All-Out-Alison Meal with Turmeric-Roasted Lamb, Sour Cream Flatbread, & Apple and Endive Salad

Another All-Out-Alison meal is in the books. I love making All-Out-Alison meals - who doesn’t want multiple Alison dishes in one sitting? But on days when I make these meals, I find myself in the kitchen for a stretch of hours, flitting between tasks and ingredient prep, and it’s really quite an ordeal. Today’s post will document my process. I’m guessing at the timestamps, but they’re close to being accurate. 

To indicate which dish each step belongs to, I’ll label them with [lamb - Turmeric-Roasted Lamb Shoulder and Carrots with All the Fixings], [flatbread - Sour Cream Flatbreads], [salad - Apple and Endive Salad with Parsley and Salted Almonds], and [salsa verde - Another Salsa Verde]. 

Oh wait, one note before we begin. Alison’s lamb instructions suggest a 3.5-4 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, but I could only find lamb leg (similar cut) that was much smaller or much bigger. Since we were having company, I went with the larger 5.5 lb. cut, which meant that I used more garlic/turmeric for the marinade, and had to cook the lamb longer than instructed. More on that in a bit… 

Let’s make a meal, shall we? 

8:40am: [lamb] Remove the lamb leg from the fridge to let it finish thawing on the counter

11:43am: [lamb] Peel and dice the fresh turmeric and excessive amount of garlic cloves - I used 13

11:53am: [lamb] Create the marinade by combining the turmeric and garlic with olive oil and cumin

11:57am: [lamb] Salt and pepper the lam, then rub the marinade all over, getting in all the cracks. 

12:03pm: [lamb] Search for butcher’s twine in the craft box hiding in my coat closet. I find only crafting string, but decide that it’ll do the job. 

12:08pm: [lamb] Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of the lamb, so the whole thing can fold over like a book, allowing you to tie it like Alison says. 

12:09pm: [lamb] Use the found crafting string to tie the lamb, one inch apart. My hands get very yellow and oily from doing this. 

12:20pm: [lamb] Place the tied lamb on a baking sheet covered with tin foil and, with plastic wrap covering the meat, place it in the fridge to marinate. 

1:01pm: [flatbread] Stir the warm water, sugar, and yeast together until the yeast dissolves. Add four cups of flour and combine until no major dry spots remain. Cover, and let sit for ten minutes to hydrate the flour. 

1:20pm: [flatbread] Add the melted butter, salt, and sour cream to the dough using your hands. The dough feels wet and slimy. The goal is to fully incorporate the sour cream. Once done, cover the dough and let it rest for two hours. 

3:20pm: [flatbread] Uncover the dough bowl and punch down the dough, knocking some of the air out of it. I hear the air escape and it's kind of thrilling. Cover the dough back up and let it sit for another two hours. 

3:22pm: [salsa verde] Slice a shallot in half. Reserve one half in the fridge and dice the other half into the smallest pieces possible. 

3:24pm: [salsa verde] Slice a lemon and squeeze two tablespoons of lemon juice over the shallots. 

3:26pm: [salsa verde] Retrieve my herbs: cilantro, parsley, mint, and chives. Tiny dice two whole cups of herbs (which is a lot of herbs). Use mostly parsley and cilantro, but supplement with mint and chives. 

3:42pm: [salsa verde] Cover the bowl and store in the fridge. Alison’s Another Salsa Verde is complete.

4:00pm: [lamb] Turn on the oven. 

4:15pm: [lamb] Pull out the dutch oven and pour some oil into the base. Turn on the burner to medium heat. Remove the lamb from the fridge and place it in the dutch oven to brown the meat, turning the meat with your tongs every 4-6 minutes. 

4:35pm: [lamb] Place the carrots in the pot with the lamb, and toss the carrots in the excess fat at the bottom. 

4:40pm: [lamb] Lift the pot, with lamb and carrots inside, into the oven. Set a timer for one hour and ten minutes. Alison recommends one hour for a medium-cooked lamb. But given the size of the cut of meat, I know I’ll need more time. I just need to check and see how much extra time at the 1:10 mark. 

