This past weekend I went all out for some pre-anniversary goodness. Nothing says love like a home-cooked meal! So in honor of our 10 years of marriage (can you believe it?!?!), I decided to make Greg's favorite breakfast...ackee & bacon. No, you read that right...someone has an issue with saltfish so ackee gets cooked with bacon in this house. It's not that weird once you get used to it.
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| Breakfast of Champions |
Unfortunately the plan to make an awesome lunch fell short since I took a nap after being up most of the night with Stormageddon, baby overlord...and yes, that is her new nickname <hehehe> But I managed to pull it together for dinner & we had roasted leg of lamb with warm potato salad, capped off with a dessert of cupcake bread pudding. Oh yes, nothing goes to waste in this house so last week's leftover Mountain Dew cupcakes became this week's new dessert!
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| Fresh Out of the Oven |
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| Main Course |
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| Sugar-Dusted Yumminess |
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| A Slice of Goodness |
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Ackee & Bacon
Ingredients
1 can ackee
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces*
1 medium onion, diced
Scotch bonnet pepper, to taste (or pepper flakes)
1 medium bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlc, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste
Directions
Place the ackee in a colander and place the colander in a bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the colander and allow the ackee to drain.
Place the bacon pieces in a cold skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, thyme, and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens up.
Add the ackee and bacon and toss gently, taking care not to break apart the ackee too much. Leave the mixture to cook for another 2 or so minutes, until the ackee is heated through. Taste and add salt to your liking.
Serve warm with fried plantain, fried breadfruit, boiled green bananas...whatever reminds you of a good back-home breakfast!
*You can also use turkey bacon, even though Greg reminds me that it's not the same as real bacon. You'll have to add oil to the pan prior to cooking the turkey bacon though as it doesn't have as much fat as regular bacon.
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Warm Potato Salad
Ingredients
8 large potatoes (I used red, but whatever you have on hand is fine)
a large pinch of salt
a large pinch of sugar
1 cup Italian salad dressing (or any vinaigrette-type dressing)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
cayenne pepper, to taste (or you can use red pepper flakes)
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
Directions
Chop the potatoes into chunks. Put them in a pan, pour in water to cover, and add the salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to boil gently for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the salad dressing with the brown sugar and set aside.
Place the mixed vegetables in a medium-sized microwave-safe container and microwave for about 3 minutes, just until heated through.
Add the potatoes and mixed vegetables to the dressing. Mix well and serve.
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Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
a 5-6lb bone-in leg of lamb
2 bunches green onions, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (or 2 - 3 teaspoons dried ginger)
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons cumin
1/8 cup olive oil (or canola or vegetable oil)
Directions
Score the lamb by making 6 or so 1/2-inch cuts all over the surface. Place the lamb in a non-aluminum pan and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the green onions, onion, garlic, thyme, ginger, sugar, paprika, and cumin into a paste. Add in the oil and stir to combine.
Pour the marinade over the lamb and rub it in. Cover and refrigerate the lamb for at least 4hrs, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400deg F. Take the lamb out of the fridge & place it in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350deg F and continue to cook for about 2 hours longer for medium, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 140 - 150 deg F*. (Be careful not to let the thermometer touch the bone or your reading will be off.) Remove the pan from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for 10 - 15 minutes before carving.
*Check out this link for a handy guide to roasted lamb temperatures.
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Cupcake Bread Pudding
Ingredients
6 - 10 leftover cupcakes
2 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
powdered sugar, to garnish
Directions
Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. Break the cupcakes into chunks and place in the baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the cake pieces.
Preheat the oven to 325deg F. Bake the pudding for 30 - 40 minutes, until the top is browned nicely and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
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