Author: Chef Cloud Wine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound boneless lamb meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

Place flour in a medium bowl. Season lamb with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour to evenly coat.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and cook the lamb until evenly browned. Scrape up the brown bits from the surface of the skillet. Mix in garlic, parsley, and red wine vinegar. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped black olives
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell peppers, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Directions

Score a cross in the base of each tomato. Cover with boiling water for 1 minute, plunge into cold water, drain and peel away the skin. Chop the flesh so finely that it is almost a puree.

Mix together the tomatoes, 1 of the chopped cucumbers, 1 of the chopped green pepper, garlic, olives, vinegar, oil and tomato paste, and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Use 2 to 3 cups of chilled water to thin the soup to your taste. Serve chilled with the chopped onion, green pepper, scallions, cucumber, boiled egg, herbs and croutons served separately for diners to add to their own bowls.

To Make Garlic Herb Croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut two 1/2 thick slices from a loaf of bread (your choice). Remove the crusts and cut each bread slice into 16 cubes. In a bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 crushed cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 1tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary and a pinch of chili flakes. Add the bread cubes to the herbed oil and toss until all the oil has been absorbed. Lay the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown. Turn once during baking.

Ingredients

For the Creamy Harvest Dressing:
1 (15 ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams in light syrup, drained
1 slice yellow onion, 1/2-inch thick
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

For the salad:
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, peeled and finely diced
2 bacon strips, cooked crisp, fat drained and crumbled

Directions

To make the dressing, puree all of the dressing ingredients, except for the parsley, in a blender or food processor until smooth; stir in the parsley.

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 15 minutes; drain. While still hot toss the potatoes, onion, celery and bacon and the dressing prepared before; set aside to cool.

Ingredients

1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 cups torn Boston lettuce
2 cups watercress, stems removed
3 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first eight ingredients; shake well. Refrigerate until serving.

In a salad bowl, combine the lettuce and watercress. Toss the mushrooms with lemon juice; add to greens. Top with red peppers. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.