One thing which I really learned to love when I was in the UK was lamb. It was not something which I had ever really eaten very much of prior to going over there to live.
At our wedding supper I had roasted saddle of lamb and it was delicious. I fell in love. It was so tasty! My mother had only ever cooked lamb chops once for us when we were children. I think it was mutton actually as it smelled like she was burning mittens when she was cooking them.
None of us would touch them.
Mom had always spoken fondly of a lamb stew she had enjoyed whilst in the hospital giving birth to my brother. She had thought it delicious and I suppose she was wanting to explore a taste memory she had. All that did was to create a bad taste memory for us, lol. Or bad smell memory in any case.
I am so happy that I had the opportunity to live in the UK and taste really good lamb.
My sister and I were in the Super Store on Saturday and she said to me, did you see the lamb? No, I hadn't so I went back to take a look. Nova Scotia lamb! I was excited. Not previously frozen lamb from New Zealand.
This was a rare find. I could not resist buying myself a small package of lamb chops. They were not cheap. I paid $55.09 a kg for them, which meant that my small package of two small chops cost me $11.04.
But I could not resist the opportunity to taste Nova Scotia Northumberland Lamb. No matter how pricey it was.
I decided to cook it very simply. I was looking for recipes, but I did not want the flavor of the lamb to get lost in everything else. I decided to simply dust it with some salt, pepper and thyme and then pan fry it in some butter and a bit of oil, with some lemon zest and simply glazing it with a mix of fresh lemon juice and honey.
I also pan fried some potatoes to go with it and I oven roasted the rest of that tender stem cauliflower from the other day.
Lamb has such a lovely delicate flavor. I didn't want to hide or mask it with strong flavors. It was a good call on my part. The lamb was tender and juicy, perfectly cooked and the lemon, honey and thyme highlighted its delicate flavor perfectly!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LAMB CHOPS WITH HONEY, LEMON & THYME
Very simple ingredients really. You don't need to do the potatoes with the lamb if you don't want to, but I do think they made for a very delicious side. Although I only cooked two chops, I have given ingredient amounts for four.
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds (julienne)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
For the potatoes:
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
I used a potato peeler to thinly pare the lemon zest from the lemon. Take care not to get any of the white pith from underneath as this is quite bitter. Just pare it off in thin strips and then use a sharp knife to julienne it.
I used a Greek honey, but any liquid honey will do. Try to pick one with a nice flavor. Something flowery. Chestnut honey would be really nice if you can get it.
I used dry thyme because I had no fresh. If you have fresh thyme, use just the leaves and roughly twice the amount.
HOW TO MAKE LAMB CHOPS WITH HONEY, LEMON & THYME
This goes together very simply and quickly. The times I have suggested will yield perfectly cooked medium/rare lamb chops which are still nice and pink in the center.
Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.
Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.
Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.
Increase the heat to medium high.
Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb. Serve immediately.
The potatoes were lovely and crispy and also perfectly cooked. My tender stem cauliflower (contrary to how it looks) was also beautifully cooked. I had it in the oven at 425*F/220*C tossed with a bit of oil and seasoning for the whole time I was cooking the meat and potatoes. It was crispy tender.
I really enjoyed this meal. Although the meat was quite pricey it was a real treat. I would buy it again. Definitely.
It has been a real pleasure to be able to highlight a Nova Scotia product here on the blog. I hope to do more posts doing so in the future.
If, like me, you are also fond of lamb, might I also suggest these other recipes to cook:
SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER - If you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a shoulder of lamb, this is the perfect way to cook it. The meat ends up succulent and tender. This is fabulously delicious.
LAMB & DAMSON STEW - Lamb has a delicate almost sweet flavor that goes very well with fruit. You could also use apricots in this stew rather than plums if you cannot get the plums. It is incredibly tasty, especially with dumplings on top!
