Posts Tagged ‘Food Network’

Full-fat cheese the secret to a healthy quesadilla

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

I love any dish that includes melted cheese, and it’s that much better when Mexican ingredients are added to the mix. But as much as I enjoy the standard recipe for this widely loved treat, I was pretty sure I could dream up a lighter version.

I quickly discovered that it doesn’t take a ton of cheese to flavor — and glue together — the fillings of a quesadilla. as long as you use full-fat cheese. I tried using 4 ounces of reduced-fat cheese, but I found the flavor to be so weak that my tasters didn’t know there was any cheese in the recipe. A second attempt using 2 ounces of full-fat sharp cheddar was an immediate hit.

The rest of the filling is vegetables. I started by quickly cooking bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat until that magic moment when they were golden at the edges but still retained their crunch. I added mushrooms for two reasons — depth of flavor and bulk. Carnivores like to think of mushrooms as steak for vegetarians. Any kind of mushroom would be welcome here, but I favor a mix of cremini and shiitake.

Finally, as a big fan of chilies, I had to toss in a jalapeno. But it’s your choice whether to add the seeds and ribs, which make the dish much hotter. Of course, given that dairy and chilies tend to counter-balance each other, the cheese in this recipe will tamp down some of the heat.

A cast-iron skillet is the perfect pan in which to cook this recipe or, if you happen to own one, a Mexican comal, the pan usually used for making tortillas. If you use your iron skillet often and care for it with love, it becomes almost stick-resistant, which means you won’t need much oil to cook the quesadillas. You also can grill the assembled quesadillas over low heat for a few minutes on each side to impart a lovely smokiness.

These quesadillas also would work well on a camping trip. Just chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese ahead of time and, since there is no oven for keeping them warm, you can cook them and cut them up to share as they are done. Finally, wherever and however you cook these beauties, don’t forget the avocado, yogurt and cilantro garnish, an important part of the finished product.

And if you throw together a quick coleslaw to serve on the side — dressing it with lime juice and a tiny bit of vegetable oil — you can easily stretch this into a full meal.

MUSHROOM, PEPPER AND ONION QUESADILLAS

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

1 firm ripe avocado, diced

1 tablespoon lime juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup chopped red or green bell pepper (or a mix)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups assorted sliced mushrooms

1/2 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and ribs discarded, if desired)

2 ounces coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Four 8-inch flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, toss the diced avocado with the lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large, preferably cast-iron skillet over medium-high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt, then saute until golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet along with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the onions and peppers. Add to it the jalapeno, cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Coat it with cooking spray.

Set 2 of the tortillas flat on the counter. Divide the onion-pepper mixture between them, spreading it evenly over each. Press a second tortilla firmly over each.

Heat the skillet over medium. Add one quesadilla and toast until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the second quesadilla, placing it on the baking sheet when toasted. Bake for 5 minutes, or until just heated through. Cut each quesadilla into quarters, then divide between 4 serving plates. Top each serving with avocado, yogurt and cilantro.

Nutrition information per serving: 350 calories; 180 calories from fat (51 percent of total calories); 20 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 12 g protein; 520 mg sodium.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/life/food/article_c972c088-bd8d-11e2-b6b4-001a4bcf887a.html

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Full-fat cheese the secret to a healthy quesadilla

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

I love any dish that includes melted cheese, and it’s that much better when Mexican ingredients are added to the mix. But as much as I enjoy the standard recipe for this widely loved treat, I was pretty sure I could dream up a lighter version.

I quickly discovered that it doesn’t take a ton of cheese to flavor — and glue together — the fillings of a quesadilla. as long as you use full-fat cheese. I tried using 4 ounces of reduced-fat cheese, but I found the flavor to be so weak that my tasters didn’t know there was any cheese in the recipe. A second attempt using 2 ounces of full-fat sharp Cheddar was an immediate hit.

