HOME & LIVING 2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021 Chop, chop: lamb on the grill Give burgers and chicken a rest the next time you barbecue By GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Hamburgers and chicken are popular choices when it comes to cooking on the grill. Both are relatively inexpen- sive, can be dressed up or dressed down with var- ious toppings and sauces and don’t take a whole lot of culinary prowess to get a great summer meal on the table. Yet there are occasions when it’s nice to think out- side the box, and throw something a little more inspired on the grill. For those times when you’re willing to spend a bit more on ingredients, you might try this recipe for marinated lamb chops. Lamb is pretty easy to cook on the grill — it only takes a few minutes on each side to get a nice sear — and if you take the time to marinate it (longer is better), the end result will be so fl a- vorful and tender that even people who think they don’t like lamb will love it. A long soak in a spicy jalapeno-garlic marinade gives the chops exactly the right amount of kick, with a minty fi nish. They’re served atop a quick saute of peas with more mint and a squeeze of lemon. It all comes together in about 15 minutes, so it works just as well for a mid- week meal as it does for a weekend cookout. I used pork loin chops, which have a little bit more meat (and are less expensive) than a rib chop. GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH MINTED PEAS For chops 1 large jalapeño pepper 1 clove garlic BUILDING Continued from Page 1B Bob Bull Collection A military parade on Depot Street in downtown La Grande. POPCORN Continued from Page 1B I got a little fancy with my last sweet variety. I melted semi-sweet choc- olate and poured it over one batch of popcorn, and melted white chocolate and poured it over another. Then I cleverly mixed together the two batches to form Dark/ White Chocolate Popcorn. The two fl avors play especially well off each other, which I guess is not a surprise. But somehow the popcorn makes it better. And while I am generally no particular fan of white chocolate, I could eat it on popcorn all day. In fact, I did. Back in a savory mood, I made Curry Popcorn, which is more than mere curry powder mixed into butter and poured over popcorn. It is that, but also mixed with golden raisins and pis- tachios for a multifl avored snack that is absolutely delicious. Next up was Old Bay Popcorn, which features the famous spice used to fl avor crabs and shrimp all along the East Coast. It is the authentic fl avor of the Mid-Atlantic region, imbuing popcorn (in this case) with the taste of the eternal sea. Finally, I turned to the all-purpose spice mix from the Middle East, Za’atar. It goes well on everything else, I thought, so why not popcorn? Why not, indeed. Za’atar is a mixture of a dried green herb (the brand I used features thyme) with seeds (ground cori- ander, sesame seeds), salt and lesser amounts of other herbs such as parsley and oregano. You’ll fi nd it sprin- kled into olive oil or yogurt, scattered on top of hummus or used as a seasoning for meats or vegetables. Popcorn is a vegetable. Za’atar mixed with butter awakens the fl avor of pop- corn and lifts it to herba- ceous new heights. No one needs to make a rainbow bagel ever again. But fl avored popcorn is here to stay. I hope. MAPLE- BOURBON POPCORN Yield: 5 servings 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 tablespoons bourbon 1/4 cup maple syrup 12 cups popped popcorn 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1. Preheat oven to 250 de- grees. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and set aside. 2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Add bourbon; it should boil immediately. Sim- mer, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and cook until somewhat thickened. 3. Pour mixture over popcorn and toss with salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. Per serving: 203 calories; 8 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 18 mg cholesterol; 2 g protein; 27 g car- bohydrate; 11 g sugar; 3 g fi ber; 237 mg sodium; 22 mg calcium Recipe by Daniel Neman CURRY POPCORN Yield: 6 servings 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 1 cup golden raisins 1 cup shelled pistachios 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 tablespoon curry powder 8 cups hot popcorn 1 teaspoon kosher salt Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add raisins, pista- chios, sugar and curry powder, and cook 2 minutes. Toss with popcorn and salt. Per serving: 320 calories; 18 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 20 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 39 g car- bohydrate; 21 g sugar; 5 g fi ber; 212 mg sodium; 42 mg calcium — Recipe by the Food Net- work Aaron Sommer, who built the building, was born in Alsace in 1836 and came to La Grande in 1862 set- tling into old town. When the railroad came into La Grande, like many others, Sommer realized that prop- erty near the railroad would be a good investment. So after the fi re of 1891 he con- structed the building at the northwest corner of Adams and Depot just a block away granulated sugar 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 cups hot popcorn 1 cup peanuts Line a baking sheet with a piece of waxed paper and set aside. Heat honey and sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour over hot popcorn and peanuts, and toss. Spread on prepared baking sheet; taste and add more salt if necessary. Let cool. Per serving: 248 calories; 11 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; no choles- terol; 5 g protein; 37 g carbohy- drate; 34 g sugar; 1 g fi ber; 93 mg sodium; 12 mg calcium Recipe by the Food Network DARK/WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN Yield: 8 servings 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped 12 cups popcorn, divided Salt, to taste 1. Set up a double boiler or place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Add semisweet chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Toss with 6 cups of popcorn, and salt to taste. 