Chickpea, Egg and Herb Salad / Parmesan Crisps
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Cooking time: 60 minutes for menu plus 5 minutes earlier Cooking schedule: see below for "menu" instructions |
Lovely little Parmesan Crisps are perfect with our Chickpea, Egg and Herb salad, adding just the right amount of 'crunch'. Followed by rosemary-scented lamb chops and individual potato gratins with sweet caramelized shallots; we're starting to get the taste of autumn into our cooking .
Chickpea, Egg and Herb Salad with Parmesan Crisps Time: 20 minutes
A simple salad, but full of flavor from the herbs and tapenade. The Parmesan Crisps, made from puff pastry with a bit of oil and Parmesan, are so delicious no one will believe they're so simple to make. We'll be using the rest of the chickpeas and tapenade on Monday in a pasta dish.
2 eggs, hard boiled
7 oz (220gr) chickpeas, garbanzo beans
2 tbs freshly snipped parsley
2 tbs freshly snipped chives
4 tsp green or black olive tapenade
1 tbs good olive oil
Boil eggs. Drain and rinse chick peas. (Assuming you have a 15oz (450gr) can, put the other half, drained and rinsed, in a container and refrigerate.) Snip the herbs. Put chickpea and herbs in a small bowl. Add tapenade, olive oil and mix well. When eggs are done, rinse with cold water, peel and chop. Add to bowl and mix lightly. Divide between 2 small plates, garnish with Parmesan Crisps and serve, remaining Crisps on a plate for further munching.
Parmesan Crisps Time: 15 minutes plus 5 earlier
Easy to make and a great way to use up the leftover bits of puff pastry. You could also make them sweet: brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar; serve for dessert with coffee. I have no idea how long they will keep...we ate them all!
puff pastry sheet, roughly 10 X 6 (25 X 15cm)
1 - 2 tsp olive oil
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese I used the stuff in the can rather than fresh for this
Cut a rectangle of puff pastry. Lightly drizzle 1 - 2 tsp olive oil over the pastry. Sprinkle 2 tbs of Parmesan evenly over the top. Make a mental note (or mark it) of where the middle of the pastry is. Starting at the short ends, roll the puff pastry to the middle until the two rolls meet. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate until used. It should be chilled at least an hour and can be made 2 days ahead. Remove from fridge and slice 1/4" thick (.6cm). Lay on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8 - 12 minutes, until pastry is golden and cheese is a bit darker. Remove and serve immediately or allow to cool and store in airtight container.
Grilled Lamb Chops with Lemon and Rosemary Time: 35 minutes
Is there a better match than lamb with rosemary? This simple marinade, with a bit of soy sauce and garlic, imparts a lot of complex flavors to our lamb chops. Great grilled but equally good done indoors. A grill pan for your stovetop is nice but a hot nonstick skillet works fine.
4 - 6 center-cut lamb chops - depending on size
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp rosemary
Mix lemon juice, soy sauce, oil, garlic powder and rosemary. Pour over lamb chops and allow to marinate for 15 - 30 minutes. Remove chops and discard marinade. Either cook on barbecue grill or in a non-stick skillet and over medium-high heat. In either case you will cook chops for 2 - 5 minutes a side depending on thickness and desired degree of doneness (I don't know if that is a word - but you get the idea). We do ours on a hot grill 2 minutes a side for medium rare. When you think they might be close take one off, cut into center and peak. You can always put them back on to cook more - you cannot undo... When done to your liking remove from heat and serve.
Individual Potato Gratin with Caramelized Shallots Time: 60 minutes
The sweet, caramelized shallots and onion under the bubbling, golden cheese is wonderful. If you don't normally have milk on hand you can substitute chicken stock, or half cream and half water.
2 - 3 potatoes, 8oz total (240gr)
caramelized shallots and onions left from Friday
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) shredded cheese, any flavor (I used Emmenthal)
With a sharp knife thinly slice the potatoes. Shred cheese if needed. In individual baking dishes (mine are 5" in diameter and 1" deep (10cm by 2.5cm) layer the potatoes neatly. Divide the milk and pour over the potatoes. Divide the shallots and spread on top. Divide the cheese and sprinkle evenly over both dishes. Cover with foil and bake at 400F (200C) for 35 minutes. Put the dishes on a baking tray, for ease of handling and because they will probably cook over - saves oven clean-up. I use one large sheet of foil and loosely cover both of them with it. Remove foil and continue baking another 15 minutes, until cheese starts to brown. Remove from oven and serve.
Note: You can bake this in one, larger baking dish. Try not to layer the potatoes deeper than 1" (2.5cm). Increase covered baking time by 10 minutes.
Balsamic Glazed Carrots Time: 25 minutes
The sweetness of the carrots pairs perfectly with the richness of the Balsamic vinegar.
2 - 3 carrots, enough for two
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
Peel carrots, cut in half the short way so you have 2 - 3 inch (5 - 7.5 cm) lengths. Cut in half the long way then cut each half again so you have carrot sticks. Put carrots and stock into a small saucepan or nonstick skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat and let simmer until done, 10 - 15 minutes. Mince garlic. Remove carrots from pan and add garlic and thyme. Increase heat and reduce liquid to about 1 tbs. Add vinegar, stir well to combine. Return carrots to pan, stir well and cook for 2 minutes longer. Serve.
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Cooking Schedule: 60 minutes plus 5 minutes earlier (Friday night) |
Eggs done? cool and peel |
Cooking for Two? Or more?
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