Lamb and zucchini stir fry with Ketchup flavor 子羊肉とズッキニのケッチャプ風味

This is another quick dish from leftovers. I just came up with this since we had a leftover rack of lamb which was baked to medium rare. This was meant to go with the red wine we were drinking.

This may really date me but some of the ideas of this dish came from Galloping Gourmet (after he moderated his life style and cooking methods); one of which was using ketchup as the base of the sauce. While this may sound pretty unappetizing there is a secret which transforms it into something much better. If the ketchup is sauteed on high heat until it turns dark brown (called Maillard reaction) it becomes a completely different animal. It becomes much more complex and adds dimension to the sauce. I find I use this secret fairly frequently with very good results.  

In any case, I had a 4 rib-width of rack of lamb left. I removed the meat from the bone and thinly sliced it. I had one zucchini left over from making Minestrone soup. I just cut it into small rounds. I first sauteed onion (one small, halved and thinly sliced) until soft in a light olive oil in a frying pan. Then I added garlic (one cove, finely chopped) and the zucchini rounds. I browned the zucchini on both sides for few minutes. I then added tomatoes (Campari tomato, two, skinned and  quartered). At this point, I added the slices of the cooked lamb. I pushed the ingredients to the side to make a space and added ketchup (2-3 tbs). I browned it while mixing with a silicon spatula until the color became dark brown. This definitely add additional depth to the taste. I stirred all the ingredients together and added some salt, chopped parsley and red wine (a few tbs, I used whatever we were drinking) to finish. I garnished with more chopped parsley. This is a very simple preparation but went perfectly with the wine we were drinking

Napa Cab, Diamond Ridge Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Special Select Reserve 2008 is a classic Napa Cab loaded with vanilla and upfront fruit. While some definitely despise this type of wine we enjoy it from time to time. This was a style everybody favored a few years ago. Recently, however, more and more California reds are going to the opposite extreme; more Bordeaux-like (but without the funky nose). I have to admit, though, the very first time you drink this, the amount of vanilla almost makes this wine taste "sweet" even though no residual sugar is present. It may be a bit overdoing the vanilla.