Paisano: Lamb Steak with Gremolata

Simplicity. When I was a younger cook I sought out the most complicated, convoluted, and difficult recipes to explore. A recipe with dozens of steps was a challenge eagerly sought. An opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge. An opportunity to, let's face it, conquer a recipe. I reveled in my successes while my failures were only goads to keep trying. No, it's not in the same class as climbing Mount Everest, but the mind-set was the same.

I learned to make croissants almost worthy of a French bakery. Souffles of any sort (an early challenge) were something I could create while sleeping. Sauces of all sorts became mere gravy. And then, my interest began to lag.

It lagged still further when I started cooking and writing about cooking for a living. I knew I would face burn-out and sure enough, I've been dealing with a certain kitchen lethargy for the past year. In the effort to regularly produce new dishes for my literary efforts and endlessly repeat favorites for my personal chef clients the whole cooking thing lost its real focus and I found myself ordering out for pizza, or making a quick run to the nearest BBQ joint when I needed to feed myself.

But a few of weeks ago, after a week in the hospital consuming hospital food and combating an infection that one doctor reacted to with, "Holey Molely!" I came home to recuperate and spent three days eating TV dinners (that my parents were kind enough to buy me) while I gained strength to do a grocery run. Still on the weak side, I went with easy dishes: baked penne with tuna, broiled trout, even chicken soup.

A couple of days ago I thawed out a lamb leg steak. I brushed it with olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Then I grilled it in a grill pan on the stove. In the meantime I made some gremolata.

Gremolata is a simple combination of parsley, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and salt and pepper traditionally served on Osso Bucco. It's particularly good on lamb, but also complements steak and chicken. Careful, though, the next morning you'll still be tasting it.

Gremolata
Makes enough for 2 servings.

Zest of 1 lg. lemon
2 cloves garlic - crushed
3 tbsp minced parsley
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and allow flavors to meld for about an hour.

In an alternate life, the Paisano is Kevin Weeks: a Gather food correspondent, personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" the column focuses on peasant dishes from around the world, Paisano the character is fictional. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here.His blog,Seriously Good, is read by 100,000 cooks a month and in addition he writes a weekly column for  Spot-Onand is the Guide for Cooking for Two at About.com.