Weekend with Cathy

Last weekend my friend Cathy came over and we spent the whole day shopping for food (and shoes for Cathy) in preparation for a small dinner party we were having on Saturday night. I really wanted Cathy to see the "meat room" in Western Beef (1) and also Chelsea Market (2) so we headed downtown to get our shopping done.

If you've ever been to Western Beef you know how amazing the "meat room" actually is. Jam packed with just about anything you can think of, this room rivals jsut about any butcher shop and the prices are incredible. While we were shopping we came across 16 beautiful lamb chops just waiting to be grilled.

The lamb set us on a course. Cathy reached back into her Greek Heritage and devised a simple Meditteranean menu consisting of Grilled Lamb Chops, Tzatziki (3), Chopped Salad and Pita. The meal was delicious and the company was wonderful too.

Enjoy making these recipes and log on to www.recipephile.org to post your thoughts.

Have a great week!

Michael

Grilled Lamb with Oregano Fleur de Sel (4)
This is so very easy to make. We grilled the chops on an indoor grill (5)
and it worked perfectly.

- Lamb Chops (I usually do about 2-3 per person depending on the size)
- Hot grill
- 3 tbsp Fleur de Sel
- 3 tsp dried oregano

Grill the Lamb Chops to your liking. In my opinion they taste best whenrare to medium rare. I usually cook them about 3-4 minutes on each side andremember that the meat will continue to cook once you take it off of the grill. Then mix the salt and Oregano together and place in small serving dish. Here are some temperature guidelines to follow if you are using a meat thermometer - Rare: 125-130, Medium Rare - 135-140.

Serve the chops with the Fleur de Sel and oregano on the side. Tell everyone before before they eat to add a touch of the Fleur de Sel and oregano mixture onto their chop. The taste is out of this world!

Tzatziki
You can add more of anything to this recipe. More lemon, more dill, more garlic... play around with it, but make sure to taste it first and add second. You can always add, but you cannot take away!

2 cups of Greek Yogurt (6)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of cucumber, seeded and chopped into small pieces
2 tbsp of fresh dill
The juice of 1 lemon

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer to refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Serve with Pita bread.

Cathy's Chopped Salad
This salad is so easy to prepare and it is so delicious.

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup of kalata olives, pitted and chopped
1 cup of crumbled Feta cheese
1 cup of cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tbsp of fresh cilantro
The juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp of Olive oil (this is a matter of taste and how oily you like your dressing -- in my opinion the less the better)
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

In a large salad bowl mix everything except the lemon and oil. Toss well. Add the lemon and oil and toss again. Taste the salad and then add salt and pepper to your liking. Toss one more time and serve.

FoodNoteworthies

(1) Western Beef is one of my favorite grocery stores in New York. The exterior is not that inviting, but inside is a virtual potpourri of meats and vegetables. The location I frequent is on 14th and 9th in the meat packing district.

(2) Chelsea Market is practically next door to Western Beef and has a wonderful collection of gourmet shops. It is at the corner of 15th and 9th.

(3) Tzatziki is a Greek dip made with yogurt and flavored with dill, cucumber and lemon. It is light and refreshing and can be served on its own with Pita or with chicken, lamb, beef, fish, etc.

(4) Fleur de Sel -- need I say more! I have talked about this salt from Normandy before. It is THE best. Use this as a condiment right before you serve any meal and the flavors will explode. Use it sparingly however, this stuff is expensive and a little bit goes a long way.

(5) I love my indoor grill. It is perfect for the apartment dweller sans outdoor space for grilling. Mine was purchased through Williams-Sonoma for about $90. The brand is DeLonghi.

(6) Greek Yogurt is the best and was featured in "28 Lobsters" about two weeks ago. Here is the FoodNoteworthy that was published regarding this tasty treat:

I took this directly from www.ochef.com and thought it was interesting and funny. "Greek yogurt is especially creamy, and, according to George Mondiotis, author of Traditional Greek Cooking (Canada, UK), "probably superior to any other." What hope, then, can we have in the relatively yogurt-impoverished United States? Greek varieties made with ewe’s milk contain about 5% milk fat, and cow’s milk yogurts contain 9% (as opposed to whole-milk yogurts in this country which have around 3.5%). If you substitute plain, American whole-milk yogurt in your recipe, it will fail miserably, and your self-esteem will suffer."

I use Total brand Greek yogurt made by Fage. They also have a version with a little cup of honey on the side. Put the honey in the yogurt, mix and eat. This is the BEST. You can buy this at Whole Foods.

Comments

[Becky Billingsley]

Some chef friends told me that if I can't find Greek yogurt (not a hot grocery item in Myrtle Beach), I can make a decent substitute by putting regular plain yogurt in cheesecloth and letting excess moisture drain out. Haven't tried it yet, tho.

[Penny McCaffrey]

Michael,

I really enjoy your newsletter and receipes and excitement about cooking. Keep me on your email list. Penny McCaffrey

[Michael]

Thanks Becky -- keep the suggestions flowing. And if you have any challenges for me send them my way.

[Michael]

Penny -- thanks for the kudos. Sorry I did not get to see more of you while I was in Stuart. Next time. Take care of my mom and dad!