LAMB, WAGYU BEEF & PORK DINNERS

The first lamb dinner was flawed. That's on me. With better ingredients and technique it would have been lovely. The pork chop, Wagyu beef and other lamb dinners were.

SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

I really like to cook a nice meal on Sunday nights. Many weeks ago I bought a half of a leg of lamb—the lower half—that was just sitting there in the meat case at my fav grocery. Had it boned by the agreeable butcher. Ate the top half of the lower half awhile ago and then the bottom half last night, all nicely dolled up with Grey Poupon and fresh rosemary. Here's some lamb anatomy for future reference: the top half of a whole leg of lamb includes what's called a sirloin—a great cut—but only from the hind leg. The top half of the bottom half of a whole leg of lamb is OK, but the bottom half of the bottom half is gristle, fat, tendon remains. It’s just tough meat. Just sayin'. That's a never-again-will-I-purchase one again point to remember. The attractive artichokes were the smallest I'd ever seen at the farmer's market so I couldn't resist buying them. I’d never seen them so small before. They weren't baby artichokes which are the size very large grapes. Guess they were toddler artichokes. Looking to pick some up babies next weekend. Peeled off some outer layers of leaves, trimmed the stems, and baked the little poodle-like vegetables in oven with olive oil. A bit tough. Gotta come up with better way to prep and cook them. Sliced tomatoes with Maldon salt were yummy as they always are. And the sliced fuyu persimmons with maple syrup —a very first for me in decades of cooking—were better to look at than to eat. They taste like a cross between a mild apple and a mild pear, for what it's worth. What is worth noting about this meal is that some dinners are delish, fab, and all that. And some are a flop, in spite of good intentions. With a better cut of lamb, with a preparation for young artichokes that actually cooks them, without the experiment adding persimmons to the plate, the dinner could be fabulous . . . .

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNER

Some nights, week nights, dinners are basic. No special ingredients, preparation or presentation. That's what a pork chop and half an acorn squash and a hunk of romaine was last night. Well, the squash was enhanced with butter, brown sugar, and pecans. The pan-fried pork chop with couple sprigs of rosemary. The romaine —baby romaine!—was pan-grilled and topped with bottled Caesar dressing. Take out the pecans and rosemary and baby romaine, which are a smidgen special, and what's left is a mid-week meal truly after my born-and-bred Midwestern heart . . . .

SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER

If not ordering a meal delivered from some new snappy or old fav restaurant, cooking a nice meal on a Saturday night can be appealing. Here’s one. American Wagyu beef grilled rare and seasoned with Tellicherry pepper and Maldon salt. Chips of potatoes slathered with clarified butter, salted and patiently baked at a low temperature is a killer. Tomatoes as is, partnered with its big buddy basil. Plate dolled up with sprinkled parsley flakes and reduced balsamic. Enjoyed the dinner with a splendid J Winery’s 2018 Pinot Noir . . . .

SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

Lamb works for me, often as not, on a Sunday nignt. Grilled, boned leg of lamb and fresh rosemary over creamed fresh sweet corn. With Grey Poupon whole-grain mustard. It contains a small amount of white wine and was first introduced way back in 1866 but 100 years later later parodied in the movie Wayne's World (1992) with the fetching line, "Pardon me would you have any Grey Poupon?" The sweet corn was made with plenty of butter and half-and-half added. The dish includes colorfully adorned cherry tomatoes colorfully-coated with balsamic, olive oil and fresh basil. Now that's a fine Sunday night dinner . . . .

SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER

So a Sarasota lamb cut is a leg of lamb slice turned into a pinwheel and skewered with a stick. Who knew? Guess everyone in California, where I am now, and no one in Tennessee, where I recently came from. That’s who. But we’re talkin’ great stuff. Grilled as rare as u like your lamb. Top it with Grey Poupon. Top it with vigorously harvested rosemary. Then plop it onto a bed of sweet corn kernels. Then surround with grilled haricot vert. Haven’t tasted yet, although my wife, Sara, is diving in. I’m aging my dinner. And both of us glued to the TV while sipping thoroughly-unimaginative-but-family-favorite Bota Box chardonnay . . . .