Catch Up Post: Luxurious Leg of Lamb and Tomato Chicken Mensaf

Have any of you watched that new cooking show on Netflix called "Cooked"?

It's just four episodes. Four episodes that explore the four elements of cooking (earth, fire, air and water). One of the things the host said reverberated within me: "you can eat whatever you want, however much you want...but only if you cook it."



Cooking is as much an exercise as it is a pastime and necessity. Once one gets past the ramen and mac n cheese of college days, cooking real food quickly becomes exhausting. Sometimes it's hauling that big tub of rice down from the cupboard, or realizing that you have to act quickly to save your garden veggies before the California sun scorches them, or chasing your chickens away from freshly laid eggs...cooking is a lot of work!

The past two weekends have been pretty tough, but the past two Saturdays I cooked what I could. Thankfully, a lot of these recipes aren't too complicated (though some are), so I was able to whip something up in a pinch.

First, a luxuriously roasted leg of lamb.

I left this to simmer in one of Dad's cast iron pots for a few hours. Being a hot day in Southern California, I decided to take a nap as the lamb simmered--and consequently forgot about it. As always, Mom saved the day by turning off the stove before the lamb overcooked.

Moms always seem to save the day. 

The week after I wasn't sure what to cook for dinner, so I thumbed through The Language of Baklava again. A variation of the lamb mensaf recipe I cooked when Uncle Donnie visited turned up. This recipe had boiled chickens served with tomatoes and topped with pine nuts.

Next time I cook this recipe I think I'll pick rice over bread. Pita bread would have been different, but chicken and rice alone is fine. 

The more I cook the easier it becomes. In college I could only cook a grand total of four dishes--plus the traditional top ramen. Kinda scary when you realize that there are a lot of college students who don't know how to cook anything except ramen. Although I haven't cooked my way completely through Language of Baklava, I know now that I have more recipes to add to my portfolio. 

Onward!