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Bocce BBQ and El Picaro

Like I promised here is the hit side dish of the nite, mine, Hopping john salad with molasses

dressing. Don’t turn your nose up at the molasses think about BBQ sauce, most real good

ones have molasses. And the hit main dish, Roys BBQ frenched racks of flamb, cut into

“lollipop” chops. both recipes are easy and what a compliment to each other. They had to

be because honestly I don’t like lamb, never did until I had it at Roy and Chris’s, what a

difference when you find someone who understands the negative side of lamb. LAMB FAT,

thats the enemy of enjoying a nice lamb chop. And the perfect compliment was the JK El

Picaro ( the rogue) which you can get at an incredible bargain

on

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Come on folks Lets get some feed back on these recipes and wines, some suggestions and

any requests for recipes or wines you might have tried. it’s OK to blog back

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Before we get to the recipes lets go over picking and and

preparing the lamb for the recipe.

If you still live in a neighborhood or town that has a butcher order some racks of young

lamb chops and ask them to french them, leaving just the meat and the cleaned bone. You

really need to impress on them that they must remove all the fat and membrane, DON’T

listen to them you don’t need the fat for the meat to stay moist. If you don’t have a butcher

shop or grocer to turn too head for costco they almost always have really nice racks of

lamb, already frenched but you will have to remove the fat cap and the remaining fat where

the meat meets the bone. Don’t worry it’s not difficult just takes a little time.

Once you get your lamb prepared your ready for the “mixture” so it can marinate at least 4

hours - minimum. Overnight or all day is also great.

BBQ frenched rack of lamb for 4

Lamb racks 2 to 3, frenched, 4 to 5 chops per person

2 tblsp minced fresh garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp smoked salt ( in the spice section)

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

6 sprigs chopped rosemary ( no stems )

rosemary sprigs for garnish

at least four hours before your ready to BBQ mix garlic, pepper flakes, smoked salt, black

pepper, olive oil and chopped rosemary in a medium bowl, whisk well to combine. pour the

marinade into a large resealable plastic freezer bag, put the racks of lamb in the bag and

seal it. tumble the bag so the marinade covers the lamb, do this several times while the

lamb is marinating in the frige.

for a charcoal grill, highly recomended, grill on an uncovered grill directly over medium

coals 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare or 12 to 15 minutes for medium, turning once half

way throught grilling time. For a gas grill preheat grill to 400, reduce heat to medium, place

meat on grill rack, close cover and grill as above.

When the lamb is done remove from grill, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. after

resting period cut the racks into individual chops, with the frenched bone the chops become

finger food, serve 4 or 5 on warm plates with a fresh sprig of rosemary and the hopping

john salad, and if you are as lucky as we are here in the foothills a loaf of artisan bread

from Amador bakery is the perfect compliment.

Hopping john salad with molasses dressing ( prep time: 20 min. chill: 2 hours ) again

extra chilling time makes it even better.

2 15 oz cans blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained

3 stalks chopped celery about 1 1/2 cups

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 medium red onion chopped

2 anaheim chili peppers seeded and finely chopped ( jalapeno’s if you like)

3 tbls chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup molasses

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lime

In a large bowl combine drained and rinsed peas and beans, celery, bell peppers, onion,

chili peppers, parsley, salt, garlic, black pepper, and cayenne.

for the dressing in a small bowl combine vinegar, molasses, oil and lime juice whisk to

combine pour dressing over blackeyed pea misture, toss to coat, chill 2 to 24 hours tossing

several times.

El Picaro the “rogue” – this sangiovese, zinfandel and cab sauv blend has all the elements to

perfectly compliment the grilled lamb and hopping john . With raspberry jamp on the nose,

blackberry and spice, a delicate hint of oak it’s the perfect wine for this meal. visit the

wine shop at

summers not over

Don’t let anyone on TV fool you, labor day is not the end of summer. Are you kidding the

veggie gardens and farm stands are at their peak. There is so much great fresh food out

there, and the weather is still perfect for outdoor dinning either lunch or dinner. If you live

someplace with a skeeto problem try those new personal fan driven repellants from OFF I

live on a lake and sit outside every night for dinner using one of them or their towers with

the candle. Any way its been hot and here is labor day weekend with the neighborhood BBQ

and bocce ball tournament. So with all the fresh tomatoes and cucs what better than a

garden fresh gazpacho. I also discovered some great summer deals on jumbo shrimp at the

fish market, you know me, Italian food or Italian seafood. So how about my contribution

for the get together, gazpacho and lemon shrimp scampi and linguine.

Yes just a little different twist ( no pun intended ) on the scampi your used to, lots of fruits

out there and plenty of lemons on the tree’s. So it just made sense to me, I love picatta so

why not marry some of those flavors. Besides both of these recipes work perfectly with a

chardonnay or pinot grigio, yes you can get them on

www.bargainsonwine.com

. the

gazpacho recipe is for 6 and the scampi is for 3, I am not bringing it as a main dish so you

can adjust accordingly if you are serving it as a main for lunch or dinner.

Remember football season starts this week and this would make a great warm weather

halftime meal for the game.

GARDEN GAZPACHO

6 large shrimp peeled cleaned and cooked

6 large ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes

1 peeled seeded coursely chopped cucumber

1 chopped green sweet pepper

1/2 medium finely chopped red onion

2 tblsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 medium jalapeno ( hot ) or 1 large anaheim chile seeded and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 cup v-8 tomato juice ( spicy if you like )

1/4 cup beef broth

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 tblsp red wine vinegar

1 small ripe avacado

salt & pepper

In an extra large bowl combine tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, red onion, cilantro,

hot pepper, and garlic. Stir in tomato juice, broth, wine and vinegar. season to taste

with salt and pepper.

cover and chill for at least 4 to5 hours, next day is great. you can do this the night before

with no problem.

serve in chilled bowls topped by a wedge of avacodo and a jumbo shrimp with a lime wedge

for garnish, and a glass of JK chard. serves 6

Now you have done the gazpacho way ahead of time so all you have to do is whip up the

scampi, easy breeze this dish takes no time at all and with a nice sliced bagguette a great

main meal or even a small portion appetizer. this recipe serves 3 as a meal 6 as an app.

SCAMPI W/LINGUINE

vegetable oil for the pasta water

2 1/2 tblsp kosher salt

3/4 lb linguine ( or pasta of choice )

3 tblsp unsalted butter

2 1/2 tblsp olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

16 to 20 large shrimp peeled and deveined

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup chopped parsley

zest of 1/2 lemon

juice from 2 lemons

6 thin sliced lemon rounds, no seeds

to boiling water add a drizzle of vegetable oil adn 1 tblsp of salt, cook linguine al dente as

you will be cooking it more with your sauce. In a large skillet, over medium low heat melt

butter and add olive oil, oil will help keep butter from burning. Add garlic and saute 1 – 2

minutes, add shrimp, 1 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper, saute until shrimp are just pink 4 – 5 min,

remove from heat, add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon slices. when pasta is

ready drain and add right on top of shrimp and sauce mixture, return to medium heat and

saute tossing frequently to combine flavors with pasta 3 – 4 mins. toss and serve on warm

plates with grated cheese and Jk chardonnay.

next is my black eyed pea side dish with molasses dressing, a huge hit at the bocce BBQ