Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 23, 2013

8

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, March 23, 2013


WINGS OVER PASADENA, PLUS RED WHITE + 
BLUEZZ RESURFACES

What’s the Final Four Basketball Championship without good food? One of the best game-watching 
dishes is chicken wings. Prove your passion for both the ball and the cluck in the Wing Eating contest 
1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at Vons (1390 N. Allen, Pasadena). 

Sponsored by Rex-Goliath winery and Vons Grocery Stores, the contest celebrates March Madness 
as well as Vons’ Corporate Chef Jeff Anderson’s recent victory in a statewide chicken wing contest. 
Anderson studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He brought his love of emerging 
American cuisine to several restaurants before heading up his own Black Crow Grill and Taproom, 
and The Rawbar Restaurant and Sushi, in Chico, 
California. Now, he brings his knowledge and 
talent to your table with Vons.

Anderson›s award-winning wings will hold center 
court during the contest. Each participant will be given five minutes to eat up to five pounds of 
chicken wings. The winners will receive a $100 Vons gift card, and all participants will receive a 
t-shirt. Don›t waste time dribbling - sign up for your chance to score now as there are only a few spots 
left. Wing-eating fans are welcome to root for their favorite contestant and join the fun. Admission 
is free. For more information, visit www.peterdills.com.

Before I could announce the closure of Red White +Bluezz, I noticed that they moved to the Pasadena 
Play House. With a little investigation, I have come up with same name but different ownership. I 
contacted former GM Russ 
Meek and we made a date to 
check it out, stay tuned!! 

This Sunday, come to 
Uncorked at the Santa Anita 
Race Track, featuring over 
25 Wineries and popular 
area restaurants. $60 and 
well worth it!!! Join me from 
12 Noon to 4 PM. Call (626) 
574-race.

Tune into my radio show 
this Sunday at 5 PM KABC 
790 AM

FOR THE PERFECT EASTER 
DINNER: ROAST LEG OF 
LAMB

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

(This recipe serves 8 - 10 people)

INGREDIENTS

Marinade

 1/2 cup orange juice

 1 cup white wine

 3 cloves garlic, minced

 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

 2 Tbsp of fresh chopped rosemary or 1 Tbsp of dried rosemary

 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

 

Blend marinade ingredients in a blender, just a few pulses until well mixed.

 

Lamb Roast

 1 (6-pound) leg of lamb, bone-in or boneless. If boneless, the leg should be tied up with kitchen 
string by butcher.

 Marinade

 Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Place lamb and marinade into a plastic bag. Squeeze out as much of the air as possible from the 
bag and seal. Wrap again with another plastic bag to ensure that the marinating lamb doesn’t leak. 
Marinate for several hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator. Remove the lamb, still in its marinade 
bag, from the refrigerator at least an hour (preferably two hours) before putting in the oven to help 
bring the lamb closer to room temperature before roasting.

 

2 Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange two racks in the oven - a middle rack to hold the lamb, and a lower 
rack to hold a roasting pan with which to catch the drippings. Note that this arrangement of racks 
and pans, with the roast sitting directly on the oven rack, will create a natural convection of heat in 
the oven, causing the roast to cook more quickly than if cooked the traditional method in a rack in 
a roasting pan.

 

3 Remove the lamb roast from its marinade bag (you may want to temporarily place lamb in another 
roasting pan, just to make it less messy to work with.) Pat dry the marinade off the lamb with paper 
towels. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. Arrange the roast fattiest side up, so while 
the lamb is cooking the fat will melt into the meat. Insert an oven-proof meat thermometer into the 
thickest part of the roast, not touching the bone if your roast is bone-in. Place the roast directly on 
middle rack of the oven, with a roasting pan on a separate rack a rung lower, to catch the drippings. 
You may also want to put some water (a cup or so) in the bottom roasting pan, so that the drippings 
fall into the water instead of burning in the hot pan and smoking up your kitchen.

 

4 Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300°F and roast an additional 40 minutes 
(for a 6 pound boneless roast) to an hour (for a 6 pound bone-in roast). If you are cooking a roast 
bone-in, the bone will act as an insulator and will require a longer cooking time than a boneless roast. 
In general estimate 10-13 minutes per pound for total cooking time (for rare), including that first 20 
minutes at high heat. (Assuming you let the roast sit out for an hour or two before putting it in the 
oven. If it’s right out of the fridge, it will take longer to cook.)

 

Note that the method of cooking directly on the oven rack will mimic a convection oven and the 
cooking time/oven temp needed will be less than you would need if you cooked the roast on a rack 
in a roasting pan. If you are cooking the roast in a roasting pan, rack or not, start the roast at 450°F 
and then reduce the heat to 325°F. Also, the shape of the roast will have an impact on the cooking 
time. Our roast was rather long and thin, so it cooked up fairly quickly. A thicker roast may take 
longer than expected.

 

So, use a meat thermometer!

 

About 20 minutes before you expect the roast to be done, start checking the meat thermometer. Note 
that every time you open the oven door, you’ll need 10 minutes or so to bring the oven back up to 
temperature, thus slowing down the cooking process. So, don’t check too often. Remove from the 
oven anywhere from 125°F to 135°F for medium rare. Lamb should never be cooked until well done 
or it will be too dry. Let stand for 25-30 minutes before carving. Cut away the kitchen string and slice 
with a sharp carving knife, 1/2 inch thick slices, against the grain of the meat.

 

5 While the roast is resting, use a metal spatula to scrape up the drippings in the roasting pan. Use the 
drippings to make a gravy, or use just the drippings themselves to serve with the lamb.

 

Serve with some homemade mint jelly for an added treat.

For more information, go to: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes


SIERRA MADRE FARMERS MARKET 

The Sierra Madre Farmer’s Market hours have changed to 3:00pm through 7:00pm every Wednesday 
in fall and winter. Vendors include Dry Dock which has fresh and wild caught fish, Rustic 
Loaf with artisan breads, Cutie Pie with fresh pies and much more!

For those interested in being a vendor contact Melissa Farwell with Raw Inspirations at 818-591-
8161 ext. 806.


Do not forget your mother or grandmother on 
Mother’s DayMake your reservation now for the Four Seasons Tea Room75 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 
RSVP (626) 355-0045
OpenTues - Sat11am - 4pmSundays 
open forgroups 
of 20 
or morePrivate SpaceAvailable 
for Bridal & 
Baby Showers, 
Birthdaysand 
Special 
Occasions
Space 
LimitedSpace Limited