The rest of the filling is vegetables. I started by quickly cooking bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat until that magic moment when they were golden at the edges but still retained their crunch. I added mushrooms for two reasons — depth of flavor and bulk. Carnivores like to think of mushrooms as steak for vegetarians. Any kind of mushroom would be welcome here, but I favor a mix of cremini and shiitake.

Finally, as a big fan of chilies, I had to toss in a jalapeno. But it’s your choice whether to add the seeds and ribs, which make the dish much hotter. Of course, given that dairy and chilies tend to counter-balance each other, the cheese in this recipe will tamp down some of the heat.

A cast-iron skillet is the perfect pan in which to cook this recipe or, if you happen to own one, a Mexican comal, the pan usually used for making tortillas. If you use your iron skillet often and care for it with love, it becomes almost stick-resistant, which means you won’t need much oil to cook the quesadillas. You also can grill the assembled quesadillas over low heat for a few minutes on each side to impart a lovely smokiness.

These quesadillas also would work well on a camping trip. Just chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese ahead of time and, since there is no oven for keeping them warm, you can cook them and cut them up to share as they are done. Finally, wherever and however you cook these beauties, don’t forget the avocado, yogurt and cilantro garnish, an important part of the finished product.

And if you throw together a quick coleslaw to serve on the side — dressing it with lime juice and a tiny bit of vegetable oil — you can easily stretch this into a full meal.

Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/16/3397010/full-fat-cheese-the-secret-to.html

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Full-fat cheese the secret to a healthy quesadilla

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

I love any dish that includes melted cheese, and it’s that much better when Mexican ingredients are added to the mix. But as much as I enjoy the standard recipe for this widely loved treat, I was pretty sure I could dream up a lighter version.

I quickly discovered that it doesn’t take a ton of cheese to flavor — and glue together — the fillings of a quesadilla. as long as you use full-fat cheese. I tried using 4 ounces of reduced-fat cheese, but I found the flavor to be so weak that my tasters didn’t know there was any cheese in the recipe. A second attempt using 2 ounces of full-fat sharp cheddar was an immediate hit.

The rest of the filling is vegetables. I started by quickly cooking bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat until that magic moment when they were golden at the edges but still retained their crunch. I added mushrooms for two reasons — depth of flavor and bulk. Carnivores like to think of mushrooms as steak for vegetarians. Any kind of mushroom would be welcome here, but I favor a mix of cremini and shiitake.

Finally, as a big fan of chilies, I had to toss in a jalapeno. But it’s your choice whether to add the seeds and ribs, which make the dish much hotter. Of course, given that dairy and chilies tend to counter-balance each other, the cheese in this recipe will tamp down some of the heat.

A cast-iron skillet is the perfect pan in which to cook this recipe or, if you happen to own one, a Mexican comal, the pan usually used for making tortillas. If you use your iron skillet often and care for it with love, it becomes almost stick-resistant, which means you won’t need much oil to cook the quesadillas. You also can grill the assembled quesadillas over low heat for a few minutes on each side to impart a lovely smokiness.

These quesadillas also would work well on a camping trip. Just chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese ahead of time and, since there is no oven for keeping them warm, you can cook them and cut them up to share as they are done. Finally, wherever and however you cook these beauties, don’t forget the avocado, yogurt and cilantro garnish, an important part of the finished product.

And if you throw together a quick coleslaw to serve on the side — dressing it with lime juice and a tiny bit of vegetable oil — you can easily stretch this into a full meal.

___

MUSHROOM, PEPPER AND ONION QUESADILLAS

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

1 firm ripe avocado, diced

1 tablespoon lime juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup chopped red or green bell pepper (or a mix)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups assorted sliced mushrooms

1/2 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and ribs discarded, if desired)

2 ounces coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Four 8-inch flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, toss the diced avocado with the lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large, preferably cast-iron skillet over medium-high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt, then saute until golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet along with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the onions and peppers. Add to it the jalapeno, cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Coat it with cooking spray.

Set 2 of the tortillas flat on the counter. Divide the onion-pepper mixture between them, spreading it evenly over each. Press a second tortilla firmly over each.

