The green bean party

I'm a little late in joining up with Deb and Margaret, but that won't keep me from posting. I am one of the people who loves, loves, loves green beans. My kids gag at the sight of them, and my husband pushes them around his plate, except when I serve him this warm salad, which I make even in the depths of winter, with the (really quite good) frozen organic green beans available at Trader Joe's.

Warm Green Bean Salad

1/2 lb green beans, blanched in boiling water until tender (usually 2-3 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the beans) and then refreshed under cool, running water
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup shaved parmesan (easiest to use a vegetable peeler
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t champagne vinegar
2 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 t dijon mustard
1 T chopped fresh tarragon (optional, but makes it great)
1/8 t lemon oil (optional, but as above)
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

Combine the olive oil, vinegars, mustard, tarragon, lemon oil, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a jar with a lid; close and shake to emulsify; transfer to a small bowl.

Toast the walnuts in a small saute pan over medium heat until they are hot and fragrant but not burnt; add to the salad dressing and stir to combine. Pour the warm dressing/nut mixture over the beans and toss gently. Sprinke the cheese over the top and serve.

For another idea for using green beans, read this post from earlier in the summer.

What's cooking

No one has much of a reason to leave the Hudson Valley in the summertime. And yet, many of us do just that. We find ourselves drawn towards even bigger waters: the Cape, an Island or three, or in my case, Maine. In a few days, we depart for a brief visit with friends in their seaside summer idyll, a lobster-indulged, oceanic-viewed version of what I luckily live year round. And so--it's time to clean out the fridge and the larder.

Tonight, to that end, I concocted yet another gratin, an adaption of one I enjoyed earlier this year from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I added some eggs and cheese, but otherwise this is quite similar to the one that appears in that fantastic book. (Really, just buy it already. If you are at all experienced as a cook, you won't regret it. If you're just starting out, you might curse me while you're cooking, but not when you finally sit down to eat. Your call.) Alongside, I served the last of the latest planting of mache and arugula from my sorry excuse for a garden, in a salad made with the first local corn I've bought this season and some more tomatoes (nearly as local as it gets, save from one's own garden: from an honor system roadside stand just down the road.)

Not a bad way to clean house.

Tomato, Onion and Potato Gratin

4 large onions, sliced thinly
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t dried thyme, divided
kosher salt
4-5 large red potatoes or small-medium Yukon Golds (mine were reds, from the CSA)
3 medium tomatoes
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of cayenne
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat--I like to use a cast iron one, and prepare the dish start to finish in it. Add the onion, stirring frequently as it starts to brown. Add 1 teaspoon of the dried thyme and a pinch of kosher salt. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook and stir, adding water (maybe, say, a quarter cup) if they start to stick too much to the pan. Continue cooking until they are soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally. When they are evenly browned and soft, remove from the heat. Add the pinch of cayenne and stir thoroughly. (Omit the cayenne if it scares you.)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch thick (thinner is fine, if you can manage it!) slices, either by hand or on a mandoline. Don't bother to peel them. Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Combine the beaten eggs, the cream, the remaining teaspoon of thyme and the potatoes and stir to coat the potatoes thoroughly.

Remove half the onions from the skillet and spread the rest evenly over the bottom. Put in haf the potatoes, arranging them in a layer, and then half the tomatoes. Then make a final layer that nicely alternates potatoes and tomatoes--pour over any cream mixture remaining in the bowl. Top with the grated parmesan and a grating of fresh pepper and cover tightly with foil. Turn the oven down to 375 and bake for 90 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (test by poking with a paring knife.)

