February menus

Sunset, Feb, 1992 by Betsy Reynolds Bateson

Hearts and flowers bring romance to a valentine dinner for two. If others in the family have consented to eat earlier, start preparing this intimate meal while tending to them; the whole family gets full attention other nights.

One supper is a spruced-up old favorite, macaroni and cheese, made with a fanciful pasta and a light sauce plus a vegetable. It goes together in a series of quick steps. The other supper takes inspiration from Indian cuisine, and makes use of aromatic seasonings to give complexity and polish to an all-vegetable main dish.

As much as a day ahead, you can pan-brown the lamb rack and chill with the seasonings; you can also bake the rolls. At the same time, ready vegetables for cooking. With these tasks completed, the meal takes only one pan and about 45 minutes in the oven.

Dessert couldn't be easier: a selection of fruit-rich or late-harvest dessert wines, or fruit cordials, to pour onto scoops of chocolate ice cream.

Roast Rack of Lamb

with Petite Vegetables

1 rach of lamb (2 to 2 1/2 lb.), rib ends trimmed (French-cut) and chine (back) bone removed or cracked

3 tablespoons each Dijon mustard and honey

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh or dried rosemary leaves

About 1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 large (about 1 lb. total) carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 small (each about 1 1/2 in. wide) thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed

8 small (each about 1 in. wide) onions

1/3 pound slender green beans, ends and strings removed

1/2 cup each dry red wine and regular-strength chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

About 1 cup watercress springs, rinsed and crisped (optional) Salt

Trim fat from lamb. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat, brown meat side of rack and the 2 ends, about 4 minutes total. Transfer meat, bones down, to a plate.

Mix together mustard, honey, garlic, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coat rack with mustard sauce; chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight (when cool, wrap airtight).

Meanwhile, peel carrots. Cut a V-shaped gutter (about 1/4 in. deep and 1/4 in. wide) down the length of each carrot. Then slice carrots crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. To make hearts, trim round sides of slices to a point opposite gutter. Discard scraps.

Pour oil into a 10- by 15-inch pan; add potatoes and onions and mix well. Bake in a 400 [degrees] oven for 15 minutes. Stir and add carrots and green beans. Bake, stirring often with a wide spatula, for 15 minutes more (vegetables will darken at edges).

Push vegetables to 1 side of pan. Set lamb, bones down, in clear space. Turn oven to 500 [degrees]. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted through thickest part of meat to bone reaches 150 [degrees]; this should take 15 to 20 minutes. Put meat and vegetables on a platter; keep warm.

Quickly add wine and broth to pan. Over high heat, stir to release browned bits, and boil until liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Stirring, add cornstarch mixture, and continue to stir until boiling. Pour sauce through a fine strainer into a small bowl. Discard residue.

Cut rack into 4 double-rib pieces. On 2 warmed dinner plates, arrange lamb, vegatables, and watercress. Offer sauce, salt, and pepper to add to taste. Serves 2.

Per serving: 887 cal.; 51 g protein; 31 g fat (8.7 g sat.); 101 g carbo.; 914 mg sodium; 140 mg chol.

Heart Rolls

1 loaf (1 lb.) thawed frozen white or whole-wheat bread dough

About 2 tablespoons olive oil

About 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Cut loaf into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured board, squeeze and gently pull each piece to make a 22-inch rope. Twist each rope about 8 turns, then loop to form a heart about 4 inches wide on a lightly oiled 14- by 17-inch baking sheet (or 2 pans, 10 by 15 in.); keep hearts at least 2 inches apart. Brush dough with oil; cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until puffy-looking, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle hearts with salt. Bake in a 400 [degrees] oven until rolls are golden brown, about 20 minutes (if using 2 pans in 1 oven, switch pan positions halfway through baking). Serve warm, or cool and wrap airtight up to the next day. To reheat, place on baking sheet in a 400 [degrees] oven until warm, about 5 minutes. Makes 4; each serves 1 or 2.

Per piece; 158 cal.; 4.3 g protein; 4.6 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 25 g carbo.; 698 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Nowadays, macaroni is better known as pasta. And to make this up-to-date version of macaroni and cheese, we use whimsical wagon wheel-shaped pasta. To the cooking pasta, you add green peas--an Italian touch. Then combined the hot, drained mixture with a light cheese sauce. As pasta cooks, mix the salad.

A comforting conclusion for the meal is also an old favorite, pound cake, home-made or purchased. Toast slices under the broiler or in a toaster, then serve warm with jam and an aromatic tea. This is also an ideal refreshment for teatime.

Smoked Pork Chops

with Pasta and Cheese

4 smoked pork loin chops (about 1 1/4 lb. total; each chop about 3/4 in. thick)