Heat the skillet over medium. Add one quesadilla and toast until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the second quesadilla, placing it on the baking sheet when toasted. Bake for 5 minutes, or until just heated through. Cut each quesadilla into quarters, then divide between 4 serving plates. Top each serving with avocado, yogurt and cilantro.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/full-fat-cheese-secret-healthy-quesadilla-165047037.html

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Full-fat cheese the secret to a healthy quesadilla

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

I love any dish that includes melted cheese, and it’s that much better when Mexican ingredients are added to the mix. But as much as I enjoy the standard recipe for this widely loved treat, I was pretty sure I could dream up a lighter version.

I quickly discovered that it doesn’t take a ton of cheese to flavor — and glue together — the fillings of a quesadilla. as long as you use full-fat cheese. I tried using 4 ounces of reduced-fat cheese, but I found the flavor to be so weak that my tasters didn’t know there was any cheese in the recipe. A second attempt using 2 ounces of full-fat sharp cheddar was an immediate hit.

The rest of the filling is vegetables. I started by quickly cooking bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat until that magic moment when they were golden at the edges but still retained their crunch. I added mushrooms for two reasons — depth of flavor and bulk. Carnivores like to think of mushrooms as steak for vegetarians. Any kind of mushroom would be welcome here, but I favor a mix of cremini and shiitake.

Finally, as a big fan of chilies, I had to toss in a jalapeno. But it’s your choice whether to add the seeds and ribs, which make the dish much hotter. Of course, given that dairy and chilies tend to counter-balance each other, the cheese in this recipe will tamp down some of the heat.

A cast-iron skillet is the perfect pan in which to cook this recipe or, if you happen to own one, a Mexican comal, the pan usually used for making tortillas. If you use your iron skillet often and care for it with love, it becomes almost stick-resistant, which means you won’t need much oil to cook the quesadillas. You also can grill the assembled quesadillas over low heat for a few minutes on each side to impart a lovely smokiness.

These quesadillas also would work well on a camping trip. Just chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese ahead of time and, since there is no oven for keeping them warm, you can cook them and cut them up to share as they are done. Finally, wherever and however you cook these beauties, don’t forget the avocado, yogurt and cilantro garnish, an important part of the finished product.

And if you throw together a quick coleslaw to serve on the side — dressing it with lime juice and a tiny bit of vegetable oil — you can easily stretch this into a full meal.

___

MUSHROOM, PEPPER AND ONION QUESADILLAS

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

1 firm ripe avocado, diced

1 tablespoon lime juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup chopped red or green bell pepper (or a mix)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups assorted sliced mushrooms

1/2 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and ribs discarded, if desired)

2 ounces coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Four 8-inch flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, toss the diced avocado with the lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large, preferably cast-iron skillet over medium-high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt, then saute until golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet along with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the onions and peppers. Add to it the jalapeno, cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Coat it with cooking spray.

Set 2 of the tortillas flat on the counter. Divide the onion-pepper mixture between them, spreading it evenly over each. Press a second tortilla firmly over each.

Heat the skillet over medium. Add one quesadilla and toast until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the second quesadilla, placing it on the baking sheet when toasted. Bake for 5 minutes, or until just heated through. Cut each quesadilla into quarters, then divide between 4 serving plates. Top each serving with avocado, yogurt and cilantro.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Full-fat-cheese-the-secret-to-a-healthy-quesadilla-4511448.php

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Easter lamb with less fat, more flavor – Sarasota Herald

By SARAH MOULTON
Associated Press

I love lamb, in every way and every cut. But I don’t eat it very often because of the same thing that tends to make it so very delicious — its fattiness.

Still, all bets are off during Easter, when I happily bow to tradition. In Easters past, I’ve roasted a whole leg of lamb or part of a leg, and prepared it in a Mediterranean fashion. Trouble is, there’s always so much left over. So this year I’m going with smaller lamb steaks that are cut from the leg, one of the leanest cuts of lamb (especially if you also trim away any fat) .