Remove the foil, and turn the oven up to 450 F. Return to the oven and cook for ten more minutes or so, removing when the top is nicely browned. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Tomato and Corn Salad

2 or more handfuls of salad greens--enough to form a nice base for the corn and tomato mixture
1 medium tomato, diced
2 ears of corn, kernels sliced off (easiest to do this by holding the ear of corn vertically in a shallow bowl, and slicing down its length with a short paring knife.)
1 T each chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and basil, or whatever fresh herbs you like: dill, chives or even cilantro, if you like it, would be tasty
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Maldon salt & freshly ground pepper

Lay the greens in your serving bowl. Combine the corn, tomato and herbs in another bowl, and add the oil and vinegar. Toss to combine. Place the corn mixture on top of the greens, and serve a bit of each (corn mixture and greens) when ready to eat. This salad can sit for a bit in the fridge, since you haven't dressed the greens with the vinegar--they won't get soggy as fast as if they, too, were tossed.

Cukes and Zukes; The Big Roundup

Inspired by the massive enthusiasm around last week's Pesto Party, I decided to join in the multi-blog cooking party started by Margaret of A Way to Garden and Deb of Everyday Food's Dinner Tonight blog.

This week, the theme is cukes and zukes--the things we all have spilling from our CSA baskets and crisper drawers. I've posted before on some of my favorite ways to use zucchini (and will be doing more next week) but for today, here's a recipe that uses both of these over-bounteous veg to great success.

Lentil Salad

1 c. French green or beluga lentils, rinsed and checked for small stones
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 chile de arbol (optional)
1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch dice
2 medium zucchini, grated in the food processor or julienned on a mandoline
1 T chopped mint
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup cubed feta cheese
1/2 cup Kalamata olives (dry cured are my favorite)
2-3 roasted peppers (jarred are just fine) chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

Layer the grated zucchini in a colander, alternating each layer with a pinch or two of coarse salt, and then set over the sink to drain. Allow to drain for around 30 minutes while you prepare the lentils as instructed below.

Put the lentils, the bay leaf, 1-2 t salt and a few grinds of pepper (and the chile if using) into a small saucepan. Cover generously with water and bring to the boil, then allow to simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm--around 30 minutes.

When the lentils are done to your satisfaction, drain them.

Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the zucchini (you may want to use a salad spinner to remove some of the liquid, but don't make yourself crazy--you just don't want it overly wet.)

Combine the warm lentils with all the other ingrdients and toss, gently, to blend.

Then dress with the following dressing.

Spicy lime dressing

Grated zest of 2 limes
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T chopped shallot or scallion
pinch cayenne
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. dry mustard
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. chopped cilantro

Put all in a jar and shake to combine. Toss with the lentil salad, and then add salt and pepper as necessary to taste.

This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, a book that, indeed, everyone should own!

Greens, greens, greens

I am swimming, happily, in dark leafy greens. Last night, I needed to make dinner quickly and easily, and had three bunches (2 kale, 1 red chard) threatening to wilt in the fridge. I made a red-cooked chicken using this recipe from Mark Bittman's wonderful Bitten blog, some basmati rice in the rice cooker, and this.

Greens with black bean sauce

3 bunches dark greens, tough stems removed
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
2 T canola oil
2 T black bean sauce (mine is this, from Guido's)
1/8 t sesame oil
1 c water

Boil a large pot of water and blanch the greens for 3 to 4 minutes. Chard will get quite wilty, while kale will still feel firm, but more tender. Drain in a colander, squeeze to remove someof the liquid, and chop across the leaves in 3/4 inch slices.

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan or dutch oven over medium high heat and add the garlic. Saute several minutes, but don't brown. You just want to soften the garlic and flavor the oil. Add the green and saute for about five minutes--again, don't brown. Add water, a half cup at a time, if the pan seems to be getting too dry. Add the black bean sauce, the sesame oil, and stir to combine. At this point, add the water, if you haven't already. Turn the heat to low and cook ten more minutes, or until tender to taste.

Serve over rice, getting both greens and sauce. I ate this in a deep bowl, with the rice, greens and slices of the chicken all together. Delicious.

