I went to the Litchfield Park Arts and Culinary Festival this weekend. They had cooking demos and tastings throughout the weekend. Each demo was $10 per person and it included food, wine, and a souvenir glass. On Saturday I went to a demo by Chef Patrick from The Arizona Grill. He made Braised Lamb Corn Tamales. They were fantastic! The wine selection included a Merlot and a Chardonnay. I had a glass of each and felt pretty good afterwards. Unfortunately my camera didn't have batteries so I didn't get any pictures but here are the recipes.
Braised Lamb for Tamales1 pound yellow onions, rough chopped
8 ounces leeks, rough chopped
2 each carrot, rough chopped
6 each garlic clove, rough chopped
4 ounces tomato paste
250 milliliters Madeira
8 ounces apple juice
3 each pasilla chile
1 gallon beef stock
3 ounces canola oil
5 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 6 inch pieces
4 ounces canola oil (to sear meat)
Method1. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil and sear meat till golden on all sides.
2. Saute and carmelize vegetables in oil.
3. Add tomato paste and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add Madeira and reduce 1/4.
5. Add remaining ingredients except lamb and bring to a boil.
6. Add lamb and cook in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours or until tender and meat falls apart.
7. Remove meat from liquid and cool until you can pull apart. Strain liquid and reserve for tamales.
Braised Lamb Corn Tamales2 pounds masa harina
18 ounces lamb braising liquid
18 ounces soft butter
6 ounces pasilla de oacaca chili paste
8 ounces asadero cheese, grates
1 teaspoon baking powder
To taste, salt & pepper
1 pound braised lamb, pulled apart
16 each corn husk leaves, soaked in warm water for 1 hour
Method1. Place masa, jus, butter into a kitchenaid and let mix slowly until smooth.
2. Add baking powder and mix for 2 minutes on low speed.
3. Season and fold in braised lamb, asadero cheese and roasted poblanos.
4. Place a spoon full of mixture into the middle of the soaked corn husk leaves and wrap so that mixture is fully covered with corn husk. Tear a piece of a corn husk off to tie each of tamale.
5. Steam for 20 minutes or until tamale feels semi firm.
If you do not like lamb then you can substitute just about any meat (beef, chicken, pork, etc.).
On Sunday I went to a demo given by the chef from The Grill at the Wigwam. He made BBQ Short Ribs and Celery Root Slaw. I brought my camera with batteries this time so I have some pictures for your enjoyment. The tasting plate included a rib, slaw, crispy fried onions, and creme brulee. The wine selection for this demo was a Pinot Noir, a Shiraz, a Zinfandel, and a Sauvignon Blanc. I tried the Pinor Noir and Shiraz.
This was my 3rd year to attend this festival. The cooking demos are my favorite part. I learn something new every time and surprise myself by actually making the dishes at home. The first year I went to a demo on how to make Finin Haddie. I never even heard of this before I went to the demo nor did I know where to buy Finin Haddie. I saw some in the grocery store later and bought some to practice my mad Finin Haddie cooking skills. Last year I went to a demo on clam chowder. I bought some fresh clams about a month ago and pulled out the recipe that I saved from the demo. It turned out really good. Maybe I will try my hand at tamales or short ribs this year. Here are the recipes and some pics from Sunday's demo.
BBQ Short Ribs10 # Beef Short Ribs
1 # Onion
1/2 # Carrot
1/2 # Celery Stalks
2 Gallons Veal Stock
3 oz. Honey
1 Sprig Thyme
1/2 Quart Red Wine
1/2 Quart Vegetable Oil
BBQ Sauce Available at Wigwam Gift Shop
Method1. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the ribs on high heat in oil, and brown on all sides.
2. Place ribs on a separate roasting pan.
3. Add vegetables to the first pan and roast these items for 5 minutes.
4. Add thyme and honey and cook for two minutes.
5. Deglaze with red wine and let reduce by half.
6. Add the vegetables to the ribs.
7. Pour hot veal stock over the ribs and cover with foil. Place the pan in a 250 degree oven for 3 hours or until tender.
8. Remove ribs from the sauce, strain the liquid and season to taste.
Celery Root Slaw2 each Celery Root
2 each Carrot
2 each Apple
6 oz. Mayonnaise
2 oz. Apple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
Method1. Peel celery root, carrots, and apples, then dice into 1/4" cubes.
2. Cook celery root and carrots in hot lightly salted water for 3 minutes.
3. Remove and shock in ice water. Remove from water and place in medium bowl.
4. Add rest of the ingrediets.
5. Season to taste.
This was a tough challenge but I did it! I made 12 cookies/desserts in 12 days. I am everyone's favorite co-worker at my office. My husband is thrilled that I am finished "storming the kitchen" as he calls it. And I think I've satisfied my urge to bake lately. Maybe there will be a few more treats before Christmas though.