Grilled lamb steaks with artichoke lemon sauce. [CREDIT: Matthew Mead, via AP]

In fact, the leg is so lean you have to figure out how to replace the flavor and moisture that goes missing when you kiss the fat goodbye. In this recipe, that is accomplished with a rosemary-garlic rub with added salt. When you rub a piece of protein with salt and let it sit, the salt eventually makes the meat juicier. It works like a brine, minus the liquid.

Having chosen a lean cut of meat, I also wanted a lean way to cook it. Grilling fit the bill — or a grill pan. In my opinion, every home should have one. Grilling done properly — that is, as long as you don’t incinerate the ingredient in question — is a healthy way to coax flavor out of meats and vegetables, not least because it requires very little fat.

Grilled marinated lamb all by itself is pretty darn tasty, but I wanted to gild the lily a bit. After all, it is Easter. Since I already was giving the lamb the Mediterranean treatment with a rosemary-garlic rub, I thought why not top it with an egg-lemon sauce, a stalwart of the Greek culinary repertoire? But egg-lemon sauces can be tricky because the sauce is thickened only by the egg. If you don’t cook it enough, the sauce won’t thicken. If you cook it too much, the eggs scramble. So I stabilized the sauce by adding cornstarch, which makes it creamy and curd-less, and allowed me to keep it hot over low heat without any worries.

I finished the sauce with chopped baby artichokes since artichokes and lemon are such a happy pair. I like frozen artichokes because unlike the canned or bottled varieties, there’s no salt or oil added to them. Then I caramelized them under the broiler for a few minutes to concentrate their flavor. Of course, if you have the time and inclination to prep and cook fresh baby artichokes, please go ahead. You can poach them in acidulated water until tender, then add them to the sauce.

How to serve this dish? One of our problems these days is what is delicately referred to as portion control. Less delicately, we eat too much. My strategy is to present protein on a plate so that it looks plentiful, even though the portion isn’t huge. In this case, 4 ounces of sliced steak, fanned out a bit, looks like more than 4 ounces of an unsliced steak.

Just be sure to let the steaks rest before you slice them so that they’re nice and juicy. And remember to add the juice from the plate with the resting lamb to the sauce, which will marry the two. See for yourself; it’s a happy marriage. Every bite’s a winner.

GRILLED LAMB STEAKS WITH ARTICHOKE LEMON SAUCE
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pound lamb steaks cut from the leg (preferably about ³/₄-inch thick)
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, patted dry and chopped (frozen is best)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Method
Set aside 1 teaspoon of the chopped rosemary. In a wide, shallow bowl combine the remaining rosemary, the garlic, ¹/₂ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the lamb and coat it well on all sides with the herb mixture. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Set an oven rack 4 inches from the broiler heating element. Heat the oven to broil.

In a small bowl, toss the artichokes with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the artichokes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning them several times, until they are golden around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium, heat the chicken broth until it is simmering. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, reserved teaspoon of rosemary and the cornstarch. Add a little of the chicken stock to the mixture in a stream, whisking. Add the egg mixture back to the chicken stock and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce starts to bubble. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the artichokes. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Wipe off most of the garlic herb mixture from the lamb and spray the meat with olive oil cooking spray. Add the lamb to the grill pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning once, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a plate, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Slice the lamb against the grain into slices about ¹/₄-inch thick. Add the lamb juices from the plate to the artichoke lemon sauce. Divide the sliced lamb between 4 serving plates and spoon sauce over each plate.

Nutrition per serving
• 350 calories
• 200 calories from fat (57 percent of total calories)
• 22 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats)
• 125 mg cholesterol
• 13 g carbohydrate
• 3 g fiber
• 0 g sugar
• 25g protein
• 980 mg sodium

Article source: http://health.heraldtribune.com/2013/03/25/easter-lamb-with-less-fat-more-flavor/

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An Easter lamb that cuts the fat, keeps the flavor

I love lamb, in every way and every cut. But I don’t eat it very often because of the same thing that tends to make it so very delicious — its fattiness.

