Lindy & Grundy

801 N. Fairfax

Los Angeles, CA

www.lindyandgrundy.com 

What it is:

A new sustainable butcher in Los Angeles, featuring local, pastured, and organic meats.

Why I like it:

This boutique old-fashioned butcher shop is the latest addition to the Fairfax district, and we are happy to have them! We stopped by last weekend, and were blow away by the selection. We sampled a variety of delicious cheeses, purchased a few GIANT kosher dill pickles, and brought home the bacon (literally!). I cannot wait to go back next weekend and pick up some of their Maple Sausages and Ground Beef and Bacon (50/50 blend).

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Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

This curry is a great combination of healthy and satisfying! It makes a great Sunday night dinner.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 C onion, diced
1 C carrot, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
1 T curry powder
1 t brown sugar
1 T fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 C green bell pepper, diced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen snap peas, defrosted
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
3 C fresh spinach
1 C light coconut milk


Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the curry powder, sugar, ginger and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place the onion mixture in the ceramic pot of a slow cooker. Stir in the chickpeas and the next 7 ingredients (through the broth). Cover and cook on High for 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the spinach and coconut milk; stir until the spinach wilts. Serve with basmati rice.

Veggie Chili

This chili is just as delicious and filling as any meat-based chili! It is easy to prepare, hearty, and has a little heat to it. Enjoy it with a baked potato, and any chili toppings you like!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

Heat oil over medium-high in a medium pot. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is and garlic are soft, about 4 minutes. Add cumin and chile powder, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste is deep brick red, about 3 minutes.

Stir in black beans, pinto beans, and both cans diced tomatoes. Add 2 cups water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until liquid reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Tangy Lemon Shortbread Bars

I have been craving something tart for awhile now, and when I can across this recipe I could not resist giving it a try! The shortbread was wonderfully moist and crumbly ( I hate it when shortbread is dry), and the filling was perfectly tart. Delicious! If I make it for guests, I will sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top for a nice presentation.

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 medium lemons)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon)

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.

Combine 2 cups of the flour, the powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough just begins to come together, about 20 (1-second) pulses.

Spread the dough evenly in the baking dish and gently press into the pan. Bake until the crust is fully set and just starting to brown on the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling, at least 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

To make the filling, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons flour, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the granulated sugar, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk until well combined.

Pour the filling over the baked crust, return to the oven, and bake until set, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.

Butternut Squash Canneloni with Sage Cream

I have made this dish 3 times, and every time I like it even more! I initially made this for my "vegetarian Thanksgiving" dinner I hosted on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Since then, I have perfected the recipe to be a perfect combination of sweet and savory. To top it off, it is a vegetarian-friendly recipe!

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup loosely packed vegetable stock (it also works with chicken stock, but I specifically made this dish veggie-friendly)
1 package of cannelloni noodles, prepared according to box directions
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt. 

Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 2/3 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/3 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper. (This alone was delicious!) Stir in about 1 cup of the chopped mozzarella to the butternut squash mixture, distributing evenly.

Gently spoon the butternut squash and sage mixture into each of the cannelloni noodles. Do this carefully, as the noodles have the tendency to rip if you are too aggressive. Gently place each of the noodles into a casserole dish.

Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over and around the noodles. Top with the remaining mozzarella, and sprinkle with parmesan.
Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

NOTE: I originally made this recipe as lasagna, which worked out well. For whatever reason, I have never been keen on lasagna. Even though noodles are noodles to some extent, I loved this version even more!

Guinness Lamb Stew

This was a great recipe to start out the New Year! It also set the bar incredibly high, because this was scrumptious! It created the ultimate winter dish: it had tender meat, delicious root vegetables, and of course Guinness. Enjoyed on a Sunday evening, it certainly satisfied our cravings for a hearty stew. The one downside to the dish is that it takes about 3 hours to make. What makes up for the lengthy time is the fact that once you pop everything into the Dutch oven, you can basically ignore it. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as I did!

8  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
2  cups  chopped onion
1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh rosemary
3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
2 1/2  pounds  boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1  teaspoon  salt, divided
3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
2  cups  Guinness Stout
1  tablespoon  tomato paste
3  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1  bay leaf
2  cups potato, peeled and cubed
2  cups carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/2" pieces
1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan.  Add onion, thyme, and rosemary; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place onion mixture in a large bowl.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle lamb evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge lamb in flour, and shake off excess.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add half of the lamb mixture to the pan and sauté for 6 minutes. Make sure to turn occasionally so that the lamb browns on all sides.

Add browned lamb to onion mixture. Repeat the procedure with remaining lamb and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

Add beer to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return onion mixture and lamb to pan. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth and bay leaf, then bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and stir in potato, carrot, and turnips. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Riesling Poached Pears

This was an elegant dessert that was surprisingly easy to make! Except for the frequent basting, it is also relatively hands-off so it is a great thing to pop in the oven during dinner. It also made the apartment smell terrific! The combination of the cinnamon, honey and bay leaves created a wonderful aroma, perfect for the winter months.

4 ripe pears, with stems, washed and dried
2 cups Riesling
1/4 cup honey
4 cinnamon sticks
4 bay leaves
4 strips orange zest

 Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut a thin slice off of the bottom of each pear, so they will stand upright. Arrange the pears in a 9- to 10-inch pie dish. Whisk wine and honey in a medium bowl until well blended and pour over the pears. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest around the pears.

Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until they are wrinkled and tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type of pear used. It is a good idea to check the pears more frequently as the end of cooking time approaches. I know that I ended up roasting them for over an hour to ensure that they were tender.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to shallow bowls. Pour the wine mixture into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Drizzle over the pears and garnish with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.