Balsamic Marinated Lamb Chops

I grill these lamb chops after they've been marinating for at least 4 hours.  The marinade is so good and just uses ingredients I always have around the house.  All grills are different so I won't post how long to cook them.  Just make sure you get the internal temperature to 135-137 degrees and then let them rest for at least 10 minutes.  This is important...they must rest!  Grill them on high or medium high and get a good sear on each side.  After that, keep checking them with the instant read.  A perfect medium rare is what you're looking for.

Marinade:
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar*
1/2 cup olive oil
zest and juice of one lemon
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. fresh chopped rosemary
2 t. fresh chopped thyme

Put the chops in the marinade and refrigerate at least 4 hours, turning once or twice.  Take the chops out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking.  Remove from marinade and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Grill and enjoy!

Here are the chops in the marinade:

*Use really good quality balsamic.  It should be aged and have a sweet, tart flavor.  I like the Central Market aged balsamic ($12.99).  Alessi makes a good one too that is aged  ($11.99).  Inexpensive balsamics are fine for some things but we rarely eat lamb and it's pretty pricey, so I don't want to screw it up with a cheap balsamic.

Macaroni and Cheese

I've posted a recipe for mac and cheese before but it bears repeating.  This, along with lamb chops and salad, was our Christmas dinner this year.  This time I used Quebec white cheddar that was aged 6 years and fontina.  The best mac and cheese ever! 

2 cups + 2 T. heated 2% milk (I just microwave it for 2 minutes)

2 T. butter

2 T. flour         

1/2 lb. (2 cups dry) small pasta (Conchigliette-small shells-is perfect)

1/2 lb. grated cheese of your choice + a little for the top

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1 T. melted butter
Pinch of nutmeg and salt

Boil pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente (about 6 minutes).  Drain. 

Melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and stir for about 4-5 minutes.  Add heated milk and continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil.  Turn heat down and continue cooking (and stirring occasionally) until mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes.  Add salt and nutmeg.  The sauce will be creamy but not super thick. 

Combine pasta, cheese and sauce and pour into a small casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray.  Top with a little more cheese and then the Panko breadcrumbs.

Bake 350 for about 25-30 minutes until top begins to brown.  Don't overcook.  Once it starts browning, it's done.

Banana Black Bean Chicken

2 large bananas (firm, not too ripe)

1 T. cumin – divided

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Olive oil

1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, chopped

4 green onions, chopped (green part only)

1 large tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Pepper to taste

1 t. dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

1 t. chicken base (Better than Bouillon chicken flavor)

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of one lime

Cut bananas into thick slices.  Sprinkle both sides with cumin.  Cook bananas in a little hot oil, turning once, until they are brown.  Remove and keep warm.

Sprinkle cumin on both sides of chicken breasts.  Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the breasts over medium high heat for about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking dish and finish them in the oven (375 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until thermometer registers 160).

While the breasts are in the oven, sauté the pepper for a minute or two and then add the next three ingredients and continue cooking for a few minutes.  Add the beans and next three ingredients.  Cook until hot.  Remove from heat and add lime juice and cilantro.

Put some of the bean mixture on a plate.  Top with a chicken breast and half the bananas. 

Baked Butternut Squash Risotto

UPDATE:  Made this tonight and used roasted sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash.  We liked it better!  Nothing changed about the recipe except substituting the sweet potatoes for the squash.

Yes, I know risotto isn't supposed to be baked but I just wanted to see if it would work, and it does.  I used my new beautiful blue Dutch oven since it goes from the stove into the oven.  The risotto came out creamy and delicious and was so satisfying on a cold night.

I bought my butternut squash at Costco already cubed, which saves a lot of time.  I roasted it the day before so it would be ready when I got home from work.

I normally never eat white rice, but I make the exception for this dish.  You must use a short-grain, high-starch rice or the risotto will not turn out creamy.  The best one is Arborio but you can use Carnaroli too.  So worth it.

1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups low-sodium stock (I use homemade that I keep in the freezer), heated
1 large sweet yellow onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced
Olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound butternut squash cubes, roasted*
1 pinch Saffron threads (soak in a little chicken broth for 2 hours)**
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, shredded

In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat about 2 T. olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the onion slices and cook for at least 15 minutes.  You want the onion to cook but not brown (called sweating).  Keep turning the heat down lower so the onions don't brown.  Season with salt.

Turn up the heat to medium high, add the butter, and then add the uncooked rice to the onions; stir to coat the rice with the oil and butter.  Cook for about two minutes.  Add the wine to deglaze the pan and keep stirring until absorbed.  Turn up the heat to high and add the warm stock (I microwave it for 3 minutes) and Saffron; season with salt and pepper, if necessary (I usually don't need to add salt because there is salt in the broth and there is salt in the Parmesan, which will be added later).   Add the butternut squash cubes.  Bring to a boil. 

Put the lid on the pot and bake in a preheat 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove and quickly stir in the cheese.  Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

*To roast the squash:  Put the squash cubes in a large bowl.  Drizzle olive oil on top and mix with a large spoon.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little sugar.  Put the cubes on a foil-lined baking pan in a single layer.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

**Saffron needs to be soaked for at least 2 hours.  I just soak it in a little bit of the broth.  I did substitute fresh sage once when I was out of saffron, so that's a good substitute if you don't want to spend the money for saffron.  Note:  Do not use American saffron - it's definitely not the same.  Saffron is expensive but you use very little.  You can tell when the saffron is the real deal by the color of the threads.  They should be red but a lighter orangy-red toward one end.