Still, all bets are off during Easter, when I happily bow to tradition. In Easters past, I’ve roasted a whole leg of lamb or part of a leg, and prepared it in a Mediterranean fashion. Trouble is, there’s always so much left over. So this year I’m going with smaller lamb steaks that are cut from the leg, one of the leanest cuts of lamb (especially if you also trim away any fat).

In fact, the leg is so lean you have to figure out how to replace the flavor and moisture that goes missing when you kiss the fat goodbye. In this recipe, that is accomplished with a rosemary-garlic rub with added salt. When you rub a piece of protein with salt and let it sit, the salt eventually makes the meat juicier. It works like a brine, minus the liquid.

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An Easter lamb that cuts the fat, keeps the flavor

I love lamb, in every way and every cut. But I don’t eat it very often because of the same thing that tends to make it so very delicious — its fattiness.

Still, all bets are off during Easter, when I happily bow to tradition. In Easters past, I’ve roasted a whole leg of lamb or part of a leg, and prepared it in a Mediterranean fashion. Trouble is, there’s always so much left over. So this year I’m going with smaller lamb steaks that are cut from the leg, one of the leanest cuts of lamb (especially if you also trim away any fat).

In fact, the leg is so lean you have to figure out how to replace the flavor and moisture that goes missing when you kiss the fat goodbye. In this recipe, that is accomplished with a rosemary-garlic rub with added salt. When you rub a piece of protein with salt and let it sit, the salt eventually makes the meat juicier. It works like a brine, minus the liquid.

Having chosen a lean cut of meat, I also wanted a lean way to cook it. Grilling fit the bill. The problem is that grills are banned here in New York City. And elsewhere in the country, many people still haven’t hauled their grills out of storage for the season yet.

The solution is a grill pan. In my opinion, every home should have one. Grilling done properly — that is, as long as you don’t incinerate the ingredient in question — is a healthy way to coax flavor out of meats and vegetables, not least because it requires very little fat.

Grilled marinated lamb all by itself is pretty darn tasty, but I wanted to gild the lily a bit. After all, it is Easter. Since I already was giving the lamb the Mediterranean treatment with a rosemary-garlic rub, I thought why not top it with an egg-lemon sauce, a stalwart of the Greek culinary repertoire?

But egg-lemon sauces can be tricky because the sauce is thickened only by the egg. If you don’t cook it enough, the sauce won’t thicken. If you cook it too much, the eggs scramble. So I stabilized the sauce by adding cornstarch, which makes it creamy and curd-less, and allowed me to keep it hot over low heat without any worries.

I finished the sauce with chopped baby artichokes since artichokes and lemon are such a happy pair. I like frozen artichokes because unlike the canned or bottled varieties, there’s no salt or oil added to them. Then I caramelized them under the broiler for a few minutes to concentrate their flavor. Of course, if you have the time and inclination to prep and cook fresh baby artichokes, please go ahead. You can poach them in acidulated water until tender, then add them to the sauce.

How to serve this dish? One of our problems these days is what is delicately referred to as portion control. Less delicately, we eat too much. My strategy is to present protein on a plate so that it looks plentiful, even though the portion isn’t huge. In this case, 4 ounces of sliced steak, fanned out a bit, looks like more than 4 ounces of an unsliced steak.

Just be sure to let the steaks rest before you slice them so that they’re nice and juicy. And remember to add the juice from the plate with the resting lamb to the sauce, which will marry the two. See for yourself; it’s a happy marriage. Every bite’s a winner.

___

GRILLED LAMB STEAKS WITH ARTICHOKE LEMON SAUCE

Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 4

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 pound lamb steaks cut from the leg (preferably about 3/4-inch thick)

1 cup artichoke hearts, patted dry and chopped (frozen is best)

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Set aside 1 teaspoon of the chopped rosemary. In a wide, shallow bowl combine the remaining rosemary, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the lamb and coat it well on all sides with the herb mixture. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Set an oven rack 4 inches from the broiler heating element. Heat the oven to broil.