Yield: 2
Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min
I was lucky enough to find some beautiful looking Nova Scotia Lamb and could not resist buying them. I wanted to cook them as simply as possible and this was the delicious result.
Ingredients
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
For the potatoes:
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
Instructions
- Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.
- Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.
- Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.
- Increase the heat to medium high.
- Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
- Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb.
- Serve immediately.
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I have always had a great fondness for Tuna Salad Sandwiches. Tuna wasn't something that my mother used to buy to make us sandwiches with. She had a thing for canned Salmon. If we were going to have a fish sandwich at all, it was with canned Salmon.
Then in Grade Eight I happened to taste my first Tuna Salad Sandwich. A friend of mine had them in her lunch and she didn't fancy them and so I said I would try them. I fell in love then and there.
I did manage to convince my mother to buy tuna once in a while after that, but it always remained a very rare treat. Salmon being her preference. When my mother passed away my sister had to get rid of countless tins of out of date salmon that my mother had stored.
Whenever they were on offer my mother would pick up a couple tins, whether she needed it or not, and of course in, her later years, they just did not ever get used.
Don't get me wrong. I do like tinned salmon every now and then. I use it to make Salmon Patties and Salmon loaf. Both are favorites of mine.
I also love a good French Canadian Salmon Pie. That is something which is high on my list of things I love to eat.
I am just not particularly fond of it in sandwiches. If I am going to have fish in a sandwich like that, for me, it has to be tuna.
This recipe which I am sharing today was inspired by one I found on the New York Times recipe site and is attributed to Naz Deravlan. The recipe was for a delicious sounding tuna salad sandwich using dill pickles and a tasty mix of herbs.
What I really liked about it was not the herbs so much as the use of potato chips to give some added crunch! I have often enjoyed potato chips on the side of my tuna sandwiches, but not in my tuna sandwich. It sounded really delicious!
The original recipe made four sandwiches. I adapted it to make only one demi baguette sandwich which would feed to regular eaters. A man might be able to eat the whole lot in one go however.
Having said that, as well, you don't want to be adding any potato chips to the sandwich until just before you go to eat the sandwich as they will go soggy. You have been warned.
But eaten right away, this sandwich is a gorgeous mix of delicious tuna salad and potato chip crunch. In a lovely chewy sour dough baguette, it was heavenly with just the right amount of crunch and tastiness!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CRUNCHY TUNA SALAD BAGUETTE
Simple ingredients. Make sure you use the best you can afford. In a sandwich like this, it really matters.
- 1 (5 oz) can of solid albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1/4 cup (50g) real mayonnaise
- 1 TBS dill pickle relish
- 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fine ground black pepper
- 1 good quality demi-baguette
- softened butter
- potato chips to serve (ready salted are nice, but so are cheese and onion!)
An old Italian Nonna in a grocery store in London, Ontario, told me over 40 years ago that anything but Albacore Tuna was garbage. I heeded her advice and have only been eating white albacore tuna ever since. It really does have the nicest flavor.
When it comes to mayonnaise, if I am not using homemade I always use Hellman's and that is not a plug for their product. It has the nicest flavor and is quite simply always my mayonnaise of choice. I hear Duke's is also very good if you can get it.
If you have fresh dill, by all means use that. I did not so I used dry. Fresh lemon juice really adds a nice flavor, and here is where I would definitely use extra virgin olive oil. This an occasion when the flavor of it will really shine through.
I used dill pickle relish because I think it has a bit of a sweeter flavor than regular dill pickles. If you don't have dill pickle relish then use regular sweet hot dog relish. I can promise you it will taste really good.
Use a good quality fresh baguette. It also really matters, and when it comes to potato chips, use the freshest crunchiest ones you can find. A kettle chip is really nice. Ready Salted are ideal, but I think cheese and onion are also very nice as are salt and vinegar. At the end of the day, just use your favorite flavor. I wouldn't be using ketchup or BBQ though. To me that just sounds wrong!
HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY TUNA SALAD BAGUETTE
Nothing could be easier. I don't like to chop my veggies too awfully small. Neither do you want them left too large. Somewhere in the middle is ideal!
Flake the well drained tuna into a bowl with a fork and mash it well together.
Add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, chopped celery, spring onion, dill weed lemon juice and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Split your baguette in half horizontally. Butter both cut sides with softened butter.
Pile the tuna salad onto the bottom half of the buttered baguette, spreading it out evenly. Top off with your potato chips and then the baguette top. Squash down a tiny bit, and cut in half.
Serve immediately.
The amount of mayonnaise I have suggested is only that, a suggestion. I would add half the amount first with everything else and then see if you need any more. You don't want your sandwich to be too sloppy.
If you are a singleton, you can remove the chips from one half of the baguette, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for the next day. That is what I did. Yes, I did eat the chips I removed. No, I did not add any more the next day. I just ate it plain.
This was a really, REALLY good sandwich. It had never dawned on me before to add a layer of potato chips to my tuna salad sandwich and I don't know why. The two together were sublimely delicious.
I highly recommend!
Some other tuna sandwich recipes which you might really enjoy that I have posted on here are:
THE CLASSIC TUNA MELT - A favorite toasted sandwich composed of a tasty tuna filling and plenty of melted cheese, sandwiched between buttery toasted bread. I also have an Air Fryer Tuna Melt that is really nice.
PIZZA TUNA BURGERS - Something I learned how to make in Grade 9 Home Economics. They were really good then and they are really good now! A delicious tuna mixture is spooned on top of halved English Muffins and topped with cheese and pimento stuffed olives before grilling. Great for lunch with veggie sticks or for supper with a hot cup of Tomato soup!
Yield: 2
Crunchy Tuna Salad Baguette
Prep time: 8 MinTotal time: 8 Min
The perfect Tuna Salad sandwich with the addition of crisp potato chips This does mean you need to eat it right away. I say, not a problem!
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) can of solid albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1/4 cup (50g) real mayonnaise
- 1 TBS dill pickle relish
- 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fine ground black pepper
- 1 good quality demi-baguette
- softened butter
- potato chips to serve (ready salted are nice, but so are cheese and onion!)
Instructions
- Flake the well drained tuna into a bowl with a fork and mash it well together.
- Add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, chopped celery, spring onion, dill weed lemon juice and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Split your baguette in half horizontally. Butter both cut sides with softened butter.
- Pile the tuna salad onto the bottom half of the buttered baguette, spreading it out evenly. Top off with your potato chips and then the baguette top. Squash down a tiny bit, and cut in half.
- Serve immediately.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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Chicken is something I eat a lot of. I try to only eat red meat very rarely. Maybe only once or twice a month. The rest of the time I eat chicken, or fish, or no protein at all.
Chicken used to be a fairly cheap protein, at least in the UK. I have found it to be fairly expensive here in Canada, but not quite as expensive as beef, which is extortionate in price!
Having said that, it is not at all unusual to pay almost $10 for two boneless skinless chicken breasts, which to me seems like a lot of money. I do like to buy the free-from chicken, which means it is chicken which hasn't been fed anti-biotics.
Most of the time what I will do is buy whole chickens when they are on offer and then cut them into pieces at home myself. It is a well known fact that the more your food is handled at the store, the more expensive it will be.
So, buying whole chickens and cutting them into smaller portions yourself only makes sense.
Don't get me started on the cost of good fish. The local fish plant around the corner from me will sometimes have it on offer at $6 a pound, which is a steal, but you have to buy ten pounds of it.
The breast of the chicken is the healthiest part of the chicken to eat. Its a very lean source of protein and fits into many diets including the Mediterranean Diet, and is considered to be quite heart healthy.
It also lends itself to a variety of methods of cooking and flavors. It actually has a very benign flavor itself, which means that it adapts to other flavors very easily!
