Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney, and a Colorado Cookbook Giveaway

Lamb Sliders

Before I talk about this cookbook and the giveaway, I want to do a little pre-gushing about this Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney recipe. O-M-G, good grief, delicious. My choice for a recipe to feature from the new cookbook, Tasting Colorado.

michele-morris-chef-whites-square-smallMy friend Michele, is a professional chef and sommelier, writes a food blog Cooking with Michele, teaches private cooking lessons for both adults and children, leads cooking dinner parties, offers small event catering, and she has just published a cookbook, Tasting Colorado…Favorite Recipes From the Centennial State.

Tasting Colorado is a great collection of 120 recipes from Colorado’s finest restaurants, lodges, guest ranches and bed and breakfasts.

cookbook

Michele styled and shot all of her own the photos for the book. Look at this beautiful stack of pancakes dripping in maple syrup that she chose for the front cover. 157 mouthwatering color photographs bring the recipes to life and make it gorgeous enough for any coffee table, that is if you can bare to let it out of the kitchen.

Sample cookbook

You’ll find many recipes that represent our classic Western Fare, and our love of fresh, local ingredients, and the book also displays our more sophisticated side and fondness for contemporary global cuisine.

For a fresh take on fabulous food, sample the Cowboy Corn Cakes; Crème Brulee French Toast; Bear Creek Smoked Trout Pate; Tequila-Lime Salsa; Grilled Palisade Peaches, Serrano Ham and Rocket Salad; Poblano Chile and Chive Mashed Potatoes; Buffalo Redeye Stew; Sweet Corn Soup with Cilantro Puree; Colorado Leg of Lamb with Creamy Polenta and Lamb Jus; Chili-Chocolate Bourbon Cake; and the Roasted Colorado Peach-Pistachio Brioche Pudding with Ice Cream.

Whether you’re a local who wants to recreate a recipe from your favorite restaurant, or a tourist who wants to prepare a dish from a memorable vacation, the recipes you are looking for are in this book.

Stanley Hotel

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Being a tourist in my own beautiful state, I chose to prepare these lamb sliders from one of my favorite destinations, Estes Park. We’ve driven by the Stanley Hotel many times on our way to Rocky Mountain National Park, but have never taken the time to stop.

Little did I know that these small bite burgers were hiding behind it’s grand exterior. Truly wonderful flavors here.  Lamb seasoned with mint and rosemary and topped with a tomato vinegar ginger chutney…shame on you if you don’t give these a try.

 

 Poblano potatoes

I was also thrilled to find a recipe from one of my favorite restaurants, Tamayo on historic Larimer Street in downtown Denver, Chef Sandoval’s mashed potatoes with poblano peppers and chives are featured in Tasting Colorado. A spicy riff on an American classic, I’ll blog about this when I announce the winner of this giveaway.

Michele and her publisher have made an extra copy available to me to give to one of my U.S. readers. No hoops to jump through, just leave me a comment that you’re interested.

If you’re not the winner, Tasting Colorado is available at bookstores and gift shops all around Colorado. You can also pick up a copy online at www.farcountrypress.com or at Amazon.com. Contest will end one week from today, March 19 at midnight.

4.8 from 4 reviews

Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney
Author: 
 

Ingredients
  • For the Burgers:
  • 8 ounces ground lamb
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
  • 2 T. fresh chopped mint
  • ½ t. salt
  • ½ t. pepper
  • 4 slider buns or 8 mini buns for smaller bites
  • For the chutney:
  • 1 T. canola oil
  • ½ pound Roma tomatoes, rough chopped
  • 2 T. minced fresh ginger
  • ½ white onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ C. red wine vinegar
  • ¼ C. sugar

Instructions
  1. For the Burgers: Combine ground lamb, rosemary, mint, sald and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Shape into 4 small slider burgers or eight small bite burgers. Grill or pan sear to desired doneness and place each burger in a bun. Top with tomato-ginger chutney.
  2. For the chutney: Combine all ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan, such as stainless steel, and cook over low heat until all ingredients have broken down and formed a thick sauce, about 1 hour. Chill before serving. Chutney may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Good luck, you’re going to love having this book in your collection.

Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney…It’s What’s for Dinner.

 

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Colorado Posole (Red Posole)

Red Posole

Ancho chile powder turns my Simple Posole recipe into an earthy flavored, red brick colored bowl of savory bliss. Pork roast, smoky ham hock, chewy white hominy and Mexican seasonings make this one of our favorite soups. And with the Superbowl approaching, offering lots of little bowls with a selection of toppings, this is a great party food.

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Roxborough State Park

Just a short intermission from recipes and cooking. After all, the way I cook (and eat) exercise is something that can’t be skipped. We’ve been enjoying perfect Spring weather here in the Rockies, which recently found us on a 2.5 mile hike close to home.

Roxborough State Park is just a few miles Southwest of Highlands Ranch. The park, with close to 4000 acres, is known for it’s dramatic red rock formations, and for us, it’s a prime bird watching destination. So sit back and enjoy the scenery as we meander along the trail.

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A New Look for Highlands Ranch Foodie

We’ve been doing a little “branding” here on The Ranch. As you can see, I’ve got a whole new look and feel.

I’ll certainly miss my bright vivid orange and green Mango leaf design, but let’s face it, I’m not sitting around on a beach overlooking the ocean in Hawaii sucking down umbrella’d cocktails while snacking on ceviche.

The fact of the matter is, I live in Colorado. I’m sitting around in Highlands Ranch, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. We snack on meat and potatoes and suck down sip red wine. Even though it’s not officially a “Ranch”, the land our town sits on was in fact once a large working cattle ranch…that was long before Denver urban sprawl claimed the land.

We live close to the Historic Highlands Ranch Mansion which once headquartered prominent Denver families and complete with windmills, barns, and bunkers provided a compound to run a working cattle ranch. You might remember, this very house was featured in the television mini-series “Centennial”, a story about pioneers heading west and settling along the Front Range of Colorado. If you’re interested you can read about our History at this web site.  Or here.

I’ve renamed my blog “Cooking…On the Ranch”. The URL  www.highlansranchfoodie.com remains the same.

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Pesce Fresco Bistro Denver

 

I was thrilled to find out that one of my favorite restaurants, Pesce Fresco Bistro Denver (Centennial) has reopened for lunch. So one of my top notch Realtor friends, Mary McCollough, Keller Williams DTC, and I made plans to go. The new menu did not disappoint, with some very interesting items.

Catching my eye were:

Seafood Relleno: Handmade rellano stuffed with shrimp, lobster, crab, Nanchego and Asadero cheese, over a savory posole, with calavasitas, topped with a fried egg and sharp cheddar.

Now, doesn’t that sound interesting. If I hadn’t had a cheeseburger for lunch yesterday, I would have gone for it.

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