In a small bowl, toss the artichokes with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the artichokes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning them several times, until they are golden around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium, heat the chicken broth until it is simmering. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, reserved teaspoon of rosemary and the cornstarch. Add a little of the chicken stock to the mixture in a stream, whisking. Add the egg mixture back to the chicken stock and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce starts to bubble. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the artichokes. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Wipe off most of the garlic herb mixture from the lamb and spray the meat with olive oil cooking spray. Add the lamb to the grill pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning once, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a plate, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Slice the lamb against the grain into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Add the lamb juices from the plate to the artichoke lemon sauce. Divide the sliced lamb between 4 serving plates and spoon sauce over each plate.

Nutrition information per serving: 350 calories; 200 calories from fat (57 percent of total calories); 22 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 125 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 25g protein; 980 mg sodium.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/An-Easter-lamb-that-cuts-the-fat-keeps-the-flavor-4363364.php

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Shrimp toasts with "fried" crunch without the fat

Chinese New Year is the sort of new year celebration I love.

Because unlike the Western tradition of big blowout parties, Chinese New Year is a time to get together with family, to give thanks for what you have, to retire your grudges, and to look forward to a year of peace and happiness. In that way, I think of it much as I do Thanksgiving.

It’s in the spirit of Chinese New Year (which this year starts Feb. 10) that I’ve reconfigured one of my favorite dim sum dishes — shrimp toasts. Not familiar with dim sum is? Think of it as Chinese tapas, or small plates of food. Traditionally, shrimp toasts are made of chopped or ground shrimp seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions and rice wine. This mixture then is mounded onto little toasts and deep-fried. The result is creamy on top, crispy on the bottom, and richly flavorful through and through.

Like everyone else on the planet, if it’s fried, I love it. In this case, though, I was hoping to get the crunch of frying without the fat.

I did a bunch of research and discovered that while the toast in this dish usually is made of plain old white bread, sometimes it’s swapped out for a slice of baguette. Eureka! Since baguettes become wonderfully crunchy when baked, I figured that that was how — without frying — I could conjure the crunchiness necessary for this recipe.

But then I worried that the shrimp mixture would dry out during baking. It needed protection, or some sort of coating. That’s when I reached for one of my favorite stealth ingredients — mayonnaise. It makes a terrific glaze. I spiked low-fat mayo with some sesame oil and sprinkled it with sesame seeds and, sure enough, it did the trick. The shrimp topping stayed creamy.

BAKED SESAME SHRIMP TOASTS

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Makes 32 toasts

32 diagonally sliced 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices

Cooking spray

1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large egg white

2 1/2 teaspoons sake, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

2 scallions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 400 F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Spritz the bread slices on both sides with cooking spray. Bake them on the oven’s middle shelf for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven, turn over each slice, then set aside. Reduce the oven to 350 F.

In a food processor, combine the shrimp, egg white, sake, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the salt and the sugar. Puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the water chestnuts and scallions.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mound a rounded tablespoon of the shrimp mixture on top of each toast and spread evenly over the toast. Brush the top of each mound with some of the mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the shrimp mixture is just cooked through. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per toast: 120 calories; 20 calories from fat (17 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 5 g protein; 260 mg sodium.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/life/food/article_cfa51bd4-6583-11e2-b37c-0019bb2963f4.html

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Shrimp toasts with "fried" crunch without the fat

Chinese New Year is the sort of new year celebration I love.

Because unlike the Western tradition of big blowout parties, Chinese New Year is a time to get together with family, to give thanks for what you have, to retire your grudges, and to look forward to a year of peace and happiness. In that way, I think of it much as I do Thanksgiving.

It’s in the spirit of Chinese New Year (which this year starts Feb. 10) that I’ve reconfigured one of my favorite dim sum dishes — shrimp toasts. Not familiar with dim sum is? Think of it as Chinese tapas, or small plates of food. Traditionally, shrimp toasts are made of chopped or ground shrimp seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions and rice wine. This mixture then is mounded onto little toasts and deep-fried. The result is creamy on top, crispy on the bottom, and richly flavorful through and through.