Zucchini for meat eaters. Really. *

*But there's always a catch. You have to like chili. But if you do like chili--you will likely like this one, even if your preference runs towards the con carne. And--you will use up zucchini, and not even notice you're eating it. This is also a completely flexible recipe. No summer squash? Use more zucchini. No peppers? Ok. Leave 'em out. Got black beans, but no pink? No problem. It will taste great, no matter what, it looks pretty, it feeds a crowd, and you won't miss the meat.

Confetti Chili

1/4 c. olive oil
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 large bell peppers, preferably red and/or yellow, cut into 1/4" dice
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin (best if you grind your own, but any will do)
1 large can crushed tomatoes in juice
4 small cans tomato juice (I prefer low sodium)
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 c. chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (or 2 t dried, if you don't have fresh)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 package frozen corn (about 1-1/2 cups) (optional)


Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and add onions. Saute until just clear. Add zucchini, squash and peppers and stir to blend. Add chili powder and cumin, and cook until vegetables are just starting to get tender. Add tomatoes, juice, and remaining seasonings (except fresh herbs.) Cook over low heat for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You can cook it longer if you like--it's very forgiving.)

Add the beans, corn, parsley and dill, and cook another fifteen or so minutes. Serve alone, garnished with grated cheddar or jack cheese, with sour cream, etc. Great with cornbread, fresh corn tortillas, or atop rice or couscous.

Finally, a photo, and some thoughts on squash

I think I forgot to sing the praises of those cucumbers (in the foreground) in the original Week 6 post. Haven't tried them yet, but they look lovely.

On to the squash, which I think (and I have no evidence to support this) is the number one subject of complaint about summer (over)abundance.

Two thoughts, both Asian in flavors, both delicious.

First, on the grill. This is a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or steak, adapted from the grilling bible. Slice the squash lengthwise into planks 3/8 inch thick. Brush each slice with neutral (canola, grapeseed or peanut) oil into which you've stirred 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and a pinch each of good saltand pepper. Brush both sides, and leave to sit for a few minutes. Then make a sweet miso glaze: 7 T sugar, 1/4 c white miso, 3 T mirin (sweet rice wine, and 2-3 T water, all stirred together. Grill the squash 6-8 minutes turning once, over a medium hot fire. You should have nice dark grill marks. Then brush the with the glaze, and grill one more minute on each side. Good hot, lukewarm or cold. This recipe is actually for eggplant, not squash, but both are fantastic with this preparation--it has been known to convert eggplant haters.

Second--make a Thai style curry. This is from Mark Bittman's newish How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a book I just bought and am loving. Easy, easy. Heat 3 T neutral oil (canola, peanut, grapeseed) in a skillet and add one thinly sliced onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is softened, about five minutes. If it browns a bit, that's ok . Add 2 T chopped garlic, the grated zest of one lime (do you and your kitchen a favor, and buy a microplane graterfor this task!) and 2 dried chiles. Add about 5 cups chopped zucchini or summer squash--I used two small zucchini, a summer squash and a couple of pattypans, and cut them into chunks about 3/4-1 inch on a side. You don't want the pieces too small. Continue to cook the squash until it's softened and a bit caramelized, ten or fifteen minutes--don't let it burn. Add one can of light coconut milk, 3 T Thai fish sauce and 1 T chili paste, or to taste (I like spice, a lot, and for this, I use Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce, available around here at Guido's. If you're a chile-phobe, you could leave out both the dried and the paste, and still have something eminently worth eating. However, if you do omit the spice, you might want to squeeze in some lime juice just before serving to brighten the flavors a bit.) Cook until the sauce has thickened down some--about ten minutes--and serve hot over rice. Again, this is a recipe written for eggplant, but divine with a mix of squashes.

Next up--Tex Mex. Stay tuned.

