Herb-Crusted Veal (...Lamb) Loin

I'm now getting into the dishes with ingredients that are completely foregin to me. Like Veal. We don't eat veal at all. Not for any reason in particular, but because it's just not something I go out to buy and eat.

That's one of the things I'm loving about this challenge, is that I'm pushed a little out of my comfort zone. I'm leaning new techniques and eating things I wouldn't generally try. And loving it all.

But, when I went to look for a Veal loin here to cook I couldn't find one. So settled on Lamb instead. I understand that the flavour is different, but I'm working with what I have available to me.

This dish I love. I'm already planning on cooking it again this weekend for guests. It was so so so easy too. Brown the loin in the pan. Cover in the mustard and lemon combo. Oven bake for 10 min. Rest for 10 min. Roll in the chopped herbs. Easy. The meat was so well rested and just blushing when I cut it, just the way it should be.

The actual recipe is just for the Veal Loin alone, so I added pureed carrots and steamed beans and asparagus to the dish for dinner. Married so well together.

And just to top it off I cooked the juices from the Lamb in a sauce pan and thickened them with some Arrowroot flour for a jus to top the lamb off. The icing on the cake. Perfection.

Garlic and Mustard Beef Skewers.

I made these a while ago and just haven't gotten around to blogging about them. I have free time now but am on holiday, so I don't have the photos.

I'll up load them for you all when I get home!

Garlic and Mustard Beef kebabs with Aioli. These were really great. The recipe, I thought would be predictable, but it included Red Wine Vinegar, which I wouldn't have picked. When cooked I really think the vinegar helped mellow out the spiciness (yes, that's a word) of the mustard. I absouletly love mustard seeds though, so I wouldn't have minded anyway, but my 16 month old does mind.

I used some fresh beautiful grain-fed Rib Eye Fillets from out local butcher for this recipe and oh-mi-gosh, they were so so so so good. The meat was marinated in the garlic and vinegar and mustard mix for an hour, while I made the Aioli, before being threaded onto skewers and grilled on my George Foreman. The recipe suggests serving it with Lavish Bread, but as we were having them for dinner I whipped up some mashed Sweet Potato instead. Matched like a dream.

The aioli was a basic mayo recipe, egg yolks, garlic, a few other things, olive oil. It came together in my mixer great and I bottled it and refrigerated it for when the skewers were ready.

We forgot to eat it. But, I did serve it a few nights later with some basic grilled Chicken. Yum.