Seder Dinner

Our Bible study group held a Passover Seder dinner last night, in lieu of our normal reading/discussion.  We have been meeting for the past eight months now, every Tuesday evening, and are dangerously close to making it through the entire New and Old Testaments.  We have talked in great length about the Exile and the Last Supper, so it seemed only fitting, the week of Passover, to honor the tradition of a Seder dinner.  Ours was a Christian version of the ceremony, which made it very meaningful and appropriate with the upcoming events we will be celebrating this weekend.

Everyone did their part to make it very special.  The food was awesome and the company was even better.  Thanks to Kristen, Laura, Abby, Cheryl, and Heath for an unforgettable experience!!!

So, I was in charge of supplying the leg of lamb, the grain, and the dark green for our dinner.  No problem.  I was able to score an extra leg of lamb from Parker Farms in my last CSA delivery, thank goodness, because I don't like buying meat from anyone else!  I marinated it for several hours in a garlic-spiked yogurt marinade, which tenderized the meat and gave it a wonderful flavor.  Then I grilled it to medium and served it with a Kale Mint Pesto (the dark green requirement) and a Mango Chutney spiced with curry, cumin, and fennel seeds. Lastly, I made what I call "Tonya's Brown Rice", which is based on a recipe in Nourishing Traditions.  It's laced with cardamom seeds giving it a sweet, unique flavor.  Delish!

I hope you find inspiration from these recipes for your Passover and/or Easter dinners.  If you are looking for a church to celebrate Easter or attend Good Friday services at, please consider Living Water Christian Church in Parkville.  Services begin on Friday night at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  Brunch will be served beginning 30 minutes prior to each service.  You can also worship online where all of the services are recorded and ready for playback.  

Happy Passover!

Grilled Garlic-Corriander Leg of Lamb with Mango Chutney and Kale Mint Pesto
Technically, yogurt is dairy and to be authentic it should not be used for a Seder dinner.  It really just marinates in it and is rubbed off before grilling.  The meat comes out so tender.

1 cup plain yogurt
3 gloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriader
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
2 -3 lb. leg of lamb, bone-in
Mango Chutney, recipe follows
Kale Mint Pesto, recipe follows

Smash and peel the garlic and discard the skins.  Sprinkle a small amount of kosher salt on the cloves and begin smashing with your knife.  You want to hold your chef's knife at a 45 degree angle, smash and then scrape the blade across the cutting board towards you.  The salt will serve as an abrasive to help turn the cloves into a paste. 

Wish together the yogurt, garlic paste, coriander, grapeseed oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Put the leg of lamb in a large zip lock back and pour the yogurt mixture over it.  Seal.  Massage the marinade into the lamb.  Place in the refrigerator overnight or at least several hours.

Remove the lamb 1-2 hours prior to cooking so it comes to room temperature.  Preheat grill to high (450 degrees if you have a temperature guage).  Brush some oil on the rack so the meat does not stick.  Wipe all of the yogurt off of the lamb when it's time to go on.  Use a paper towl to ensure it's completely dry.  Salt and pepper.  Place the lamb on the grill and close the lid.  Grill one one side for 10 minutes and flip.  Grill another 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium so the temperature is more like 350.  Continue to grill until the meat has an internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium, 135 for medium rare.  It will take around 45 minutes.  Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible, but do check it occasionally to make sure the outside is not burning.

Once the meat is to the desired doneness, remove it from the grill and cover it with aluminum foil on a baking sheet or plate for at least 15 minutes.  To serve, make long cuts as close to the bone as you can get all around the leg.  Then slice crosswise in thin slices.  Serve with Mango Chutney and Kale and Mint Pesto (recipes follow).

Kale Mint Pesto
This makes a lot of pesto.  It will freeze very well, though, especially if you freeze it in small portions (ice cube trays work perfect).  This can be used in so many ways.  Have it drizzled over meat, pasta, veggies, soup, bread, crackers...you get the idea.  It will enhance the flavor of any meal.  I like mine more on the thick side, as opposed to very "runny".  Add more olive oil if you want it to actually drizzle.

1 bunch kale
1 cup mint leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (busted - this is dairy and not "allowed" at Passover dinner)
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup oilive oil

De-stem kale and rinse well.  Steam the kale slightly so that it is just cooked, but still bright green in color.  Rinse under cold water so it is completely cool.  Add everything except olive oil to a food processer.  Process until everything is chopped up very, very fine.  Slowly add the olive oil while the food process is running.  Stop to scrap down the sides and continue processing until the desired consistency is reached. 

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Mango Chutney
This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Modern Spice written by Monica Bhide.  I ordered this book last summer, put it on the shelf, and kind of forgot about it (completely typical).  Heidi over at 101cookbooks.com featured Monica on her blog, which is what prompted me to order the book.  You can read all about her and her book in that article.  This chutney so good.  I believe I will making more from this book soon!

2 1/2 cups diced mango (2-3 mangos)
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup palm sugar (or honey)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used Sri Lankan)
2 dried chilies, broken into pieces
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or orange or pineapple juice)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Combine the mangos, raisins, ginger, and palm sugar in a medium sized bowl and mix well.  In a 4 qt. saucepan, heat the oil over medium.  Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, and chiles.  When they begin to sizzle, add the mango mixture and cook until the sugar is dissolved (2-3 minutes).  Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is thickened.  Give it a good stir to break up the mangos bit and then cool.  Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator. 

Makes a little over 1 cup.

Tonya's Brown Rice (Oven)
This makes cooking rice sooooo easy.  The oven will do all of the work for you and it will come out perfect every time!  It is still based on the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, as is the pressure cooker version.  It will take a little over an hour from start to finish, so allow yourself time.  It will make a lot of rice, though, so you can freeze the leftovers in ziplock bags for quick meals in the future.

2 cups short grain brown rice, rinsed
2 tablespoon coconut oil
3 cardamom pods
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add coconut oil to a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Open the cardamom pods and add the seeds to the oil.  Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Toast the rice for a few minutes and then add the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil for 10 minutes and then transfer to a casserole dish with a lid.  Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil over it.  Top it with the lid.  Bake for 45 minutes and then remove from oven and quickly remove the lid and foil to see if the liquid is absorbed.  If not, continue baking in 5 minute increments until pretty much all of the liquid is absorbed.  You just don't want it to be puddled anywhere.  Once it is finished, allow the dish to sit for 15 minutes covered.  Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.  Add salt and pepper as needed.