Citrus Roasted Lamb

A few Pesach's (Passovers) ago, we had our first self roasted lamb over an open fire. It was in company with some friends camping over Pesach and the week of Matzah. It was the first year, we started keeping our passover similarly in rememberence of the original story in Exodus instead of the typical Rabbinic Sedar. (More on that during the Passover Linky - maybe!) :-) Anyway, my friend (Julianne) whipped this rub up for the lamb and it was one of the most delicious things I have every tasted! It is so tender an scrumptious from the slow roasting. This is actually what started us to thinking (ahead to the possibility of raising sheep on our (then future) farm! Anyway, I wrote down what she did and it had become our family's "traditional" Passover Lamb Recipe. So I thought I might share it with you here.

1. It starts by marinating the lamb in fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice (turning every so often to be sure you are getting the whole lamb in the juices).

2. About an hour or two later after the lamb as been marinating in the juices and soaked some up. Mix together the following herbs and rub the lamb down with them. Leaving a generous amount of seasoning all over the lamb.

2 parts Dr. Mint, Dr. Basil, and *Citrus Seasoning Mix (any brand)

1 part Sea salt

1/2 part pepper

3. Put several 1" slits all over the top of the lamb and insert a clove of garlic into eash slit (about 8 + depending on wether you are doing a roast or whl lamb - the size of your cut)

4. If you can cover and let sit for a couple more hours that's even better, if not you may roast right away.

5. Slow roast over a wood fire or hot coals, turning as needed. You may butterfly it to speed up the cooking time, if you do this, you might need to rearrange your garlic clove slits. ( A grill is very handy for this, if you aren't in a place you can do a "camp fire".)

Scrumdilyicious! No body will want to leave any left overs! (Which is very helpful if you are trying to finish it completly as described in Scripture as a part of your observance.) :-)

* There are citrus rubs out now, which are quite tasty, they usually consist of dried lemon and orange peel with a few other herbs and salt. I have used differnt ones, and improvised with Lemon pepper and omited the pepper. It wasn;t As good but in my opinion but no one else noticed. :-) They still scarfed it down in haste! :-)

From our tent to yours -

Enjoy!

p.s. This photo is not citrus roasted lamb. I needed a photo to share for the linky!

Za'atar Seasoning-

Those of you who know me, know I love to play with making seasoning mixes. Well, Wardeh from GNOWFLGINS has written a post about Za'atar a Middle Eastern Seasoning which is a staple in her kitchen. It is very unlike me to post recipes I have not tried, but this one is "on my list" of things to play with. So I thought I would post it here as a reminder. She has family heritage in the Middle East and also offers many classic recipes for Middle Eastern food, so I wanted to feature her here as a resource on this Linky. She is a wealth of information and had wonderful traditional food course, sourdough courses, cultured dairy courses and also has E-cookbooks for sale. We have taken 2 of her courses (and highly recommend them!) So if you haven't had a chance to check out what she is doing, I hope you take an opportunity to check it out and maybe tell a friend. I know, I am going to be playing with these recipes a lot more in this next season too! GNOWFLGINS is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in cooking traditional foods from scratch. (I STILL have to look at the website to spell it though!) :-)

Boursin Cheese Blend

Have you ever bought this dip at the store? It is one of our favorites! However, it is expensive. When you have 8 hands diggin' into something they like...it disappears fast...let alone taking it to share with someone! So I wanted to figure out how to make it. I modified a recipe I found, and this is the result...DELICIOUS!

Boursin Cheese Blend

Use heaping (rounded) teaspoons for these measures. If you have fresh herbs you would like to use in place of the dried, use a Tablespoon equivalent for that ingredient. (Fresh is ideal, but not always possible, which I why I worked this recipe our with dry herbs.) Also , if you make your own homemade cream cheese, the texture of this will be more desirable, softer and more spreadable. The store bought stuff is really stiff, and is best at room temperature when it is spread. Because this is a stiff dip it is better spread not dipped. Serve this with veggies or firm crackers (Like Trisket, pita chips or Melba Toast) . Or you can warm it on the stove, adding Parmesan cheese to taste and use it as delicious sauce over pasta or broccoli. Also a little dollop on top of a freshly at the time of serving, grilled steak is heavenly! Oh this is also very tasty spread on a bagels! Also spread inside a wrap or to roll organic deli meat around it for pin wheel appetiser or a snacky lunch (or layer lox on top of the dip on to p or your bagel!) Oh there are so many yummy ways to use it!

