Easter dinner 2020

     I just had fun looking back at my previous Easter dinner post from 9 years ago (https://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-dinner.html).  Amazing how many things have changed and how many have stayed the same.  Speaking of things staying the same, I find it funny that we had pretty much the same dinner 9 years ago even though I hadn't planned it that way at all.  Guess I haven't really changed much?
  In the true spirit of sheltering in place, tonight's dinner was made all from things I had at home, most of which were on the older side.  Staying in one place has given me a really good opportunity to clear out my pantry!  I had some old lamb steaks that were in my freezer which were purchased last year, maybe even for Easter last year.  Initially, I was thinking I would do some kind of pot pie with them, but I then realized they were whole steaks and not stew meat and decided I would research some kind of Instant Pot lamb recipe (I'm still a little leery to cook lamb directly on the stove top, since I don't cook whole pieces of meat that often).  I came across an Instant Pot Braised Lamb recipe with white beans and spinach and thought I could modify it based upon what I had around the house.

Instant Pot Braised Lamb

Instant Pot Braised Lamb (modified from https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/instant-pot-braised-lamb-with-white-beans-and-spinach?fbclid=IwAR1kmQAzgQdF0dW9ZlYJlyphk5E2cfvZnOZK19v2QsNdr9_tAaiXKLAO42E)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 boneless lamb leg steaks

freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt, divided

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

1/4 cup red wine

fresh oregano (or, in my case, frozen oregano)

bag of frozen peas

Procedure:

1) Pour 2 Tbsp. oil into Instant Pot and heat on Sauté setting on high until shimmering. Season lamb  on all sides with pepper and salt. Working in two batches, cook lamb in Instant Pot until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2) Add onion and garlic to hot oil in pot and cook, still on high Sauté setting and stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. 

3) Pour in wine and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until wine is slightly reduced and steam no longer smells boozy, 2–3 minutes. Pour in 2 cups hot water. 

4) Nestle lamb and oregano into pot, arranging in an even layer. Turn off Sauté setting. 

5) Lock on lid and cook at high pressure 20 minutes, then release pressure naturally. Remove lamb from Instant Pot and put on two plates. 

6) Add frozen peas until cooked through.

7) Serve lamb with frozen peas on the side and the cooking juice on top.

  It was pretty easy, and turned out deliciously!  I served it with a Trader Joe's orzo rice pilaf that I had sitting around in my pantry (which I can definitely recommend).  The lamb came out cooked through all the way (Scott and I both like our meat well cooked) but was still tender (enoughish) and flavorful!  We served it with a cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread (recipe below) and later searched for Easter eggs in our room filled with older candy from the pantry.  It's nice to find ways to use up the food we have!

Cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread

     Not surprisingly, I watch a lot of food videos, mostly on YouTube and Facebook.  I came across this recipe on the Tasty Facebook (or YouTube?) page and thought it looked delicious and very similar to a jalapeño cheese bread which we purchase from Beckmann's bakery at the farmer's market.  I knew that I had to try it!  Believe it or not, this is the first time I've actually made a Tasty recipe (surprising since I watch them pretty much every day).  Since we're trying to use up what's in our pantry/use up old food, I used green chilies as a substitute for jalapeños except on the outside of the bread, where I used sliced jalapeño for the visual appeal.  It takes a bit to find the recipe written down (usually Tasty recipes are just a video), but here you go!

Cheesy jalapeño/green chile bread (based upon this Tasty recipe: https://tasty.co/recipe/dutch-oven-jalapeno-cheddar-bread?fbclid=IwAR1kKM91ecqDQcBUgtn7s29TasqmnAmyT0ySEIko-JTbXpeIYkCLOMxOBgA)

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting (since I had only AP flour at home, I used 3 ½ cups AP flour with 5 ¼ teaspoons of flour taken out and substitute with 5 ¼ teaspoons of vital wheat gluten)

2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

3 green chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, sliced into rings, divided

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 cups warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

1) In a standing mixer bowl, combine the flour, 2 cups (200 g) of cheddar cheese, the chopped green chilies, and salt. Stir well using the paddle attachment.

2) In a separate large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Add to the flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together.

3) Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 60 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

4) Using the dough hook, mix for a bit longer. Cover with the towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

5) While the dough is rising a second time, add a Dutch oven and lid to the oven, and preheat to 450˚F (230˚C) for 30 minutes.

6) Lightly flour a clean work surface and your hands. Carefully peel the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface. Flip over and carefully brush away excess flour. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center 8 times, then flip over the dough and transfer to a piece of parchment paper.

7) Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil, so the cheese will stick. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup (50 g) of cheese on top. Use a sharp knife to score the bread with an “X”, which will allow steam to escape. Arrange the jalapeño rings on top of the cheese.

8) Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and use the parchment to lift the bread into the pot. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes, until the bread is golden brown.

9) Carefully slide the bread out of the pot and onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and let the bread cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

10) Slice the bread and serve as desired.

  Although this bread didn't rise as much as expected (maybe I over-mixed the dough since I used a stand mixer instead of mixing it by hand with a spatula as the original recipe stated), it still came out amazing!!!  Seriously, I think this might be the best bread I've ever eaten (and even better than the farmer's market bread, which is saying a lot).  Although it was very very difficult not to eat it when it was fresh from the oven, I let it cool for probably a couple of hours to make sure the bread was the very best it could be.  It's deliciously cheesy and crunchy on the outside, with a chewy cheesy delicious center.  I am definitely definitely going to make this again!!