Lesson #44: Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon

Low Carb Cooking 101

I like lamb. I like lamb A LOT. But as fate would have it, I am married to a non-lamb-loving man. He doesn’t hate it, exactly, but he does nothing more than tolerate it unless I jazz it up with some sauce of some kind. Sauces he likes – the more sauce of any kind, the better. He likes it best when there’s so much sauce that he can barely see the meat or fish under it.

Since I like lamb (A LOT, as I said), I’ve come up with several ways to disguise it so that Rod finds it more palatable. Sometimes I make mine with the sauce, but as often as not I cook mine plain. (It’s no extra work, since I just skip basting my pattie and only baste those for Rod and the kids.)

What you do is up to you, but if you hesitate about eating lamb, try the Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon and see if this preparation doesn’t make lamb more to your taste.

As I’ve said before, color is an integral part of any meal, and with the Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon, which are basically brown and boring, I like to serve colorful side dishes. Since it’s springtime here in Ohio, I’m serving a Fresh Tomato, Onion, And Mushroom Salad and Fresh Cantaloupe And Strawberries to complete tonight’s meal. These look wonderful on our plain white kitchen dishes.

If you or your family doesn’t like water with meals, sugar free lemonade goes well with this meal.

Here’s this evening’s menu:

• Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon
• Fresh Tomato, Onion, And Mushroom Salad
• Fresh Cantaloupe And Strawberries

Here’s the shopping list for the meal:
You may already have some of these things on hand.

• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb (or veal)
• 1 medium red tomato
• 1 medium yellow tomato
• 1/2 small onion
• sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cantaloupe
• 1/2 pint strawberries
• sour cream
• Dijon mustard
• red wine vinegar
• dry white wine or chicken broth
• olive oil
• nonstick spray
• granular Splenda
• fresh or dried parsley
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Here’s the game plan:

Around 45 minutes before you want to serve the meal, prepare both the Fresh Tomato, Onion, And Mushroom Salad and the Fresh Strawberries and Cantaloupe. Cover them with plastic wrap and put the in the refrigerator to chill while you continue fixing dinner.

Set the table and fill the drinking glasses with ice. Put a pitcher of water on the table.

Prepare the Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon according to the recipe directions. After you have turned the patties over and basted them, put the salad on one side of the dinner plates and the fruit in small dessert bowls or custard cups. Put the custard cups on the table.

When the patties are done, finish preparing the sauce. Place the patties on the dinner plates opposite the salad and drizzle them lightly with the heated sauce.

Call everyone to the table and sit down to a well-deserved, relaxing meal.

And, finally, here’s the recipes:

Lamb (Or Veal) Patties Dijon

• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb or ground veal, thawed if frozen
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat the oven to broil.

Spray a large broiler pan with nonstick spray to ease cleanup later on.

Gently form the ground lamb or ground veal into 4 generous patties. Don’t be rough with the ground meat or the patties will become tough. Place the patties on the broiler pan.

Combine the Dijon mustard, olive oil, white wine or chicken broth, and the freshly ground pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Use a pastry brush to baste the patties with the mustard mixture. Turn the patties over and paste the other side.

Put the patties in the oven and broil for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, basting them frequently with more marinade. Turn the patties over and continue broiling on the other side, still basting frequently, until they are cooked to the desired doneness.

Remove the patties from the oven and keep them warm.

Place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until it boils, stirring constantly. Let the marinade boil, stir stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the sour cream.

Serve the patties with the Dijon sauce drizzled over them.

Serves 4.

Fresh Tomato, Onion, And Mushroom Salad

Salad:

• 1 medium red tomato, cut into bite-sized wedges
• 1 medium yellow tomato, cut into bite-sized wedges
• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the red tomato wedges, yellow tomato wedges, sliced onion, and sliced mushrooms. Toss the salad ingredients to combine them thoroughly, then sprinkle them with the fresh or dried parsley. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper, Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine the ingredients. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling the olive oil into the other dressing ingredients. Whisk until the olive oil is completely blended and incorporated into the salad dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients in the large bowl and toss the vegetables gently to thoroughly coat them with the dressing.

Serve immediate or chill until ready to serve. If you are postponing serving the salad, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and be certain to toss the ingredients again gently just before serving to re-coat them with the dressing. This salad is best served within 4 hours of preparation.

Serves 4.

Fresh Strawberries and Cantaloupe

• 1/2 pint strawberries, cleaned and cut into quarters
• 1/2 cantaloupe, cut into chunks
• granular Splenda (to taste)

Wash, clean, and cut the strawberries into quarters (if they’re large) or halves (if they’re small). Put the cut berries in a small bowl. Taste, and if they are not sweet enough for your taste, sprinkle them with a small amount of granular Splenda. (Use a light hand; the longer you have been low carbing the sweeter the berries will taste.) Set aside.

Cut the cantaloupe into bite-sized chunks. Combine the cantaloupe chunks with the sliced strawberries and toss to combine them thoroughly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the fruit in the refrigerator until it is time to serve the meal.

Serves 4.