4:42pm: [salad] Quarter the endives lengthwise, and toss the leaves in a large bowl. Slice the other half of the shallot into very thin rounds, separating them as I lob them into the bowl. Trim several strands of parsley and mint, also adding them to the bowl. 

4:52pm: [salad] Pour out a pile of almonds on the cutting board and chop them into small bits. Place them into a bowl on the counter. 

4:58pm: CLEAN THE HOUSE - GUESTS ARE COMING OVER 

5:20pm: [flatbread] Pour the dough onto a cutting board, and using a dough cutter, create six equally sized balls of dough. Using just a modicum of flour to dust them so they don’t stick to your hands. Coax the first dough ball into a flat, mini pizza shape, letting the dough stretch over the back of my hands like Alison says. 

5:27pm: [flatbread] Get out the cast iron skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Pour out a bit of olive oil and lay the first dough round in there. I hear it sizzle, and within three to four minutes, just like Alison says, the dough is bubbly and golden. I flip the bread and let it heat for two minutes on the other side. Continue with the rest of the dough, rolling each one out just before the skillet frees up. Keep the flatbreads warm under two plates. One dish done! 

5:50pm: [lamb] Check on the lamb. Insert the meat thermometer. Oh boy, it’s still 95 degrees in the deepest part, and we’re aiming for between 145 and 160. Push it back in and set the time for another 30 minutes from now. 

5:56pm: [salad] Add olive oil to the bowl of almonds, along with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. 

5:59pm: [salad] Thinly slice the Honeycrisp apple into rounds. Then toss the apples with the endive and herb mixture, along with salt and lemon juice. 

6:05pm: [salad] Arrange the salad on a serving platter, then drizzle the almond mixture over the top. Quick! Take several fabulously lit pictures just before the sun goes down. Wrap the plate and place it on the table. Two dishes done! 

6:15pm: [lamb] Check on the lamb, and realize it still has another 15-25 degrees to go in several parts before it’s considered medium-rare. Slide it back in and set a new timer for 20 minutes. 

6:20pm: Get changed, remove your apron and brush your hair. 

6:30pm: Guests arrive! Friends from my hometown in Southern California. Marissa and Drew. Entertain them with a glass of wine (that they brought - it’s so good!). 

6:45pm: [lamb] Check on the lamb, and it’s done! Probably could have taken it out 8-10 minutes earlier… Oh well. It’s still soft and easy to chew. The flavor is incredibly rich but not too overpowering. The turmeric is less harsh and the garlic more potent than you expected. The lamb is delicious. A success! Just next time, try to get one in the right weight range. I think that’ll save lots of guesswork. 

6:50pm: Serve the lamb with garlicky yogurt, Alison’s Another Salsa Verde, and flaky salt. 

7:45pm: Transition from dinner to the gf apple crisp Marissa made, and enjoy every sweet bite. Even better? The company and conversation. 

I hope you enjoyed this play by play. Making meals can be a lot of work, but at least they’re rewarding. 

161 recipes cooked, 64 to go.

Roasted Squash with Yogurt and Spiced Buttered Pistachios by Alison Roman

Sometimes my brain works like Michael Scott’s in The Office. It thinks of one thing and, through a series of tiny logic jumps, ends on something completely different (but vaguely related). Like Michael’s name association game in Season 5, Episode “Lecture Circuit.” If you know, you know. Why am I mentioning this? Mostly for my own pleasure. Here’s how my brain thought about writing this essay… 

I need to write about the squash recipe → I used an acorn squash → I’m delighted by the way that acorn squash resembles a real acorn → acorn squash looks like someone pumped air into a real acorn until it was 1,000x its original size → you know who likes acorns, squirrels! → my friend Megan pointed out to me the other day that the only reason people tolerate squirrels is because of their bushy tails, otherwise squirrels would resemble rats and everyone would think they’re gross → I saw a squirrel prepare for winter in Pittsburgh, it gathered walnuts, stripped the walnuts of their protective shells using its front teeth, and stored the nuts underground.