Francophilic Lexicon, Part Deux

One thing I enjoy living where I do is that the place is lousy with serious cooks. I had never experienced dinner party as competitive (albeit friendly) sport until moving to Columbia County, and similarly, have never found so many knowledgeable foodophiles lurking beneath unassuming exteriors. I recently had the pleasure of working with a lovely carpenter to build shelves and such in our home offices; turns out, he's a chef. When I gifted him with some fresh eggs from our hens, he responded by emailing me the list of delights he'd created with them (some for a slightly unappreciative audience: his young daughters.) The list included bourride (a fish soup thickened with aioli), and he attributed his version to Richard Olney. His incredulity at my ignorance of this influential cook led him to lend me Olney's Simple French Food,and I've been cooking from it ever since.

My affection for Olney has expanded my lexicon. Mangetout has a new rival for best French food name: pois chiches, aka chick peas. Who could resist such an adorable name for the earthy, peasant food staple? Sometimes, in the heady days of summer bounty, I forget that I don't have to cook vegetables in stand alone preparations--it's more than ok to raid the larder for staples to complement, even exalt, the fresh produce. But Olney's recipe for Gratin de Pois-Chiches aux Épinards stopped me mid-read. I love chickpeas (and not just for their newly-revealed charming French name.) I soak and cook them myself rather than buy them canned and the (slight) effort is well worth the tastier, better-textured result. With a giant bag of CSA greens (beet, turnip and chard) lurking in the fridge, I got to work and came up with this. It's fabulous hot, warm or even out of the fridge, and would be a great addition to a dinner party when you know you have vegetarians on the guest list, but don't want to serve a completely vegetarian menu. It would accompany grilled lamb, sausages or even shrimp beautifully, but with some crusty bread and a green salad, is also a filling and delicious main course.

This recipe has a few steps, but they're all easy. Nothing needs a lot of fussing or attention. I served this last night with one of my favorite salads: arugula, shaved parmesan, a drizzle of great olive oil (no vinegar), a sprinkle of Maldon salt, and a grind of pepper. To make this salad, you need great ingredients: farm fresh arugula, and high quality cheese and oil. Locally, check out the wonderful olive oils at Bizalion's. For parmesan, you can't do much better than Rubiner's. Bon appétit!

Provencal Chick Pea and Greens Gratin
(serves 4 as a main dish; 6 or more as a side dish)

1-2 pounds greens (beet, chard, spinach or turnip will all work--more or less is fine, depending upon what you have in your fridge)
kosher salt
2-3 cups dried chickpeas (again, more or less is fine--this recipe doesn't demand precision, for the most part)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, peeled and stuck with 2 cloves
1 chile de arbol (optional)
4 T extra virgin olive oil, divided (plus more for serving)
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 t dried savory
1 T raw almond butter
2 hard boiled eggs
1/8 t cayenned pepper
1/8 t saffron
freshly ground pepper
3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs


Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water with the baking soda added for at least four hours or overnight. (Make sure to pick them over a bit for stones.) Drain off the water, rinse, and then recover with several inches of fresh water. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onion with cloves, chile de arbol and a generous pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until tender, usually about one and a half to two hours. You can do this the day before; if you do, you might as well make extra chickpeas for salads, making hummus, etc. When they're done, drain off the liquid and reserve it.

Bring a large quantity of water and a teaspoon of salt to boil in a big pot. Add the greens and blanch for three minutes, then drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water (you can add it to the reserved chick pea water.) Coarsely chop the drained greens.

If you haven't already, combine the drained chickpea cooking water and the greens cooking water and bring to a boil; simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to about one cup. If the liquid seems to be getting too salty, stop reducing. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Set aside the liquid.

In a skillet, heat 2 T olive oil and gently stew the garlic and tomatoes in it, along with the savory and parsley. Keep the pan on low heat for about fifteen minutes to allow the flavor to meld. Meanwhile, in a food processor or with mortar and pestle, combine the almond butter, egg yolks from the hard boiled eggs, cayenne and saffron into a firm paste. Slice the egg whites into thin slices across their length.

