Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• Schar Gluten Free Penne
• 4 ounces chicken breasts
• 17 ounces fennel
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 glass brandy
• Oil as needed
• Salt and peppe
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 celery stick
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 sage leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thyme sprig
• Marjoram
• Rosemary

Ingredients: 

Many Americans say they don’t like lamb. I love English or New Zealand lamb, but I find American lamb to be strong smelling and tasting. Jacques Pèpin says the fat on the lamb is strong tasting, so he advises removing as much visible fat as possible. I normally buy boneless leg of imported Australian lamb from Costco. If you look Irish Stew up on American sites, they all claim they are the original and all differ. This recipe is what I used to make in England, except that in England I would use neck of lamb and then remove bones. I have made this with shoulder lamb chops, which have far too much fat and not enough meat, but not a cheap cut. This is far better made with leg of lamb, cubed, or lamb shanks. On my cousins’ farm in Ireland, this would taste quite different from supermarket ingredients.  My cousins would dig a bucket of potatoes, onions and carrots fresh from the kitchen garden for that day’s meals. Fresh lamb from the farm is beyond description, so wonderful, tasty, juicy and tender.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. boned leg of lamb, cut into 2” cubes OR 4 small lamb shanks
• 2 onions, peeled and cut in thick chunks
• 2 Tbsp. white or brown rice flour, mixed with salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp. oil (or butter or lard)
• 2 leeks, cleaned and thickly sliced
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 4 celery stalks peeled and finely chopped
• 12 small potatoes (or more), peeled but left whole
• 2 tsp. gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme OR ½ tsp. dry thyme
• 2 tsp. dried rosemary, placed in coffee filter paper and tied with string
• 4 cups gluten-free chicken stock

Directions:

1. Dip meat in seasoned flour.
2. Heat oil in pan (deep 12″ skillet) and fry onion and lamb together until meat and onions are nicely browned. Frying meat and onions this way adds color and flavor.
3. Add leeks, carrots and celery. Turn with additional butter, if necessary, until vegetables start softening.
4. Add whole potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and chicken stock. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, in 325°F oven for 1½ hours or until meat is tender. Place a layer of foil between the lid and pan so the liquid doesn’t evaporate.
6. You can leave out small potatoes. Peel large potatoes and thinly slice. After about 1 hour of cooking, arrange sliced potatoes on top, cover and continue to cook. When meat is tender, brush top of potatoes with butter and brown the top of potatoes under grill. Thinly sliced potatoes cook quite quickly and can disintegrate.

I’ve never cared to eat out on Valentine’s Day. The restaurants are crowded and, often, the meal is overpriced and not very good. The veal version of this recipe was in my 12th grade home economics book. But in culinary school, driving from shop to shop around a sleepy suburb of London on a Saturday afternoon was not the easiest way to find veal escalopes for a dinner party that night. I know better now. This recipe is fabulous with beef tenderloin or fillet steak, but tenderloin easily costs $20 per pound, so I’ve made it with Angus petite sirloin when it’s on sale, as well as chicken breast and pork tenderloin. As you all know, you can’t even rely on any beef steak to be tender—some from the same packet are meltingly tender and others really chewy.

With pork tenderloin or chicken, this is really affordable for a dinner party. The sauce can be made the night before. I normally don’t serve this with any other vegetable with this apart from some tiny potatoes, which can be cooked and ready to reheat in boiling water the night before as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 4-6 oz. (125-175 g) tenderloin/fillet steaks, any silver skin removed (more than a 6 oz. tenderloin is really too much for us to eat with comfort)
  OR veal escalopes, pork tenderloin noisettes
  OR thin slices of chicken tenders/suprèmes
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely crushed
• 2-4 slices of gluten-free lean bacon, scissored thin (I use Jones Dairy Farm labeled gluten-free.  Remember that meat comes under the USDA and doesn’t have to be labelled gluten-free.)
• 1-2 Tbsp. (15-30 ml) olive oil
• ½ lb. (250 g) button mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp. (60 ml) brandy
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy dairy or coconut cream (or less, light cream doesn’t have the same rich flavor)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat an 8-10” (20-25 cm) skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil and bacon, then cook until bacon starts softening and releasing fat.
2. Add onion and garlic and gently cook until onion is very soft and starting to brown.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If preparing the night before, stop here are remove this mix to a bowl.)
4. Return skillet to heat, add lightly seasoned beef and cook over medium heat until there is a nice sear on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip to other side, cook about 3 minutes, add mushroom mix back to pan and let heat for about 1 minute.
5. If you have thick pieces of tenderloin or like meat really well cooked, then cook meat for longer at step 4. Thin veal, chicken or pork escalopes will cook far quicker than a thick tenderloin.
6. Pour brandy into measuring cup and pour onto one side of pan to heat. Use gas grill lighter to ignite brandy and stand well back because it will whoosh. Keep kids and dogs away. If brandy is cold, it won’t ignite. Domestic stove tops won’t normally let you ignite brandy by tilting the pan the way TV chefs do. Shake the pan gently to mix.
7. Once brandy has burnt off, add cream and let everything simmer together for a few more minutes. Squeeze in juice of half a lemon for tang, stir in fresh parsley and simmer for 1 more minute.