Ger-Nis INTERNATIONAL, LLC

Seasonal Entertaining: Spring Lamb Weekend BBQ

The snow has melted, the days are longer, and the trees are showing their new flowering buds.  It’s time to get out your BBQ, call up some friends and set the date for a weekend BBQ.  The ever so versatile grill and spring lamb is our inspiration for this edition’s Seasonal Entertaining.  Fresh herbs and the grill are a natural pair, whether they flavor your grilled meats and vegetables, or are stars in sides and desserts.  We’ve started spending more time outdoors, and naturally, our imagination goes on overdrive planning our first of the season outdoor menu. 

We’ll get the menu rolling by starting with the fundamentals of a BBQ:   A delicious grilled meat, “herby” accompaniment, healthy salad, citrusy-ade, and something sweet to end.  From here, the menu inspiration picks up full speed. Rosemary skewers are an essential for BBQ season, not only can you flavor your coals with “rosemary brush” but use the skewers for meats and vegetables (link to “Ask Ger-Nis Question #1).  Grilled meats become so much more when accompanied with an herby pesto perfectly balanced with a light, healthful herb inspired salad.  No BBQ is complete without a fresh squeezed minty lemonade to wash it all it down, followed by a palate cleansing herbal dessert.

We’ve created a special spring lamb BBQ menu to show off at your spring celebration in the great outdoors.   Happy Grilling!

Spring Lamb BBQ Menu
Menu serves 6

Baby Lamb Chops With Chili Mint Pesto
Herbed Quinoa With Asparagus Tips
Orange Marinated Skewered Beets
Meyer Lemonade With Parsley Syrup Ice Cubes
Rosemary Rhubarb Sorbet

BBQ Baby Lamb Chops With Chili Mint Pesto

Ingredients
Serves 6

12 baby lamb rib chops
Coarse sea salt/cracked pepper

For the chilli mint pesto……….

1 clove garlic, diced
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 cup flat leaf fresh parsley (stems included)
2 cups fresh mint leaves (no stems)
¼ cup champagne vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the lamb chops and set aside.  Preheat grill to hot.  In the meantime prepare the chili mint pesto.  Place the garlic, chili flakes, fresh parsley, mint, vinegar and olive oil in a food processor or use a handheld processor and blend until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Grill lamb chops until desired doneness on each side.  For medium it should be approximately  6-7 minutes about 3-3 ½  minutes to each side.  After grilling remove and spoon pesto sauce over the tops, 2 chops per plate.

Herbed Quinoa With Asparagus Tips

Ingredients
Serves 6

Olive oil
½ cup chopped red spring onion, tops included
2 tablespoons each of the following fresh herbs, chopped ; flat leaf parsley, thyme and chives
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
2 cups red quinoa (regular quinoa can be substituted)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 ½ cup asparagus tips (pre-steamed and blanched in cold water to keep color)

Directions

In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil to a medium high heat.  Add onions and sauté for a few minutes until translucent.  Add herbs, lemon zest and salt and pepper and sauté another couple of minutes.  Add quinoa, stock and lemon juice, stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand another 5 minutes.  Mix in cooked asparagus tips and stir well.

 

Orange Marinated Skewered Beets

Serves 6
Ingredients

6 rosemary skewers, presoaked in water (rosemary leaves removed from stems) click here for an example http://ger-nis.com/products/herbs/rosemary_skewers

 

Juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped (no stems)
3 tablespoons almond oil
Salt & pepper
6 medium gold beets, steamed and peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

Place the juice, zest, thyme and almond oil in a medium mixing bowl and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add beet cubes in the bowl and stir making sure all beets are covered with the dressing.  Allow to marinade for about 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so.  Slide beet chunks on to the rosemary skewers and grill over high heat for a few minutes on each side, flipping often and cooking until golden brown and caramelized, but not burned.

Meyer Lemonade With Parsley Syrup Ice Cubes

Serves 6-8
Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup hot water
15 meyer lemons, juiced, pulp included
2 tablespoons lemon zest (regular lemons)
12 cups cold water

Directions

In a large container or pitcher, place sugar in hot water and stir until all sugar is dissolved.  Add lemon juice, zest and cold water and stir well.  Serve over sweet parsley syrup ice cubes.

For the Sweet Parsley Syrup Ice Cubes (prepare at least one day ahead)

Ingredients

2 cup water
2 cup sugar
2 cup fresh parsley (stems ok)
2 cups cold water

Directions

In a medium sauce pan add all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for about 3 -4 minutes and then take off heat.  Let cool for another few minutes and then blend until all the parsley is mixed.  Strain mixture with cheese cloth.  Mix the syrup with 2 cup of water and place in ice cube trays and freeze over night.  Serve Meyer lemonade over the frozen cubes.

 

Rosemary Rhubarb Sorbet

Serves 6
Ingredients
2 cups rhubarb, chopped fine
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
⅓ cup rosemary leaves, chopped

Directions

Make a simple syrup in a medium saucepan by combining the sugar and water, rhubarb and chopped rosemary. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, simmer for 5 minutes, and take off burner, cool and set syrup aside. In a food processor, blend syrup mixture until a puree forms. Follow ice cream maker instructions for making sorbet.