Combine the chickpeas, reduced cooking liquids, tomato mixture, egg and almond paste and egg whites and bring to a simmer. Crush a few of the chickpeas with a wooden spoon to thicken the stew. The mixture should be thick, not soupy. If it seems too liquid, let it reduce a bit. Stir in the greens, and a couple of grinds of fresh pepper, and turn the mixture into a gratin dish (I use an oval baking dish about 15 inches long.) Combine the bread crumbs with 2 T olive oil and sprinkle atop the dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature, and offer more high quality olive oil to drizzle on top when served.

Grand slam recipes

You know those times when you make something that works out so well you simply cannot believe it? It's culinary kismet, and there's little more annoying than, months or years later, wracking your brain to remember what dish it was that was such a success.
I've had a few of those lately, and though they're not specifically seasonal, they will be (by later in the season) and they'll bear repeating in August when tomatoes and beans are peaking.

Halibut baked in parchment is fantastic: the fish stays moist and mild, gently flavored by rosemary and olive oil. Last night I served it like a semi-nicoise, atop a bed of arugula, blanched haricot verts quickly sauteed with more olive oil and some chopped shallots, a few oil cured black olives, some just-hard-cooked eggs (9 minutes in simmering water will do it) and a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of more good olive oil on top. Alongside, I served one of the great workhorse condiments you can make: salsa verde. I use Suzanne Goin's recipe, which calls for parsley, mint and marjoram along with the more esoteric: salt packed capers and anchovies. (Locally, you can get both of the latter at Rubiner's Cheesemongers in Great Barrington.)

The idea for a halibut nicoise comes from Goin, too, but my preparation of the halibut is different, and comes from another wonderful and favorite cookbook, I Am Almost Always Hungry, by Lora Zarubin. (Zarubin also has a recipe for salsa verde, but I've been making Goin's for a couple of years now, and I'm hooked. I do not, by the way, make it in a mortar and pestle as she instructs. I cheat, and use the Cuisinart. As my chef friend said, "Mortar and pestles are for geeks." He might be overstating the case a bit, but since I am always cooking under the gun, I cheat as I see fit.)

To accompany the nicoise, I made a potato and tomato gratin, also by Suzanne Goin. This recipe is unfortunately not available online, but hopefully you've already broken down and purchased Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

If you can't stand the heat

Summer in my family means something special: my husband cooks. The rest of the year, his culinary efforts are confined to pasta and the occasional quesadilla, though he does make incredible cappucino and espresso, thanks to this (yes, a gift from me. Highly recommended if you're in the market for a high quality, mid-range-price home coffee bar. You'll never go to Starbucks again, so eventually, it will pay for itself.)

But when summer hits, my non-cooking husband morphs, as many American men, do, I think, into the grillmaster. When we left L.A., we left our old grill behind. It had seen one too many cookouts, and we planned to get a new one after the move. Sadly, last summer, it didn't happen, and we were all a little bereft about the lack of outdoor cooking. This year, we both knew it was time. After his usual obsessive 'net research, my husband ended up purchasing this new grill and we both love it.

It's one thing to have the equipment, but what to cook? For this, we turn most often to the Cook's Illustrated "Best Recipe" Grilling book which has been a no-fail guide to outdoor cooking of everything from scallops to steak, peaches to pizza. I'm not a huge fan of the magazine--mostly because a lot of what they want to eat, I don't--but this book is hands down the best we've found for barbecuing. An added plus is that the exhaustively researched, highly precise writing of the recipes is in sync with my husband's world view: there's one really great way to do just about everything. He's not into trial and error, or culinary improvisation, so the CI approach suits him.

