# First night home...



## K Kruger (Oct 21, 2007)

...so I wanted to cook a dinner that would be fairly easy, and one in which at least a few of the elements could be cooking while I attended to non-cooking tasks. Always a bunch to do immediately after arriving home. The mail alone takes an hour of sorting...


These cauliflower florets, turnip, and butter: 





became a puree, made with a touch of cream and some white pepper (I blanched some cialntro in the cookng water just before adding the cauli and turnip); and--

These mushrooms, shallots, butter, sherry, some thyme, and salt and white pepper:





became duxelles:






and were scooped into roasted acorn squash halves (shown just removing from the oven and before inverting and filling):






These cooled while I brought lamb loin chops:






to room temp, salted,  while making a rub of aleppo, thyme, garlic, onion, marjoram, oregano, savory and green pepper. Also, meanwhile, I took plain yogurt, reserve evoo, white balsamic, and red Hawaiian salt:





whisked into a dressing, and thinly sliced some Vidalia and cucumber and quartered some small tomatoes.

We had this salad, 





topped with the dressing a little more red salt while the squash, filled with the duxelles and topped with bread crumbs mixed with Gruyère, were baking and the coals were in the chimney igniting. 


Grilled rubbed loin lamb chops, duxelles-stuffed roasted acorn squash with a crumb-cheese topping, cauliflower-turnip puree, cilantro oil:







(Click any image for larger.)

It was a good meal.


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## wittdog (Oct 21, 2007)

Looks great...don't know about fairly easy....but looks great...


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2007)

Looks good.
Where ya been?

Howdy I'm Mike

peace


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## LarryWolfe (Oct 21, 2007)

Looks great as usual Kevin!  Nice work!


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## Griff (Oct 21, 2007)

A super meal Kevin. Lamb is always a treat.


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## K Kruger (Oct 21, 2007)

It is, Griff, it is. I had planned on spares for today but didn't get back from home Depot in time (50 miles roundtrip and, you know, I can _shop_ at Home Depot...).

Tonight, more lamb. Going to butterfly, lightly pound, and grill some lamb tenderloins.

Mike, I have a one man, one truck, one trailer trucking biz--and I cook privately around the country as well. Last trip, about a month: Miami-Spartanburg-Atlanta-Dallas-Las Vegas-Houston-Dallas-Tucson-Phoenix-L.A.-LaGrange (Ga)-Naples. 

Thanks all. Good to be home cooking.


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## surfinsapo (Oct 21, 2007)

That looks great!!!  [smilie=a_goodjobson.gif]


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## Puff1 (Oct 21, 2007)

I've never tried lamb.......this makes me want to.
Looks great!


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## john a (Oct 22, 2007)

Holy Moly, if that's easy I would hate to see hard; Great job Kevin. With all the cooking & traveling you do I'm surprised you don't make someone else cook at home.


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## Greg Rempe (Oct 22, 2007)

What kind of truck and trailer, Kevin?  FTE to you!!


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## 007bond-jb (Oct 22, 2007)

I think Kevin just may have done this before. Looks great KK


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## BONE HEADS (Oct 22, 2007)

That looks great, i am going to have to try this also.


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## K Kruger (Oct 23, 2007)

None of this is at all hard.  Though, sure, I've cooked lamb chops a million times, roasted squash a million times, etc., this meal was new. I don't often do the same thing twice. 

I did end up doing lamb tenderloins last night, grilled, on roasted red pepper rice with daikon tzatziki and sauteed spinach. Love lamb tenderloins. Hard to find though. Started with a simple tomato/roasted garlic soup and a salad with roasted beets, maple-sweetened toasted spiced pecans and goat cheese. Tomorrow I've got to get the spares and the butts cooked; Wednesday the chuck. Thursday morning I leave.

Greg, I have an '06 Western Star 4600EX and an old(er) '98 Trailmobile 53' van. I have a full logistics set-up: I do mostly trade shows, high end interiors, antiques, department store fixtures and, when I can't find the good stuff, general freight--but as little of that as possible.


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Oct 23, 2007)

Chef Kruger, that is one fine looking meal.


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## K Kruger (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks Bill.

Here's the lamb tenderloin dinner I mentioned (click images for larger):


Tomato/roasted garlic soup, 30-year-old sherry vinegar, parsley oil, parmesan crisp, basil chiffonade:







Salad of mixed baby greens, radicchio, maple-flavored spiced toasted pecans, tossed with citrus vinaigrette, on butter lettce; with diced roasted beets and goat cheese






I know many people that, though quite familiar with lamb, have never had or even seen lamb tenderloins. I shot a couple pics so that all could see what theey look like. I stuck a regular teaspoon in the frame to give a size reference. They are just a bit more than 1/3 the thickness of a typical pork tenderloin.







The tenderloins, skewered and rubbed (salt, white pepper, thyme, garlic):






Dinner: Grllled lamb tenderloin, roasted red pepper basmati rice, spinach sauteed with garlic, daikon tzatziki:


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## Green Hornet (Oct 24, 2007)

I was with you up to the point you said you were sorting mail.  :? You lost me after that. I can't pronounce half of those things, but OMG. Does it look fantastic. Bet it tasted as good as it looks too. :P


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