2 tsp dr. chives
2 tsp dr. parsley
1 1/2 tsp dr. marjoram
1tsp dr. basil
1 1/2 tsp dr. lemon thyme*
1 tsp + minced fresh garlic (You could use 1/2 tsp garlic powder in a pinch)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
8T butter, softened
8-12 oz cream cheese, softened

• Mash all the ingredients together in a bowl with the back of a spoon, or a mixer.*



• Put in the refrigerator overnight to blend the flavors (min 8 hours), it gets better with time! 2 days is even better! It keeps very well for a weeks.

Using a a mixer on a high setting will help whip air into the dip if you prefer it to be lighter instead of more dense. Both are good, but when it is a little lighter is it nicer to spread.

(update) If you can't find lemon thyme, you may use "plain thyme". I then I would consider playing with a LITTLE lemon zest or a squeez of lemon in the dip too. The botanical name ofr lemon thyme is Thymus x citriodorus, in case you need it. If you can find it to grwo some...it is worth it! It is wonderful for tea mixes and cooking.

Seasoning Mixes = No Brainer Meals

In my opinion, seasoning mixes are the key to fast food! Even if you only have 1 or 2 main items (the cupboard is bare) you can make delicious meals with seasoning mixes! The groceries store shelves are lined with them now...But you can make your own at a fraction of the cost and tweak it to your family's tastes. A little preparation goes a long way when it comes to making your own herb and spice blends!

When I decided to serve whole foods to my family and stop buying convenience foods and reduce our restaurant visits...this revelation was a real blessing for us. We did not sacrifice, convenience, flavor or options! It also stretched our dollar. I can also control my ingredients so my mixes do not contain anti-caking agents, preservatives, colors or MSG. This is a wonderful tool for Shabbat Preparations if you are making many meals at once too! Not all recipes or store bought blends are equal, (which is why I like to make my own) but there are lots of good recipes out there, I am sure!

Just add spices to any of the following items for instantly delicious "no brainer" meals and sides: Vegetables, Dressings, Dips, Pasta of all kinds, Rice, Couscous, Millet, Meat of every kind, Eggs, Bread, Cheese, Sauces, Soups and Broths

Here is another one of my combinations hot out of my family recipe book:

Fantastic Fish Seasoning
This is a wonderful seasoning on fish (or chicken or veggies actually). Our favorite is Talapia, Orange Roughy, or Tuna Steaks. I just put the fish an a tray, and squeeze a little fresh lemon or lime over them and sprinkle generously with seasoning and bake at a moderate temperature. You can even do this from frozen. Sometimes I like to put a pat of butter on there. It is THAT fast and easy!

1 part each
dr. minced onion
sea salt
dill
parsley
celery seed
Rapedura (or Sucanat)
paprika
lemon granules

plus 1/2 part each
dr. garlic powder
citric acid (ascorbic acid)

You might sample it for the first time using a teaspoon as your "part", in case you want to adjust the flavors. I like to do it in a Tablespoon for my "part", it make a little over a half cup that way. If you like a "rub" consistency just leave it as it is. If you prefer a finer seasoning, put ithe onion, salt, dill, parsley,celery seed and lemon granules in the blender to grind fine - than add remaining ingredients. We like it both ways.