See what I mean? 

Back to the acorn squash. I cut it first down the middle, lengthwise, and then sliced each half into one and a half inch slices. Minus the seeds, they looked like pieces of cantaloupe. Now per Alison’s suggestion, and remembering what I wished I’d done with her Caramelized Winter Squash recipe, I chose to keep the seeds in there for added texture and crunch. A fabulous choice, IMO. Like pumpkin seeds, they’re a little hard to chew - but they taste delightful. 

While the squash roasted in the oven, I sauteed chopped pistachios, turmeric and pepper flakes in browned butter. What makes this recipe so low maintenance is the use of pre-shelled pistachios. Trader Joes sells bags of pistachio meats for an affordable price, and I can’t recommend them enough. Also, the lemony yogurt is an essential part of this recipe. I think the strength of the turmeric flavor needs a slightly acidic mellowing, which the yogurt and lemon juice provide. 

I especially appreciated the addition of flaky salt at the end, making this a triple crunch recipe: pistachios, squash seeds, and flaky salt. This recipe can be made all winter long, but it’s especially perfect for the holidays, adding some flare to an otherwise traditional vegetable. Wow your relatives. Make this acorn squash. Maybe tell them my friend’s theory about squirrels. Or don’t. 

157 recipes cooked, 68 to go.

Steamed Artichokes with Salted Garlic Butter

It was a blissful August afternoon, and I was full of joyous anticipation. It was my husband’s last day at his job before we would go on a two week vacation and then move to Chicago. It felt like the last day of the school year, but ten times better. I knew Jordan would want to go out to dinner to celebrate, but I had a dream of first preparing an Alison appetizer recipe for us to share on our balcony overlooking the city of Minneapolis. Alison’s recipes have marked special occasions for us all year long. 

I chose to prepare these steamed artichokes with salted garlic butter. Artichokes were on sale, and I had lots of butter in the fridge. Plus, I thought they’d go really well with some cans of sparkling rose (the true hero). 

I knew my way around the artichoke this time, since I’d technically already made this recipe before. Alison’s Grilled Artichoke recipe requires you to steam the artichokes first, using this recipe’s method. You can read more about that process and lessons I learned in the link. It was a bit of trial-and-error. 

The garlic butter was nice and simple. I wanted it to have more acid, so I added some lemon juice to it, which did the trick. I’ve decided I prefer lemon aioli to garlic butter when it comes to artichokes, but that’s purely a personal opinion. Reasonable minds can differ. 

I realized last week that I’d forgotten to write about this recipe after I made it. Which tells me just how much I was occupied by both joy for the end of that season of Jordan’s life and grief over all of the change that was about to come. Even writing about food, which is generally therapeutic for me, seemed too big of an ask as I became preoccupied by the transition. 

Our lives have been constantly changing in big ways over the last four years. Changes that felt exciting, terrifying, unsettling, adventurous, and downright tiring, all at the same time. This move and the new jobs we’d take as a result, was the last set of major changes on our foreseeable horizon. And I am thankful for that. I’m thankful for steamed artichokes as a marker of celebration on that long path of transition. I’m thankful I forgot to write about them so I could look back on that joy-filled day and feel gratitude now. I marvel at what has happened. I marvel at what’s to come. 

156 recipes cooked, 69 to go.

Spelt with Crispy Sausage, Flowering Broccoli, and Green Garlic by Alison Roman

I went gluten free in July 2020. As if a pandemic wasn’t enough of a strain, I committed to saying farewell to many foods I enjoyed and, frankly, depended on. The transition took an emotional toll. Meals I relied on as quick-and-easy staples were suddenly off limits, and I grieved the fact that my body could no longer digest those meals without consequences. I remember a meltdown, very early on, when I became somewhat irrationally frustrated that I had eaten black beans three nights in a row because the only other thing I had on hand was pasta. I could have easily walked to the store to buy other options, but the conundrum overwhelmed me. The most likely explanation for my meltdown is the fact that I was actually coming to terms with the underlying conditions that caused me to go gluten-free. I had just been diagnosed with endometriosis. But that was out of my control. Instead, what I ate for dinner each night was inside my control, and suddenly that too had become limited.