Unfortunately, as it is so lean, it also lends itself to being over-cooked very easily and therefore becoming dried out. There is nothing so unpalatable as an over cooked chicken breast!
This chicken recipe I am sharing with you today has been adapted from a site called BellyFull and promised to be moist and tender, being perfectly cooked and filled with loads of flavor. Fool proof and delicious was the promise.
I have to say it delivered on all counts. I did adapt it to make only two servings. With there only being myself in this house, I don't want to be eating chicken for four days on the trot. Two I can manage!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OVEN BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS
Simple ingredients really. You know me. I don't do complicated if I can help it! Simple and easy is my favorite way to go!
- 2 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
Italian seasoning is a specific mix of herbs, etc. meant to be used in Italian cookery. It is composed of a mix of basil, oregano and parsley, plus a few other bits. It is very easy to make your own. You can find my recipe for it here.
Other than that I used light olive oil because basically I think it is a waste to use Extra Virgin Olive oil in cooking. Save EVOO for recipes that you know its delicious flavor will be highlight in and not hidden!
HOW TO MAKE OVEN BAKED CHICKEN BREAST FOR TWO
Easy, easy, easy. Success is all in the timing!
Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C. Line a small baking sheet with some aluminum foil and spritz lightly with some non-stick cooking spray.
Measure the brown sugar and all of the spices and herbs into a small bowl and combine well using your fingertips to break up any lumps of sugar if there are any and thoroughly combining everything.
Put the chicken pieces into a plastic bag and bash lightly with the side of a rolling pin to even out their thickness. They should be no more than 3/4 inch thick to enable even cooking.
Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and then massage it into the chicken on both sides. Sprinkle with the herb seasoning, again on both sides, coating as much surface area as possible.
Cook in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. The inside temperature should reach 162*F/72*C. It will increase to 165*F/74*C as it sits and rests.
Leave to rest for five minutes before slicing and serving. This helps the chicken to reabsorb any juices.
Serve hot with your favorite sides. I served mine with brown rice and a frozen broccoli cauliflower mix!
This really turned out tender and moist and yes, perfectly cooked. Timings really are just suggestions however. If your breasts are really large, you may need a bit longer and if they are quite small, then it may finish cooking sooner.
This was delicious. I have enjoyed one piece of chicken on the day and will enjoy the other piece turned into fried rice or as a tasty sandwich. You really can't go wrong!
Some other Chicken Breast recipes which you might enjoy are:
CRISPY CHICKEN BREASTS WITH A HONEY GARLIC SAUCE - Perfectly cooked with a deliciously spicy coating and served with a lush sauce that is the perfect balance of hot, sweet, salty and garlicky.
PARMESAN CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CRISPY PROSCUITTO - Fabulously tasty.
Moist and tender chicken underneath a crust of crisp Prosciutto ham and meltingly tasty Parmesan cheese. The perfect blend of savory and salty. What's not to like?
Yield: 2
Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 18 MinTotal time: 23 Min
Chicken breasts are coated in a simple seasoning mix filled with complex flavors and then cooked to tender and moist perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C. Line a small baking sheet with some aluminum foil and spritz lightly with some non-stick cooking spray.
- Measure the brown sugar and all of the spices and herbs into a small bowl and combine well using your fingertips to break up any lumps of sugar if there are any and thoroughly combining everything.
- Put the chicken pieces into a plastic bag and bash lightly with the side of a rolling pin to even out their thickness. They should be no more than 3/4 inch thick to enable even cooking.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and then massage it into the chicken on both sides. Sprinkle with the herb seasoning, again on both sides, coating as much surface area as possible.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. The inside temperature should reach 162*F/72*C. It will increase to 165*F/74*C as it sits and rests.
- Leave to rest for five minutes before slicing and serving. This helps the chicken to reabsorb any juices.
- Serve hot with your favorite sides.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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