package (or your pie crust recipe). Cut the pie crust to about 1/2 to 1 inch larger than the size and shape of your ramekins. Spoon the cooled chicken mixture evenly into the ramekins and cover with the pie crust, either draping it over the sides or tucking and crimping it against the insides of the ramekins. Poke holes (or cut a small hole in the middle) in each crust to vent. If desired, brush the crust with an egg wash.

8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and flaky and the filling is bubbling. Serve immediately or, to freeze for later, cool the pies completely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze.