Lamb Popsicles and a Farewell

My parents left this morning to head back to Toronto. We had a lot of fun together these past few weeks, enjoying the Olympic experience, and we managed to fit in some quality time together even though our schedules were all so different. We all attended various men's curling events, the highlight being A and I at Kevin Martin's gold medal win, my dad and A saw the women's 1500m long track speed skating final, my mom was at most of the victory ceremonies, and I was working during the men's gold medal hockey game and got to see Sidney Crosby's goal in the overtime period for the Canadian win. It was sad to see the end of the Olympics, because the energy of the city for those two weeks was amazing, and it was sad to see my parents leave. The apartment is so quiet now.

We cooked and ate many great meals together. Last night, we finally made Vij's famous lamb popsicles. It didn't turn out quite like at the restaurant, but it was very tasty nonetheless. The sauce is thick and creamy and the potatoes add nice colour and texture to the dish.


Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry
Adapted from Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine
Yield: 4-6 servings
Print recipe

Lamb
1/4 cup sweet white wine
3/4 cup grainy yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4-5 French-cut racks of lamb, in chops, per person

1. Preheat oven to 350F.


2. Combine wine, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.


3. Add lamb and coat well with the marinade.



4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.


5. Fifteen minutes before eating, preheat a stove-top cast iron grill or barbeque to high heat.


6. Place lamb on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Curry Sauce
2 cups half and half cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ground fenugreek seeds
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp turmeric

1. In a large bowl, combine cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek, and lemon juice.


2. In a medium pot, heat the oil on medium heat.


3. Add the garlic and saute until golden.


4. Stir in turmeric and cook for 1 minute.


5. Stir in the cream mixture and cook on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it is gently boiling.



6. Pour the curry over the cooked lamb or ladle it into a small bowl to use as a dipping sauce for the popsicles.


7. Serve with turmeric new potatoes.

Turmeric Potatoes
3-4 new potatoes per person
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup water
handful baby spinach

1. Wash and scrub potatoes, but do not peel them.


2. Cut each potato into 1/4 inch or slightly thinner rounds.


3. In a heavy frying pan, heat oil on medium heat for 1 minute.


4. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until golden.


5. Add turmeric, salt, and cayenne. Stir well and cook for 1 minute.


6. Add potatoes and water and bring to a light boil. Gently stir.


7. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.



8. If the potatoes are sticking or burning, add another 1/4 cup of water.


9. Gently stir potatoes again and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.


10. One minute before turning off the heat, gently stir in spinach.


11. Serve warm from the pan.