Here are a few of my favorite store bought seasonings:

Spike (Original)
Veggie Pepper
Herbamare
Frontier's Grilling Seasonings (They are on my list to "copy")

Here are some links for mixes I intend to play with in the future:
41 Seasoning Blends!
Almost 120 Seasoning Recipes!
Dip Mixes
Dressing Mixes

Here are the links a couple other seasoning posts from the archives:

Italian Sausage Mix
Mama's Garlic and Breakfast Sausage Mix

Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning Mix

HomeShalom's Italian Sausage Seasoning Mix

2T Garlic Powder or granules

2T Rapadura (Sucanat or Maple Sugar or Brown Sugar)
2T (Rounded/Heaping) Fennel Seeds

2T (Rounded Heaping) Coriander Seeds (You may use ground, just make them scant Tablespoons)

2T Paprika

2T Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

4T dr. Oregano

5T dr. Basil

1T dr. Onion Powder (or heaping Dr. Onion Flakes)

2tsp Black Pepper

Put all ingredients in a blender or large spice mill and grind/mix to a consistent powder. Store in an air tight jar.

Keep on hand and pull out of the spice cabinet for quick and easy meals that are bursting with flavor!

Use 2-3T per pound of ground meat (Turkey, Beef, Venison, Lamb)

Makes fabulous meat balls, or seasoned meat for all Italian Dishes.

Please leave a review if you try it..again...I am trying figure out if my seasonings would be worth selling.
Enjoy!

Garlic Oil Warning - DANGER

It is with great concern that I write the next post in the hopes that it will reach everyone who read my post on fresh garlic oil. I received an very informative (and polite) comment on that post from a reader who warned me against the dangers of storing garlic in oil. I checked it out and it seems that she is right!

This of course is new information for me. If you read the article you know that we have been doing it that way for quite some time!! One of things she said was something like this (I am paraphrasing from memory),"You may be able to store garlic for years without incident, however all it takes is one serving to be contaminated." She is right. It is not worth the risk! So I will be dumping my (gallon of) garlic oil out in the morning. Botulism is what we are talking about here and I want to implore you to be "better safe than sorry" and do not store your fresh garlic in oil. When in doubt; leave it out! (YHVH, may this warning reach everyone who needs to hear it!)

After reading about it, it is said to be OK to make garlic oil for immediate use. It is also said to be OK to refriderate or freeze it immediatly. This will be how I do it from now on. (I have modified my post to reflect these new things learned I tonight!) Below are two links.

The first is to read for yourself about the dangers of storing fresh garlic in oil and garlic oil.
http://www.wisegeek.com/is-it-safe-to-store-garlic-in-oil.htm

The second is lots of great tips on storing/using garlic. (Followed by the same warning about storing it in oil!) Garlic Tips

I apologize with great sincerity for this mistake! I thank you, Kate, for caring enough to correct me; I believe this correction was a gift from YHVH to protect my family from harm (because we do use it so much!) I am very troubled that I suggested something that could be harmful to my readers and I earnestly pray that NO harm comes to anyone! At the same time, I am praising Abba for His provision and protection through this feedback on the post.

Humbly,

Garlic Oil

One of the staples in my kitchen is garlic oil. It is so useful, so delicious, and super healthful and easy to make! You can use it in place of any cooking oil used for savory cooking. It effortlessly adds so much flavor to your cooking. I always have a handy pouring jar of it in my fridge. (not pictured) Than I started experimenting with it by adding herbs to it and that another level of YUM!!

How to: I like to use extra virgin olive oil and whole fresh garlic cloves. You simply put your peeled garlic cloves in the bottom of a Mason jar (I started with pints, but not I make it by the half gallon!) and fill it up with oil. Put a lid on and but it in the fridge to marinate. Its that easy! Its will start to gain flavor in a few hours, but you can let it sit for weeks (even months) as it gets stronger.

As long as you put it in the fridge it is a way to store your garlic! You dip a spoon in and pull cloves out and use them like usual (as long as a little oil is OK). I often buy garlic in bulk; I also started growing it! This is one of my favorite ways to store it. It is the wonder herb! :-) The pictures above show oil in the making. I don't have many cloves in these jars because this is for the purpose of the oil and I plan to let them marinate for a long time. If I were doing it for the purpose of storing the garlic, I would fill the jar with cloves than oil to cover, so it would look different than this. When the garlic to oil ratio is switched to more garlic than oil, I would top the oil off (because it would be VERY strong) or keep that for my medicinals.