Like everyone else on the planet, if it’s fried, I love it. In this case, though, I was hoping to get the crunch of frying without the fat.

I did a bunch of research and discovered that while the toast in this dish usually is made of plain old white bread, sometimes it’s swapped out for a slice of baguette. Eureka! Since baguettes become wonderfully crunchy when baked, I figured that that was how — without frying — I could conjure the crunchiness necessary for this recipe.

But then I worried that the shrimp mixture would dry out during baking. It needed protection, or some sort of coating. That’s when I reached for one of my favorite stealth ingredients — mayonnaise. It makes a terrific glaze. I spiked low-fat mayo with some sesame oil and sprinkled it with sesame seeds and, sure enough, it did the trick. The shrimp topping stayed creamy.

___

BAKED SESAME SHRIMP TOASTS

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Makes 32 toasts

32 diagonally sliced 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices

Cooking spray

1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large egg white

2 1/2 teaspoons sake, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

2 scallions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 400 F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Spritz the bread slices on both sides with cooking spray. Bake them on the oven’s middle shelf for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven, turn over each slice, then set aside. Reduce the oven to 350 F.

In a food processor, combine the shrimp, egg white, sake, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the salt and the sugar. Puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the water chestnuts and scallions.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mound a rounded tablespoon of the shrimp mixture on top of each toast and spread evenly over the toast. Brush the top of each mound with some of the mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the shrimp mixture is just cooked through. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per toast: 120 calories; 20 calories from fat (17 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 5 g protein; 260 mg sodium.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/shrimp-toasts-fried-crunch-without-fat-133514472.html

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Shrimp toasts with "fried" crunch without the fat

Chinese New Year is the sort of new year celebration I love.

Because unlike the Western tradition of big blowout parties, Chinese New Year is a time to get together with family, to give thanks for what you have, to retire your grudges, and to look forward to a year of peace and happiness. In that way, I think of it much as I do Thanksgiving.

It’s in the spirit of Chinese New Year (which this year starts Feb. 10) that I’ve reconfigured one of my favorite dim sum dishes — shrimp toasts. Not familiar with dim sum is? Think of it as Chinese tapas, or small plates of food. Traditionally, shrimp toasts are made of chopped or ground shrimp seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions and rice wine. This mixture then is mounded onto little toasts and deep-fried. The result is creamy on top, crispy on the bottom, and richly flavorful through and through.

Like everyone else on the planet, if it’s fried, I love it. In this case, though, I was hoping to get the crunch of frying without the fat.

I did a bunch of research and discovered that while the toast in this dish usually is made of plain old white bread, sometimes it’s swapped out for a slice of baguette. Eureka! Since baguettes become wonderfully crunchy when baked, I figured that that was how — without frying — I could conjure the crunchiness necessary for this recipe.

But then I worried that the shrimp mixture would dry out during baking. It needed protection, or some sort of coating. That’s when I reached for one of my favorite stealth ingredients — mayonnaise. It makes a terrific glaze. I spiked low-fat mayo with some sesame oil and sprinkled it with sesame seeds and, sure enough, it did the trick. The shrimp topping stayed creamy.

___

BAKED SESAME SHRIMP TOASTS

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Makes 32 toasts

32 diagonally sliced 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices

Cooking spray

1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large egg white

2 1/2 teaspoons sake, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

2 scallions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 400 F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Spritz the bread slices on both sides with cooking spray. Bake them on the oven’s middle shelf for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven, turn over each slice, then set aside. Reduce the oven to 350 F.

In a food processor, combine the shrimp, egg white, sake, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the salt and the sugar. Puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the water chestnuts and scallions.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mound a rounded tablespoon of the shrimp mixture on top of each toast and spread evenly over the toast. Brush the top of each mound with some of the mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake on the oven’s middle shelf for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the shrimp mixture is just cooked through. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per toast: 120 calories; 20 calories from fat (17 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 5 g protein; 260 mg sodium.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Shrimp-toasts-with-fried-crunch-without-the-fat-4213180.php

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