Big Bowl of Love’s Cristina Ferrare brings confidence to her kitchen and friend Patrick Fabian, from HBO’s Big Love. This episode begins with intimidating recipes that turn out to be simple and impressive. From never straining a can of beans to pretending he had his own cooking show, Patrick soaked up the confidence that CF continues to give us all.

What’s on today’s menu?

• Roasted Rack of Lamb
• White Bean Puree
• Sauteed Escarole

I love this show. Learning so much from CF, I can take a few of these techniques and apply them to my OWN recipes. I don’t eat lamb, but I was so surprised at how easy it was to make it. It looked delicious. I always feel as if I have learned a little something new. Today I have decided to try escarole…something I have seem hundreds of times, yet never had a clue what to do with it. Any other pointers, let me know!

Now for a few BBOL tips:

• Just rub the Dijon on the meat, not the bones.
• Use extra virgin olive oil to top the lamb.
• Always put your dish in the middle part of the oven. That way the heat circulates evenly.
• Let meat sit at room temperature for ½ hour before you put it in the oven.
• Sit 10 minutes before carving. Lets juice reabsorb back into the lamb and helps to cool it down to make it easier to handle.
• Hold by the bone and slice down.
• Rinse your can of beans before using it for the puree.
• Roll your fresh herbs like a cigar and cut them- saves time.
• Puree is great with toasted pita, crackers or even vegetables as an appetizer.
• Puree is used as a paste to hold up the lamb on the plate.
• An extra garnish for the plate of lamb and puree is reduced balsamic vinegar- she didn’t mention this in the recipe, but did on the show.
• Escarole is like a spinach. Use a thin towel to squeeze as much water as you can out of the boiled escarole. Twist the towel and remove as much as possible before adding it to the pan.
• If you burn your garlic, start over or it will be bitter.
• Raisins add a pop of sweetness. Cook about 5 minutes for them to plump up.
• Try the escarole recipe with spinach or even kale.

Here are a couple of my OWN suggestions:

• To get the most out of your lemon, apply a little pressure and roll it. You will get a lot more juice out of it.
• Leftover puree and no clue what to do with it? Add it to a soup as a base.
• Many times we try to find ways to mask the taste of vegetables. This garlic, red pepper and oil technique really brings out the goodness and will soon be your family favorite.
• When you have a simple dish with a BIG win, like the rack of lamb, get your kids involved. Feeling successful and creative is an important step to making your kitchen your OWN.

Feel like a chef with these simple yet impressive dishes!

Links to OWN for the recipes:

http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Roasted-Rack-of-Lamb_2

http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/White-Bean-Puree-Recipe

http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Sauted-Escarole