Medicinally speaking: Garlic oil is a great way to kick colds, flues and assorted sicknesses quickly! If you haven't put garlic in your natural healing (and preventative) regiment I want to encourage you to start! It works! You can take it like a germ killing elixir by the spoon full. You can make it a point to incorporate large amounts of it in meals to protect others from getting sick while fighting current sickness at the same time. Another very effective way to use garlic oil is to massage it into your feet at night before you go to bed, (using a generous amount) and putting a pair of socks on (to help keep it on your feet and off your sheets). You may wake up with garlic breath (YES, from putting garlic oil on your FEET!) but you will heal much faster, maybe even kick it overnight! I know most people don't think of treating sore throats or coughs with oil on their feet...but try it! It is wonderful to use with other natural methods too.

Fast Food: Repeat after me, "Garlic Oil = Fast food"! Toss garlic oil into pasta, or rice, other grains or potatoes, or veggies or to dress a salad and you have fast nutritious and delicious food! (Dip crusty bread or Pita in it and you'll think your in the Promise Land! Also quite tasty if you add Parmesan cheese or balsamic vinegar or herbs to that bread dip! Can you tell we like it that way?) If you pull out some cloves and simmer them in filtered water for a little while, with a little sea salt and pepper and you will make the tastiest broth with a snap! Drizzle it on popcorn. Use it to make super tasty tortilla chips by spritzing some on cut flour or corn tortillas (with salt) and than baking them until crisp. YUM! Garlic toast! Just spread on bread and sprinkle a little sea salt on it and pop it in the oven until toasted. (Garlic toast and garlic broth are favorite "quick sick foods" in our house) You can also sub it for the oil in your bread or cracker recipes! (It is a very tasty sub in most bread recipes that call for oil..except for Challah...that is much better left alone with that mild nutty sweetness we have come to expect in our Challah! I learned that the hard way. :-)) Garlic oil also makes the most amazing croutons and will add a whole new dimension to grilled cheese (in place of butter on the bread). For an Asian flare, add some ginger (and/or sesame oil or chili paste) and Braggs (or soy sauce); for Mexican add cumin and chili powder. For Italian add the Italian herbs; for French Herbs d France and red wine; for Greek lemon and basil; You get the picture. Use garlic oil with your spice rubs on the grill this summer....oh oh another super yummy (and beautiful) summer treat is fresh mozzarella cheese, juicy red tomatoes from your garden, both sliced & layered alternately (like fallen dominoes) on a plate, topped with chopped fresh basil and drizzled with garlic oil! It also makes a wonderful base for marinading grass feed meets and wild game!

Have you had enough suggestions? Make and use the oil, would ya? :-)

I might mention, me and my husband's first date was at a Garlic Restaurant in San Fransisco called, " The Stinkin' Rose". We love us some garlic! :-) I also might mention that we don't get sick very often, and when we do...it doesn't hang around long. (Now you know that deodorant recipe in a previous post must REALLY WORK!)

Here is a tasty combination that is one of our favorites. I copied it from the ingredients label of one of our favorite little family owned Italian Restaurants in PA, called Fiorentinos. It was their house oil. I make it a little different each time, but its always good! It is pictured in one of the jars of this post. I subbed a dried Ancho Pepper for the jalapeno pepper this time, because it is what I had in stock. I use dried herbs in my oils.

Fiorentinos Olive Oil
Olive Oil
Garlic
Rosemary
Bay Leaf
Pepper Corns
Jalapeno Pepper (fresh)

If you make it too strong, just add oil to dilute it or tweak it by adding more of something and taking out the "too much" item and letting it sit longer. Oils are really easy and fun to tailor to your tastes.

Lastly, I got a very informative link about the Medical Benefits of Garlic from my friend at Our Wild Journey that I wanted to share with you. After reading it, i think I have decided to chop my garlic for my oil from now on...it says that it is suppose to release more of the good stuff. Check them both out if you get the chance.

An important note: Garlic oil should be stored in the fridge or freezer or made per use. Fresh garlic should be stored in a cool (60 degrees-) dark place in the head. Like other fresh low acidic foods, storing garlic oil at room tempature creates a very attractive environment for botulism to develop.

L'chaim!