Top Chefs

I won't even try to guess how often during my teenage years my Mom suggested teaching me to cook, but sadly I just didn't make time for it. This fact, coupled with the all-too-convenient Dining Commons on my undergrad campus, (affectionately known as the "DC" or "deece"), resulted in a 22 year-old college graduate with barely enough kitchen know-how to effectively boil water.

My roommates and I made dinner for each other occasionally the first couple of years I was in Chicago, but only recently have I really branched out and tried my hand at some pretty serious recipes. Thanks to N. & Co.'s spacious kitchen (and hospitality), N. and I have produced several successful dishes, including but not limited to: "Healthy Green Soup" (I Like Food, Food Tastes Good), "Emeril's Cajun Jambalaya" (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html), and "Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos" (http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/addictive-sweet-potato-burritos/Detail.aspx).

Our most recent endeavor was Curried Lamb Shanks, and it was AWESOME (if I do say so myself). Admittedly, we used prepackaged mixes, but, baby steps, right? We started by putting Thai Jasmine rice and butter into the rice cooker:



Mixed a few spoonfuls of TJ's Greek Yogurt with Patak's Biryani Curry Paste, and just kept adding and mixing until we liked the color and flavor:






Using a BBQ brush, we spread a thick layer of our curry yogurt over the meat, a pound of unseasoned lamb shanks from Trader Joe's, (after spraying the pyrex dish with cooking spray):



At this point the oven had been pre-heating at 425 for about 15 minutes, and we put the meat in and set a timer for 13 minutes. Then we moved on to the vegetables:



N. pointed out that the cucumber likely wouldn't cook well, so we snacked on it while quickly sauteing the broccoli before adding the Tasty Bite Good Korma Simmer Sauce:



For once the timing worked out perfectly, and the broccoli had time to finish simmering while the rice fluffed and the meat rested, after a few additional minutes in the oven (I like my meat a little more well done). Here's the finished product:



Unfortunately the simmer sauce was a little bit past its prime, so the broccoli did not have a strong flavor, but the lamb was very tender, juicy, and flavorful. Success!

Please feel free to comment with a great recipe you've tried lately, or maybe just some suggestions for the next time I'm craving Indian.