Erica De Mane

Recipes:

Lamb Spiedini with Peppers, Savory, and Ricotta Salata on Herb Salad
Grilled Eggplant Salad
Grilled Plums with Grappa and Mascarpone

Lamb Spiedini with Peppers, Savory, and Ricotta Salata on Herb Salad

Leg of lamb is perfect for grilling. It is tender and cooks quickly. You can grill a large, boneless piece or cut it into chunks for kebabs. For this dish, take about 2 pounds of boneless leg of lamb and cut it into approximately 2-inch chunks. Skewer them on four long skewers, alternating them with pieces of green bell pepper and sweet onion (Vidalia, for instance). Lay these spiedini (spiedini is Italian for shish kebab) on a platter, drizzle them with olive oil, and give them a splash of red wine. Grate on some lemon zest, and sprinkle on a few chopped sprigs of summer savory. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar over the spiedini (this will help them brown), and let them marinate for about 1/2 hour before cooking.

Grill the spiedini over medium heat about 3 or 4 inches from the coals. Season them with salt and black pepper as you turn them. You want a nice browned crust all around, but the middle should still be pink (aim for medium rare). About 10 to 12 minutes of grilling should do it.

While the spiedini are grilling, place a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley leaves, a smaller amount of basil leaves, and a few mint leaves or some tarragon on a large platter. You want enough whole herb leaves to make a nice bed for the spiedini. Dress with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Place the spiedini on top, and scatter crumbled ricotta salata over the top of everything. Serve right away.

Grilled Eggplant Salad

Choose eggplants that are long and on the thin side. Coat three medium eggplants with olive oil and place them on a medium-low grill about 3 to 4 inches from the coals. Grill them slowly, turning them often, until they’re charred all over and soft through when poked with a knife. This should take about 20 minutes. At the same time grill a red bell pepper and a jalapeño pepper until charred all over. Skin the peppers and the eggplants, removing as much black as possible. Chop the peppers into small bits, and place them along with the eggplant in a serving bowl. Add a dollop of yogurt, a minced shallot, a minced garlic clove, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, a tiny drizzle of honey, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add about a tablespoon of fresh olive oil and a few chopped mint and parsley leaves, and mix everything together. Serve with pita bread that you’ve lightly toasted on the grill.

Grilled Plums with Grappa and Mascarpone

Halve about 2 plums per person and remove their pits. Place them in a bowl, and add a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of grappa, and a tablespoon of sugar. Toss. Place the plums, cut side down, on a low grill, preferably a clean part where no meat was cooked. Grill slowly until grill marks appear and the fruit feels just slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Place the plums on a platter, sprinkle with a bit more grappa, and fill each plum with a dollop of mascarpone. Garnish with mint or basil sprigs. Eat hot.