For the last two nights, we've made the same thing: grilled scallops served as part of a composed salad with an orange-chile-cilantro dressing. Our CSA salad greens--delicious--formed the base. The first time, we followed the recipe exactly: greens, sliced red onion, chopped hard-boiled eggs (for those, you want to do what the Joy of Cooking says) , crumbled bacon. Last night, we added grilled corn, cut off the cob, and diced avocado. Delicious. Since one of our guests last night was a vegetarian, we also made the miso-glazed eggplant from the book, and I improvised a salad of quinoa, chopped tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers, roasted peppers and sheep's milk feta, all dressed with Deborah Madison's Lime Cumin Vinaigrette. It was a perfect (and really filling) light supper for a warm night.

Week one, continued, oh the joy

I have lamented before my fear of frying. Sadly, it often extends to stir frying, which is lamentable, given that one of my few complaints about my new home is the paucity of Asian food options. Why I won't stir fry is a mystery even to me--it's true that I don't have a wok, and I think that's one of my self-created obstacles. The other, I fear, is all the prepwork that a good stirfry usually entails. Tonight, in my quest to enjoy my beautiful baby bok choy, I threw caution to the wind and opened up the gorgeous (but not oft-used, in my kitchen) Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey through Southeast Asia by culinary world travelers Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford .

I adapted their recipe for Thai Stir Fried Greens with Noodles to reflect what I had on hand, and came up with a delicious, light supper. The original recipe calls for rice noodles, as well as meat (preferably pork) or pressed tofu. Lacking all of those, I made the stir fry anyway, and ate mine atop some brown rice; the H ate his straight, as a thick soup. Either way, delicious.

Thai Bok Choy Stir Fry

3 T neutral (canola, grapeseed) oil
2 T minced garlic
1 lb firm tofu, sliced into half inch by two inch (roughly) batons
4 cups baby bok choy, rinsed, base ends trimmed off
1 T fermented black bean paste
1 T soy sauce
1 T Thai fish sauce
1 t agave nectar
2 T rice vinegar
1 T corn starch, dissolved in 3 T water
1 1/2 c. chicken stock

Cut the bok choy into roughly even pieces by cutting across the entire bok choy to separate the leaf and stem ends into pieces of roughly equal lengths. Then cut the stem pieces into 1/4 inch wide slices (cutting along the length of the slice, not dicing across it.)

Heat the oil in a heavy, deep frying pan (or, ahem, wok) over high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn golden brown. Add the tofu, and sear over high heat until it begins to brown.

Add the bok choy and stir until it begins to soften and turn bright green, and is just starting to become tender. Add the black bean paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar and agave, and stir to combine. Add the stock, and then the corn starch. Stir, and cover to raise temperature for a minute or so . Remove the cover and cook until the bok choy is tender to your taste and the sauce has thickened. Serves 2 very generously, or 4 over rice or noodles.

What's cooking, what's growing

Not much progress at the farmer's market in Lenox this Friday, though there were oodles of plants to buy. I was waiting, though, because I knew I'd find some treasures at the plant sale at this year's CSA farm, The Farm at Miller's Crossing, in Hudson. And I did--in particular, some chile plants I'd been looking for, tomatillos, too, so I can make my own salsa and other Mexican dishes this summer.

As for what's for dinner, I'm still stuck on the (really terrific) April issue of Gourmet. (Maybe because May in upstate NY is like April everywhere else?) Every once in a while, Gourmet hits it out of the park for me--I want to cook just about everything in the issue. In any case, there are three recipes that I've found particular delicious, and two of them take about 45 seconds to make. Check out Salmon with Agrodolce Sauce, Broiled Chicken and Artichokes, and Mediterranean Rice Stuffed Escarole. As a side note, the chicken recipe is by Paul Grimes, who is also responsible for an amazing lamb tagine featured in the May issue of the magazine. I made this for a dinner party (using lamb shanks instead of the lamb shoulder called for in the recipe) and it was luscious, perfectly spiced, rich but not overwhelmingly so. A huge hit, and great for this time of year. I served it with couscous and braised carrots flavored with mint from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, a great book which belongs in the kitchen of anyone who eats vegetables, not just those who are true vegetarians.