Cooking with the Dutchess:
By Hanneke Eerden
Remember I told you in my latest article I was desperately waiting for Spring?? Well, the day after that was published, all of the sudden, Spring arrived! As if it had waited for my desperate supplication! Okay, I admit, temperatures between 53F and 62F probably won’t make you happy and you might laugh about it, but I’m happy!
It’s perfect weather to spend most of the day outside, and… to grill something! Don’t you just love it, being outside, light up the coals, knowing you’ll be having a delicious dinner later that day, straight from the barbecue?? I know I do. Barbecue isn’t limited to nice weather, that’s one thing for certain, but grilling in the rain and cold wind is less fun, you have to agree with me on that.
The barbecue “scene” in The Netherlands is very different from the one in the US. What most people here call barbecue would make you laugh. Imagine this: a tiny Hibachi type of grill, filled with too many coals and as soon as the flames are barely gone, the meat goes on the grill. And they end up with dry meat, often burned of course. So wrong….but more and more Dutch people are becoming aware that the possibilities in grilling are endless, at least, when you have a descent barbecue. And you try other meat than what most butchers over here call “barbecue-meat”… a sausage and skewered chicken… Not that there’s something wrong with sausages or chicken, but there’s so much more! And not only meat! Bread, pizza, vegetables, stews, desserts, fruit etc ….isn’t that wonderful?!
Two years ago I bought a Weber kettle. That really changed my life and the way I was used to cook. I wasn’t limited anymore to just cook in the kitchen! I wasn’t limited anymore to choose between the stove and the oven! I knew instantly that I now had the possibility to create even more delicious meals, outside, with a unique way of preparing and result! In these past two years I learned a lot of good and bad. Yes of course, I make mistakes too, I’m human! But making mistakes and realizing what you did wrong, is the best way to make you acquainted with a new way of cooking. I learned a lot from some Dutch “BBQ boys” and of course, again, the internet made it possible to gather knowledge from all over the world. In particularly the USA, of course, land of the Barbecue! A complete new world opened up for me, and I’m getting more and more addicted to my Weber grill. Another beautiful aspect is, that I have met so many lovely people in the American BBQ scene that I wouldn’t want to miss them, for the world!! Therefore: a BIG Thanks to all of you!
And you know what? This type of outdoor cooking is contagious… friends and family, are all starting to get enthusiastic about it. When they come over for dinner, the question nowadays is “what are you going to serve?? Barbecue I hope!” and some of them even bought a “real” barbecue. I’m happy with that, because finally I can enjoy a good Q’ed dinner at another place other than my home! So, yes, it was to my benefit too to let them meet this type of cooking, I admit!
The recipe for this article will be about lamb. In my last column I already told you about how impatient I was to finally seeing the little lambs jumping in the meadow in front of my house and they’re here!!
Lamb loins, that’s what we’re going to grill. A lot of recipes use lamb chops, and that’s delicious too, but I prefer the loins.
Ingredients:
4 Lamb loins
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons rosemary (fresh)
3 tablespoons thyme (fresh)
2 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons roasted pine nuts
Pepper/salt
Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the olive oil, and pulse until combined. Add pepper and salt to taste.
This is the marinade for the lamb. Let it marinate overnight in the fridge. When you grill these on your barbecue, grill them directly above the coals. Total time: max 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the loins.
As Always ~ Bon Appetit!
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