The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (52 page)

6 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1.
Preheat a grill to medium (if you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 5 to 6 seconds). Cut a piece of heavy-duty foil and a piece of parchment to 12 × 18 inches. Place foil on a work surface; lay parchment on top. Toss the mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, and oil in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mound the mushroom mixture in the center of the parchment paper, allowing a 3-inch border all around.

2.
Hold the long sides of parchment and foil; bring together, and fold twice, creasing to seal firmly. Fold short ends twice, creasing to seal firmly.

3.
Grill packet until you hear mushrooms and liquid sizzling, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip packet, and grill until mushrooms are soft, about 15 minutes more. (Press lightly to test tenderness, or unfold center of packet to check, but be careful of steam escaping.) Remove packet; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

beef tenderloin with mushrooms and thyme

SERVES 10 TO 12

1 beef tenderloin (4 to 5 pounds), tied

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms

1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs

Shallot-Brandy Sauce (recipe follows)

1.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, and brown on all sides.

2.
Toss mushrooms with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and 3 thyme sprigs to skillet; place in oven. Cook until beef registers 125°F for medium-rare, 18 to 20 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with mushrooms and shallot-brandy sauce. Garnish with thyme.

shallot-brandy sauce

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

¾ cup brandy

4 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought beef stock

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh thyme

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add brandy. Bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. Whisk in stock and cream, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme; season with salt and pepper.

short ribs with root vegetables

SERVES 8

This recipe is inspired by ones that use flanken, a cut of beef from the chuck end of short ribs. In Jewish custom, the meat is boiled and served with horseradish. Our version uses braised boneless ribs and pairs them with earthy vegetables.

6 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup olive oil

3 large onions (9 ounces each), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

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cup packed dark-brown sugar

2½ cups apple cider

1½ cups low-sodium store-bought chicken stock

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

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cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices

1¾ pounds carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces

1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 9-quart Dutch oven over high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, cook the beef, flipping once, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer beef to the wire rack. Reduce heat to medium-low.

2.
Add onions to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar, cider, stock, and ½ cup water. Add thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Return beef to pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

3.
Cover; transfer to oven. Cook until almost fork-tender, about 1½ hours.

4.
Remove pot from oven. Stir in parsnips, carrots, and potatoes. Return to oven; cook until fork tender, 1 hour 10 minutes more. Gently transfer beef and vegetables to a baking sheet or a plate.

5.
Skim fat from cooking liquid. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by about half, about 7 minutes. Return beef and vegetables to pot. Season with salt and pepper; toss gently. Transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with parsley.

LAMB

spice-crusted rack of lamb

SERVES 2

Rack of lamb is truly a special-occasion treat. Usually, you need to order it through a butcher, at the supermarket or in a butcher shop. Ask him to french the bones. He will know what you’re talking about, and you will sound as if you do, too. This means removing excess meat and fat from the bones, which looks nice and makes the chops dainty and neat to eat. It is really important to let the meat rest for 10 minutes before serving (it will finish cooking and reabsorb juices). This time also lets you pull together the final elements of the meal.

1 rack of lamb (8 ribs, about 1¼ pounds), frenched

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup yellow mustard seeds

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

Herb Oil (recipe follows), for serving

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the rack into 2 4-rib pieces, and season the meat generously with salt and pepper.

2.
Toast the mustard and fennel seeds in a large seasoned cast-iron (or ovenproof) skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly.

3.
Heat the oil in the skillet until hot but not smoking. Place 1 piece of lamb in the skillet, bone side down, and brown all over, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; repeat with the remaining piece of lamb. Roll the meat in spices to coat (do not coat the cut sides on either end).

4.
Return the meat to the skillet; transfer to the oven. Roast the meat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center (avoiding the bones) registers 135°F, for medium-rare, 18 to 24 minutes.

5.
Remove the meat from the skillet, and let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut the meat into individual or double chops, and cross the bones, if desired. Serve with herb oil.

herb oil

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

A tasty herb oil is a nice alternative to a heavy or complicated sauce. It’s quick and easy to make, and it looks and tastes great. Herb oil can be refrigerated up to 2 days before using; bring to room temperature before serving.

1 cup mint leaves

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

1.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add the mint and parsley to the boiling water; cook 30 seconds. Drain, and plunge the herbs into ice-water bath immediately.

2.
Wrap the herbs in a paper towel; squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Puree the herbs with the oil in a blender until well blended, about 3 minutes. Stir in the salt.

braised lamb shanks with tomato and fennel

SERVES 4

Serve with Polenta (Side Dishes).

4 1½-pound lamb shanks, trimmed

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 large leek, white and light-green parts only, washed well, sliced into ¼-inch half-moons

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock

1 28-ounce can peeled whole plum tomatoes, drained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 dried bay leaves

2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced ¼ inch thick

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge the lamb in the flour, turning to coat evenly; shake off excess. Heat the oil and butter in an 8-quart Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Working in two batches, cook until the shanks are well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the shanks to a large plate; drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet.

2.
Place the skillet over medium heat; add the onions and leek, and sauté until they are lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 4 minutes more. Add the red wine; deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return the shanks to the skillet, and add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; cover, and place in oven. Braise 2 hours; add the fennel, and cook 30 minutes.

3.
Using a slotted spatula, transfer the shanks and vegetables to a large bowl. Cover; set aside. Using a ladle, skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid; cook over medium heat until the liquid is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Return the shanks and vegetables to the pan; cook until heated through. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.

LEG OF LAMB 101

The term
leg of lamb
generally refers to the hind leg and hip of the animal. This cut can be pricy. Though the cost may make some home cooks wary, they needn’t be intimidated: Leg of lamb is very straightforward to prepare. Furthermore, a few leg cuts are actually quite a bargain—for example, the fore-leg, or shoulder, has more connective tissue and is fantastic in stews.

Generally, the meat of the upper portion of the leg is more tender than that of the lower section and does well with dry heat methods, such as roasting, grilling, and sautéing. Meat from the relatively inexpensive shank (the leg below the knee joint) is full of connective tissue. Slow cooking at gentle heat in moist conditions, such as braising or stewing, breaks this tissue down into soft gelatin, making the meat meltingly tender and enriching the pot liquor. A butcher should be able to quickly butterfly a leg for you, removing its bones to leave a slab of meat that is ideal for broiling or grilling, or stuffing and rolling, then roasting.