NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2008
Lamb Feast For Labor Day
Seattle Chef Tom Douglas Has Special Holiday "Shoestring" Budget Of $80
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The Perfect Labor Day Feast
Seattle Northwest style chef and weekly radio host Tom Douglas creates a "Chef On A Shoestring" 3-course Labor Day party menu with tomato soup, lamb skewers and peach short cakes.
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Seattle Chef Tom Douglas prepares Grilled Lamb Skewers with Washington Merlot and Honey Glaze for "Chef On A Shoestring." (CBS)
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He owns five restaurants, has written three books, has his own line of specialty foods, and is the host of a weekly radio show.
As if he didn't have enough on his plate, The Early Show challenged him to be our "Chef on a Shoestring" Saturday and come up with a unique, untraditional Labor Day menu on a special party budget of 80 bucks.
Douglas is big on using local ingredients, and respects Seattle's ethnic traditions.
To close out the summer grilling season, he prepared a special Labor Day menu:
Tomato Soup with Basil Oil, Garlic Toast and Fresh Ricotta
Grilled Lamb Skewers with Washington Merlot and Honey Glaze
Smashed Greed Potatoes & Cool Cucumber Yogurt
Peach Cornmeal Shortcakes with Pecan Caramel Sauce
TAKE-HOME TIPS
FOOD FACTS
Lamb: Lamb is meat from a sheep less than a year old. Most are brought to market at about six-to-eight months old. When purchasing, look for good marbling (white flecks of fat within the meat muscle), and meat that is finely textured and firm. The meat should be pink and the fat should be firm, white, and not too thick.
Greek Oregano: Greek oregano is a very spicy herb, and when fresh, has such an intense flavor it can numb your tongue.
RECIPES
Summer Tomato Soup with Basil Oil, Garlic Toast, and Fresh Ricotta
Makes 8 servings
Note: For this menu, you already have the grill fired up for the lamb skewers, but if you're making this recipe and not firing up the grill, you can toast the bread under the broiler instead.
INGREDIENTS: For the soup:
2-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 peeled shallot, roughly chopped
8 fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD: For the soup:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the tomatoes, shallot, and basil and simmer, stirring, just until the tomatoes are warmed through and releasing their juice, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat, transfer the contents of the pan to the bowl of a food processor, and puree until smooth.
Pour the puree through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to get as much of the tomato through the sieve as possible. Discard the solids.
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature.
INGREDIENTS: For the garlic toast:
8 garlic cloves, peeled
8 slices rustic bread, sliced ½ to ¾ inch thick
Olive oil
8 tablespoons fresh ricotta
METHOD: Far the garlic toast:
To make the garlic toast, fire up the grill.
Smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and rub a garlic clove over each slice of bread.
Generously brush both sides of the slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the bread over direct heat with the lid off, until golden and crusty, about 1 minute per side.
Spread 1 tablespoon of the fresh ricotta over each piece of bread.
INGREDIENTS: For the basil oil:
1/3 heaping cup roughly chopped basil leaves (lightly packed)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
METHOD: For basil oil
Combine the basil and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. (Or chop the basil in a mini-food processor and gradually add the oil while processing.)
Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much oil as possible.
Season to taste with salt.
TO SERVE:
Ladle the soup into 8 bowls.
Using a small spoon or a squirt bottle, drizzle a little basil oil over each bowl of soup.
Balance the toast on the rim of the soup bowl.
MANY more recipes, on Page 2.
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- how about baaaaaa-b-q lamb ???
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