Lamb, the mark of the Black Sheep Rebel

Sometime  in the mid 1800's, one of the men who was to be my Great Grandfather came to America as a young man on his own, motivated by the aftermath of the horrible famine. At 15 yrs old he had the sponsorship of a charitable organization, the clothes on his back and a great deal of wits in his possession, and little else. About 15 years later he was  the father  of 12, read and spoke Gaelic, and reportedly had an affinity for lamb. Not the nice cuts we know as lamb today, but the tough, stringy, horrid smelling variety called Mutton. Personally I have never eaten mutton, but I am told that it was pretty nasty stuff that had a very strong, lingering smell. Mutton was a fairly common food amongst the Irish, and I imagine that the mutton was a form of comfort food for great grandpa. His son, my grandfather, hated the stuff. He could not stand the sight or smell of it- so much so that he banned it from being served in his home. This made my father, a rebellious soul, desire it. So as a child , we would have lamb chops on occasion. Always in the form of chops and always accompanied with mint jelly. My mother nearly ruined my ability to savor lamb because of the inclusion of mint jelly !

As an adult, I would buy lamb chops and serve them as my mother did until one day I  learned that lamb also came in the form of Leg of Lamb, Breast of Lamb, Lamb Roast and much more. I experimented, but always had that mint jelly on the side.I became more brave, experimenting with recipes using different herbs, and one day I kicked the mint jelly habit ! Finally, I came across what I consider to be , perhaps, the finest lamb recipe on the planet. Considering Easter is a week away and many people will be serving lamb, I think it's time to share this one

 (picture is not mine, but one taken from the net of this recipe applied to a rack of lamb)

Mustard and Herb Crusted Lamb

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
3 tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon  chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 lbs  lamb  brought to room temperature
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Mix breadcrumbs, herbs and olive oil in a small bowl. Meanwhile place lamb in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Brush the mustard on and then sprinkle and pat with the breadcrumb mixture to form a crust.Place in a 350 oven for 2 hrs, or until a meat thermometer reads 130. Let stand 10 minutes before carving    

I think if my great grandfather tasted lamb cooked this way he might actually lose any degree of homesickness, and perhaps my grandfather would have granted clemency to the lambs :-)

An ordinary day, PCOS and weekly weigh in

Isn't it funny how a food can provoke such a strong emotional response ? It seems universal that when we hear cake, we think of pleasure , celebration and possible diet derail. We hear apple and we think healthy, but when we hear liver, it is almost always a negative mental picture. It's the core stuff behind the psychology in advertising and such. Eating is so much more than the simple process by which we gain physical nourishment !

Fridays are always happy days here , where projects are wrapped up, the prospect of two days of different activities is in the foreground and so forth. I made polenta with golden raisins and topped it with frozen mixed berries. When these are stirred into the hot polenta they defrost and release their juice into the mix. Mmmmm ...

I got back to my ab work , we did strength training , walking, school and got into a fascinating discussion about boomerangs. Nick likes to flip to How it's Made when he has a break between subjects, and lately he has been watching with a really critical eye. My dad did a lot of woodworking and repairing things in non traditional ways, and some of my ancestors on his side were stone masons. It seems he may have inherited that trait, and it is fun to watch him think out loud !
Lunch was a cup of Peanut Soup, Colorful salad over mixed greens and baked sour cream and onion chips

Colorful Salad -makes 10 1/2 cup servings

1 c. parsley -- chopped
1 c. cilantro -- chopped
1 small red onion -- chopped
2 red peppers -- chopped
2 medium cucumbers -- peeled and seeded, chopped
2 c. corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 stalks celery -- chopped
3 carrots, chopped

Mix all but carrots together. Dress the mixture with any Vinaigrette Dressing.

Dinner was Indian style lamb with sweet potatoes. Kind of a curry dish without the intense heat. The green is kale, and I would imagine you could make this dish with spinach, chard or any dark green,

Indian Style Lamb with Sweet Potatoes

½ lb lamb chops, cut into cubes
1 medium-sized onion -- quartered and sliced thin
2 TBS minced fresh ginger
3 medium cloves garlic -- pressed
1 tsp garam masala (or curry powder if none can be found)
5 cups finely chopped kale
3 cups sweet potatoes -- peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes (about 1 large potato)
1 TBS + 1 cup chicken broth
salt and white pepper to taste

Prepare all the vegetables by chopping and have ready.
Heat 1 TBS broth in a large-size stainless steel braising pot or skillet.
Healthy Sauté onion, garlic,ginger, and lamb in broth over medium heat
for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.Add garam masala, mixing well
for about half a minute. Add 1 cup broth and stir in sweet potatoes and
kale. Simmer on medium low heat covered for about 15 minutes, stirring
occasionally, or until lamb,potatoes and kale are tender. Season with
salt and pepper. Serves 4

Weigh in again, and as I have mentioned before it is not an easy road. PCOS makes it very difficult because of the way the body metabolizes food. In PCOS weight is not the cause of, but a symptom of the disease. To successfully lose weight the underlying cause has to be addressed, and then the body balances and weight loss happens. With eating nutrient dense foods my body is balancing ( I am seeing many non scale changes), and the weight loss will follow. Working to build muscles will also causes a temporary gain , and many people have found the scale to go crazy while they are strength training, but progress soon comes if you persist. I had another gain this week, but I am not concerned about it- I am addressing bigger issues than the number on the scale , and that number will drop as a result in time.

Me- UP 2.2
Nick- maintain
Bob UP 0.6 ( he is experiencing seasonal allergies at the moment , and I believe he is carrying a couple of pounds of junk in his head at the moment)