Lamb Loin Chops with Farro Salad

I have been intrigued with farro since I had it in a salad back in the spring while I was in Kelowna. The grains have a slightly nutty flavour and when cooked al dente add nice texture to the meal. However, it isn't easy to find farro. When I was in the city I visited the health food store and found a few packages in the sale bin. I wish I had purchased more than one.

Farro is an ancient grain that is popular in the Mediterranean. Finding exact details is about as difficult as finding the grain itself. Most information tells me it is an ancient wheat. One source says that spelt, emmer and einkorn are called farro in Italy. The difference mainly is the size of the kernel. These three grains are considered farro. So don't be surprised if the farro you buy today is a little different from the farro you buy tomorrow.

I cook this like I cook all my grains and rice, in plenty of water. I cook until almost al dente, strain it and place a clean tea towel over so it can steam for awhile. I like a clean grain so if it is still a bit sticky, rinse under cold water, strain and let air dry.

The lamb loin chops are simply seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and seared in a pan with olive oil on both sides. Remove from pan and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Serve.

Farro Salad
1 cup farro
1/2 tomato, cubed
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon wine vinegar

Cook farro as described above. When it is dry add the remainder of the ingredients and toss to coat. Serve.

Casual Friday with Linguine and Lemony Herbed Halloumi

Casual Friday is all about whipping up something with little effort. It is about digging into the pantry and freezer and using what is on hand. Join me each Friday for something simple and hopefully, interesting.

Guest bloggers are welcomed. Just shoot me off an email.

Halloumi cheese is a firm, Mediterranean cheese that can be nicely pan grilled or put on the barbecue. I love its meaty nature.

Linguine with Lemony Herbed Halloumi

Marinade slices of halloumi cheese in olive oil with dried thyme and oregano.

Make your linquine just the way you like it.

Put the linquine in a pasta bowl and toss with a little of the olive herb marinade from the halloumi. Heat a heavy pan until hot but not smoking. Place slices of halloumi in the hot pan and grill until golden. Turn and grill both sides. Remove from heat and squeeze fresh lemon juice over it.

Each person's bowl of linguine can be topped with two slices of grilled halloumi with lemon juice. Grate parmesan or Greek kasseri cheese over. Serve immediately.

Pastitsio or Greek Style Lasagna

Being a cook is often akin to being an improvisor. Take tonight for example. I was a substitute teacher all day and still thought I would like to make a real meal tonight. The freezer yielded a pound of ground meat that I took to be beef. Yum. I had my mouth ready for spaghetti and meat sauce using my preserved heirloom tomato sauce.

After browning the ground meat it was clear to me, by the aroma, that I had lamb and not beef. Still with pasta on my mind, I decided to make pastitsio. It was one of my favourite meals when I was on vacation in Crete. That, with a tumbler of their homemade wine!

I  only had evaporated milk. I reconstituted it with water and used it instead of fresh milk. All the other ingredients were in my pantry. The evaporated milk worked perfectly. The spices are essential. Don't wimp out and omit them.

Pastitsio or Greek Style Lasagna

For meat sauce:

    1 medium onions, finely chopped

    1 tablespoons olive oil

    1 large clove of garlic, minced

    1 pounds ground lamb

    2 cups homemade tomato sauce

    2 thyme sprigs

    1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

    1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

    1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For béchamel sauce:

    1/4 c tablespoons unsalted butter

    1/4 c all-purpose flour

    3 cups whole milk

    1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

    1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or kefalotyri cheese

    2 large egg yolks

    2 tsp salt

For pasta:

    1 pound ziti

    1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or kefalotyri cheese

Make meat sauce:

Cook onions in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Increase heat to high, then stir in lamb and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps with a fork, until meat starts to brown, about 15 minutes.

Pour off excess fat from skillet, then stir in tomato sauce, thyme, spices, and 1 tsp salt. Simmer over low heat, partially covered, until some liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 40 minutes. Discard thyme.

Make béchamel while meat sauce simmers:

Melt butter in a heavy medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking frequently, until pale golden, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in a heavy medium saucepan until just about to boil. Add milk to roux in a stream, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, cheese, and 1 tsp salt.

Lightly beat yolks in a bowl. Gradually whisk in 2 cups béchamel, then whisk yolk mixture into remaining béchamel in saucepan. Cover with a round of buttered wax paper (buttered side down).

Cook pasta and assemble pastitsio:

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Cook ziti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Drain pasta, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1 cup béchamel.

Arrange one third of pasta lengthwise in 1 layer in a large (9- x 11-inch) baking pan (about 2 inches deep). Add half of meat sauce to baking pan, spreading evenly over pasta. Make another layer of pasta and top with remaining meat sauce, then arrange remaining pasta on top.

Spread remaining béchamel evenly over top layer of pasta. Sprinkle with more grated parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Horiatiki, or as we call it, Greek Salad

It was time for a simple salad.  Greek salad, or horiatiki, is a rough country salad of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, crumbly feta cheese and plump kalamata olives.  It can be served with or without lettuce.  Serve this as a side dish or as a light meal with some crusty bread.

Horiatiki                    Serves 6

DRESSING
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mediterranean is best)

SALAD
1 head lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces ((I prefer Romaine)
3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium red onion, cut into thin rings and soaked for 10 minutes in a small bowl of ice water to make it less sharp
1 small green pepper, cut into thin rings
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions
1.  Whisk dressing ingredients together until blended.

2.  Drain onion from ice water and pat dry with paper towels.

3.  Combine all salad ingredients, except cheese, in large bowl and toss with dressing.

4.  Sprinkle cheese over and serve.