Late Winter or Early Spring Dinner

We’ve been having some really dry, warm weather here in Boulder. Then the temperature drops and clouds form and I think, “Oh please snow!”  While the rest of the country has been experiencing winter, we here have been eerily deprived of winter. Thus the title of the menu.

My sister-in-law came to dinner and I needed a meal that I could make while we chatted. We were heartily served and had great conversation.  With this meal, the vegetable takes center stage and the meat and potatoes are the accompaniments.  The menu includes:  Grilled Lamb Sirloin Steak with Limnos Lamb Rub, Broccoli with Sicilian-Style Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce and Roasted New Potatoes with Capitol Hill Seasoning.

For the Brocoli Sauce:
You can make this in 30 minutes and let sit until you’re ready to steam the broccoli.

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Sicilian olives, pitted
1/3 cup dried currants
1 (12 oz) can of diced tomotoes, with juices
2 Tbsp. red wine viengar
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onions and fennel until soft. Add the dried spices and mix well. Add the canned tomatoes and dried currents.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the olives, vinegar, tomato paste, parsley and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat. Steam 2 lbs of broccoli florets. Once tender, place into the Sicilian sauce and toss to evenly spread the sauce over the broccoli.

For Lamb: Place lamb in a glass bowl and pour on a little olive oil. Add enough of the Limnos Lamb Rub, salt and pepper to coat the lamb well.  Allow to sit at room temperature. Grill on medium about 7 minutes per side. Cover with foil on a platter and allow juices to collect.

Serve with mint jelly. I highly recommend Rosebud Farms Mint Jelly from England.   As my sister-in-law said, “it really does taste homemade” but if you really like the bright green jelly, by all means go for it. I bought mine at Whole Foods Market.

Roasted New Potatoes

5 lbs. small red new potatoes, sliced in half
Olive Oil
Capitol Hill Seasoning – 3 to 5 Tbsp.
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl place the potatoes and coat liberally with olive oil (Be generous, but potatoes should not be swimming in oil) . Sprinkle on the seasoning and make sure that each potato has a nice coat. Place on a large cookie sheet flat side down and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook unitl potatoes are easily pierced with a sharp knife and the flat sides are nice and golden.