Better Than Sports

I was going to write about some sushi, but it’s raining so I think I’ll go with some better wet-weather fare. I finally gave up and came in from planting various fruit in beds I’ve been working on, and when they’re done I’ll put up a post about them too. In the meantime, remember that grilled lamb from the other night? I mentioned that we also picked up some meaty lamb bones as well and made stock with them. So I strained the stock into containers and fridged it per usual, picking the not-insubstantial quantity of meat off the bones and putting that in yet another container.

That meat–sitting provocatively at eye level in a glass container–got me thinking about what do do with it. I had considered lentils, but we were out, so I grabbed the jar of chick peas and put a couple cups of them in a bowl to soak. Come evening, I minced up a little prosciutto fat (I save it all; it’s as good as lardo, and there’s a lot of it on our half leg) and then tossed in some of the last overwintered onions that grew back and divided. Then a pinch each of cumin, mustard, and coriander seeds, plus some carrots, a handful of Mediterranean herbs, and then the meat to soften and brown. Once all was glistening and fondtastic, I added a splash of wine, some of the lamb stock, and water to cover the beans and let it simmer for about an hour.

Towards the end of that hour, I made a pot of whole wheat couscous, fluffing it with olive oil and minced chives when it was cooked. I love how fluffy well-made couscous is. It’s not at all like pasta, really; it seems closer to quinoa and yet doesn’t have the grittiness or the slightly metallic taste that keep me from making quinoa more often. And it soaks up the liquid from a tagine very very nicely. The spices in the lamb stock melded beautifully with the spices in the stew, and the result was a lovely harmony of flavors. And it was all made possible by Sunday stock-making.