No matter why someone makes a dietary change, it’s always a hard, and emotional, transition. When safe foods become unsafe, we experience a real loss of something that brought us pleasure and sustenance. It takes time to adjust to the new normal and all that it implies. Since that pasta meltdown, I’ve made many strides. I still miss real pizza and bagels. But I’ve found decent alternatives like cauliflower crust pizza and gluten-free frozen bagels that mostly scratch the itch. I’ve had to make some real changes for this project to accommodate my dietary needs, especially when it comes to Alison’s desserts. King Arthur’s gluten-free baking guide has been hugely helpful. Other recipes I’ve simply had to swap or eliminate ingredients all together. 

For this recipe, I had to substitute brown rice for spelt because spelt is a form of wheat. However, I’d say that the rice did a fine job of mimicking the chewy texture of spelt, and I didn’t miss the spelt at all. I chose Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice. They come in packages of 2-cups worth of rice and require three minutes in the microwave. A yummy substitute AND a time saver. 

I used Trader Joe’s hot italian sausage here, and started by browning the meat fillings. Before turning on the pan, I tried to separate the meat into smaller pieces, because I find breaking up sausage meat with a wooden spoon to be quite difficult and sticky. Once the meat was browned, I added garlic (I used regular garlic cloves, not green garlic) and the rice, and let the rice get toasted and crunchy. At one point, I began adding the broccoli rabe into the pan, bit by bit, until dark green. I topped the whole pan with a bit of parmesan and called it a day. 

This is a quick, satisfying, and well rounded meal that I quite enjoyed eating. I love when one pan can hold a vegetable, a protein, and a starch. This recipe provides all three in a cohesive effort, and it can be made entirely gluten-free! I call that a win-win meal. 

155 recipes cooked, 70 to go.

Spiced Black Lentil Salad with Oil-Packed Tuna, Radishes, and (Purple) Potatoes

The idea of a nicoise salad has never appealed to me. Primarily because of the oil-packed tuna element. I can tolerate tuna on toasted sourdough, but beyond that, the concept of canned fish makes me squirm. The other parts of a classic nicoise, I like, though I wouldn’t normally pair them together for a casual lunch dish: steamed potatoes, runny eggs, blanced green beans, and some form of grain. Each a lovely idea, but not all together. 

However, since I had made Alison’s Spiced Lentils the day before, and I’d prefer not to make them twice, I chose to save them for this salad. Call it Lentil Maximization. (To learn more about these lentils, and for the final installation of Annie’s Lentil Storytime, click here.

I had lots of green beans, potatoes, and eggs on hand this day, so I made two servings of the salad, one for me and one for Jordan. We were both working from home. It took me approximately 20 minutes to make the meal, which was just enough time between two meetings to whip something up. (If I hadn’t already prepped the lentils, it would have taken much longer.) 

To maximize the pot of boiling water on my stove, I chose to boil the potatoes, blanch the green beans, and cook the eggs all at the same time. I just took them out at different intervals. Any chance I get to do less dishes, I’ll take it. Especially at lunchtime. I’m much more willing to take on dinner dishes than I am lunch dishes. It’s a principle of mine. 

I was most worried about the tuna tasting too fishy, but was pleasantly surprised by the Trader Joe’s brand of oil-packed tuna. Though I still can’t say I enjoyed the tuna (because it’s tuna), I can say that I wasn’t fished out when eating it, which is a win. 

Jordan enjoyed the salad. I’d say I mostly did too -- I’m a sucker for vegetables tossed in lemon juice, salt and pepper. I personally won’t make this particular salad again, but I wholeheartedly recommend making it if you’re a fan of nicoise salads. If nicoise is what you seek, then a fresh, lemony, herbal and light nicoise is what you’ll find here. 

154 recipes cooked, 71 to go.