2. Repeat process with the white chocolate. Combine all popcorn in a large bowl to serve. Per serving: 346 calories; 18 g fat; 11 g saturated fat; 9 mg cholesterol; 5 g protein; 44 g car- bohydrate; 33 g sugar; 3 g fi ber; 329 mg sodium; 86 mg calcium — Recipe by Daniel Neman Make marinade: In a food pro- cessor or blender, blitz jalapeño, garlic, mint, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar until smooth. Place the lamb chops in a resealable plastic bag or glass container with about 1/4 cup of the marinade. Smoosh it around. Let sit overnight in the fridge if possible, or for at least an hour at room temperature. If you re- frigerate it, allow it to warm up to room temperature on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before cooking. Prepare grill for medium heat. Grill lamb chops on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, fl ipping once halfway, or until the internal temperature reads 130 degrees for medium-rare or 135 degrees for medium. Allow the lamb chops to rest on a plate covered with alumi- num foil for 5 minutes before serving. If you’d rather cook on the stove top, heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medi- um-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium. While lamb is resting, prepare peas. Throw peas into a saute pan and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add lemon zest and juice and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until peas are warmed through. Garnish with mint. Serve lamb chops alongside warm peas, with wedges of lemon. Serves 4. — Adapted from food52.com from the railroad station. He later constructed the Sommer Hotel. Oliver Edward Silver- thorn was born in Mus- catine County, Iowa, in 1854. In 1884 he married Mary Harrod. In the early 1900s the couple started moving west, fi nally set- tling in Oregon in 1902. In 1922 he left the Sommer Building and moved to 1210 Adams where he and Lynn Wright formed the Silver- thron-Wright Drug Store. At this time George H. Glass opened his drug store in the Sommer building loca- tion.In the earty 1930s Sil- verthorn moved to Halsey, where he died in 1933. Paul Lederle was born in 1846 in Baden, Ger- many. He immigrated to the United States in 1867. By 1880 he was married to his wife, Lizzie, and they were living in Topeka, Kansas, with their six-year-old daughter, Pauline. Paul was working as a tailor. In 1889 Lizzie died and by 1894 Paul and Pauline had moved to Pendleton. The next year they moved to La Grande and went into business. Pauline was 21 and already on her way to becoming a tailor. Around 1903 Paul suff ered a debili- tating stroke, causing paral- ysis and loss of speech, and was taken to the St. Anthony Hospital in Pend- leton. He never returned home and died in 1916. About year before Paul died, and 20 years after being in the Sommer building, Pau- line moved her thriving business into the Sommer Hotel. Keep looking up! Enjoy! 1. Measure cayenne, cumin, turmeric, cracked peppercorns and salt onto a plate and place near stove. 2. Place oil and one kernel popcorn in a large pot on a burner. Turn heat to high, cover pot and cook until kernel pops. Then add popcorn and cover again (be careful not to breathe the fumes before covering). When corn starts popping, quickly add spices. Cover and cook, shaking constantly, until the popping stops. Per serving: 124 calories; 9 g fat; 7 g saturated fat; no choles- terol; no protein; 1 g carbohy- drate; no sugar; 1 g fi ber; 388 mg sodium; 4 mg calcium Recipe from “City Cuisine” by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken g fat; 15 g saturated fat; 61 mg cholesterol; 6 g protein; 42 g car- bohydrate; 4 g sugar; 7 g fi ber; 586 mg sodium; 15 mg calcium — Recipe by Daniel Neman Yield: 6 servings CINNAMON SUGAR POPCORN Microwave the popcorn according to directions on the package, until the popcorn stops popping. Carefully pour the hot popcorn into a large bowl and immediately pour on the butter, then the Parmesan cheese, ground chipotle pepper and salt. Toss well and serve hot. Per serving: 361 calories; 29 g fat; 14 g saturated fat; 50 mg cholesterol; 8 g protein; 18 g carbohydrate; no sugar; 3 g fi ber; 489 mg sodium; 186 mg calcium — Recipe from “Cooking for Jeff rey” by Ina Garten 1/2 cup fresh mint 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 4 3/4 -inch-thick lamb loin chops (about 2 pounds, with fatty tips trimmed) For peas 2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed 1 generous pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch sugar Zest and juice 1 lemon 1 small handful fresh mint, roughly chopped Lemon wedges, for serving Yield: 6 servings 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 12 cups hot popcorn Mix together the cinnamon, sugar and salt, and set aside. Melt the butter in a small sauce- pan and pour over popcorn. Toss thoroughly with cinnamon-sug- ar-salt mixture. Per serving: 404 calories; 25 PARMESAN AND CHIPOTLE POPCORN Yield: 3 servings 1 bag microwave popcorn 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted 1/2 cup fi nely grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper 2 teaspoons fl eur de sel or other salt OLD BAY POPCORN FAMILY OWNED Yield: 6 servings 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ZA’ATAR POPCORN Yield: 3 servings 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon za’atar spice blend 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 cups hot popcorn Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in za’atar and salt until thoroughly blended. Pour over popcorn and toss. Per serving: 163 calories; 12 g fat; 7 g saturated fat; 31 mg cholesterol; 2 g protein; 13 g car- bohydrate; no sugar; 2 g fi ber; 390 mg sodium; 5 mg calcium — Adapted from a recipe by the Food Network For our Mobile Truck! Bring in your game scraps for sausage, burger or jerky! Baker County CUSTOM MEATS SPICED POPCORN 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn Melt butter with Old Bay in a small skillet over medium heat. Drizzle over popcorn and toss to mix. Per serving: 130 calories; 8 g fat; 5 g saturated fat; 20 mg cholesterol; 2 g protein; 20 g car- bohydrate; no sugar; 2 g fi ber; 5 mg sodium; 4 mg calcium — Recipe by Food Network For All your Meat processing needs Schedule Early Yield: 6 servings PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning 12 cups hot popcorn 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com 2390 11th Street Baker City OR. Owners Del & Jana Woodcock Are Your Feet Vacation Ready? We specialize in quality medical and surgical care for all types of foot and ankle problems. Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M. 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