Meiers Wine Cellars

     2 pounds ground, lean Ohio lamb
     1 cup quick cooking oats (not instant)
     2 cloves garlic, peeled
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence dried herb mixture
     (or 1/4 teaspoon each leaf thyme and ground fennel)
     2 eggs
     1 cup dry, or more, unseasoned bread crumbs
     2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
     additional salt and freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 cup Meier's Dry Vermouth
     tomato coulis with caramelized onions (recipe follows)
     freshly snipped herbs, such as basil, mint or parsley


   Divide the lamb in a mixing bowl, kneading in the oats. (Or grind 2 pounds of lamb cubes, trimmed of fat, in the work bowl of a food processor. When the lamb is medium grind, pulse in the oats. Place mixture in mixing bowl; wipe out the processor work bowl.)

   Combine the garlic cloves, salt, freshly-ground pepper, and the herbs in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse, on-and-off until the garlic is well minced. Add the eggs and beat. Pour this mixture into the lamb-oat mixture, and mix well by hand. The mixture will be somewhat soft and gloppy.

   Place the bread crumbs in a large, rectangular glass baking dish, or in a jelly-roll baking sheet. Form six oval patties of the lamb mixture, all of approximately the same size. One at a time, thoroughly coat each patty lightly in the crumb mixture. When each is done, move it to one end of the dish, pushing the crumbs back to the empty end. Repeat until all of the patties are coated. (Use more crumbs if necessary.) Refrigerate the ground lamb steaks for at least one hour before cooking.

   To cook, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chopped lamb steaks for two minutes on each side. Then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for 5 to 8 minutes on each side. Remove the cooked lamb to a warm platter and lightly sprinkle with additional salt and pepper as desired. Lightly cover with aluminum foil and keep warm.

   Pour any grease out of the sauté pan. Over medium-high heat, deglaze the pan with Meier's Dry White Vermouth, scraping any encrusted particles to dissolve in the liquid. Reduce to 1/2 cup and stir in the tomato coulis with caramelized onion. Blend well. Adjust seasoning. To serve, divide the sauce onto 6 warm plates. Place a ground lamb steak onto the sauce on each plate. Garnish with freshly snipped herbs. Accompany with a medium-bodied, dry red wine such as Meier's Merlot.

Enjoy!

Tomato Coulis with Caramelized Onion

     4 large sweet onions, peeled and quartered
     3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
     1 side (a quarter) of a peeled green pepper, cut into strips
     a 1-inch strip, fresh orange peel
     4 cloves garlic, peeled
     1 teaspoon herbes de Provence dried herb mixture
     (or 1/4 teaspoon each leaf thyme and ground fennel)
     2 tablespoons concentrated double-strength tomato paste, from a tube
     1/2 cup Meier's Dry White Vermouth
     3 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, juiced and seeded, and diced
     (or 1, 28-oz. can Dei Fratelli brand Ohio tomatoes, drained
     salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
     1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves


   Place the onion quarters, one onion at a time, in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse, on-and-off, until the onions are coarsely chopped. Repeat until all 4 onions have been coarsely chopped. Place the chopped onions, along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, non-reactive, lidded cook pot set over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions are soft and have secreted their liquid, a mixture of the water and natural sugar which occurs in onions. This will take about 20 minutes.

   Uncover the cook pot, boosting heat to high. This will first, evaporate the water from the onions, then secondly, caramelize the residual sugar. During this process, the onions should be frequently stirred, with special attention paid to sugar sticking to the inside bottom of the pot. It would quickly go from caramel to carbon, thus ruining the sauce, if not scraped loose and stirred into the onions. When the onions have begun to take on a nice, golden color, remove the pot from the heat.

   Place the strips of green pepper, and of orange peel, and the garlic cloves in the work bowl of the food processor. Pulse, on-and-off until finely minced. Add the onions, along with the herb mixture, the tomato paste, and the Meier's Dry Vermouth. Return to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Then, boost the heat to high and stir in the diced tomatoes. Cook for five minutes, then remove from the heat. Salt and pepper the coulis, to taste, then stir in the fresh basil leaves. Keep warm over low heat.

(Recipe Copyright © Tom Johnson)

     6 Park Farms chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
     1/2 cup flour (for dredging) seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
     4 tablespoons unsalted butter
     2 tablespoons canola, corn or soybean oil
     1 tablespoon minced shallot, or the whites of scallions
     8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
     1 tablespoon Bertman Original Ball Park Mustard
     1 cup 3-Islands Madeira wine
     1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
     1 tablespoon whipping cream (or 1 tbs. cold unsalted butter)
     2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
     
   Lightly dredge each chicken breast half in the seasoned flour, shaking away any excess. In a sauté pan or skillet large enough to hold all 6 pieces, heat 2 of the tablespoons of unsalted butter along with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the oil no longer sizzles and seems about to smoke, place each breast piece, topside down, into the oil. Sauté for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium. Sauté for 2 additional minutes, then turn the chicken. Sauté for another 2 minutes on the other side. If the tenderloin filet is attached, it will probably require a minute or two longer. When the chicken pieces are just set, transfer them to a warmed platter and lightly drape with foil to keep them warm, but not tightly fitted enough to cause more cooking.

   Pour any excess fat out of the skillet or sauté pan. Still off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. When it has melted, still off the heat, add the minced shallot. There should still be enough heat to very lightly sauté them until transparent.

   Return the skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, stirring constantly. They will immediately absorb all of the liquid in the pan. Continue to sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes until they release their juices. Stir in the mustard and the 3-ISLAND MADEIRA. Raise the heat to high until the mushrooms and the wine are bubbling. Allow this bubbling to continue, evaporating the liquid until the original volume has been reduced by a little over two thirds. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of dried tarragon. Taste the sauce for seasoning and if necessary, adjust to taste with salt and pepper. If there have been any juices leeched out of the chicken breasts, add them to the sauce. Finally, stir in the tablespoon of whipping cream and allow the sauce to boil for another minute or two.

   To serve, spoon the mushroom sauce equally divided, over each breast. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once, accompanied by a specialty pasta.

Enjoy!

(Recipe Copyright © Tom Johnson)