Community Cookbook Recipes from the Heart of Hollis-1912 to present
Recently, I pulled out my small collection of Hollis community cookbooks and began turning the pages. It was like stepping back in time. These endearing books were created by Hollis community groups as fundraisers and sold at various festivals and Old Home Days celebrations. Each book is a collection of tried-and-true family favorites, potluck specialties, and social hour regulars. The recipes provide a peek into a place and a time like a culinary historical record. Ingredient lists, cooking instructions, and recipe themes all tell part of a larger story about the times in which the recipes were created and give a glimpse into the lives of the home cooks who filled the pages with their favorite recipes.

Butterflied Leg of Lamb
Source: Favorite Herbal Recipes of the Maple Hill Gardeners, 2000
Submitted by: Cay Gregg
Location: page 42
 
1(6lb) leg of lamb, butterflied
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rosemary (dried)
½ teaspoon ginger (dried)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
 
Mix seasonings and spread over lamb. Marinade overnight in refrigerator. Broil for 15 minutes on each side. Makes it well done. Serves 6 to 8.
 
Liz’s Notes:
Cay Gregg was the wife of NH Governor Hugh Gregg and mother to NH Senator Judd Gregg. I met Cay shortly after I moved to Hollis. She always made time to sit with me and chat about my family and what I was up to. Cay was a lovely woman, and I feel privileged to have called her a friend. What a delight it was to discover some of her recipes in the pages of this cookbook. I will forever prepare my butterflied leg of lamb Cay’s way.
 

• I prepared this recipe using a 3 ½ pound butterflied leg of lamb and cut the marinade recipe in half to serve 4.
• To cook, I set my broiler on high and placed the lamb 5 inches below the flame/coil. I prefer my lamb a little pink and cooked “medium” rather than “well done”. I cooked the butterflied lamb for 10-15 minutes on each side. Test the temperature with an instant read thermometer. 145 degrees for medium.
• Let the lamb rest, covered with foil for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with my mint vinaigrette if you like. I love it!

​Serves 4
2 (8 rib) lamb racks-about 1 3/4 pounds each 
¾ cup avocado
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup loosely packed chopped mint
½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt
Pepper, freshly ground
 
Let the lamb rest at room temperature while you are preheating the oven. 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
Pat the lamb racks dry with a paper towel. 
To “french” the racks, you will remove the layer of fat that rests on the top side of the rib bones. Using a boning knife, slice across the layer of fat as high or low as you like above the ribs. Pull the layer of fat off. You may need to slide your knife under it to release it. Remove the strips of meat between the rib bones by cutting along the inner edges of the bones until you reach the crosscut you made previously. Cut any sinew or remaining meat as close to the bone as possible for a clean appearance. 
Cut each rack in half. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. 
Heat a large, ovenproof sauté pan or cast-iron pan. When hot, place the seasoned lamb racks in the pan with the rib side up. Sear the meat for 3 minutes or until browned. Turn the racks over and place the pan into the preheated oven. If you do not have an oven proof pan, place the lamb racks onto a baking pan. Cook for 15 minutes for rare or 20 minutes for medium rare. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest, tented with a piece of tin foil, for 5-10 minutes before cutting. 
Cut into individual chops and serve with the vinaigrette drizzled over the chops.
 
Mint Vinaigrette
Makes 1 cup
 
To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the oil, vinegar, and sugar in a blender with the chopped herbs and pulse until the ingredients are pureed. 
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serves 6-8
 
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes (leave the peels on)
2 pounds ground beef, pork, lamb, or combination
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2.5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
2 cups peas, frozen and thawed
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. In a 4-quart sauce pot, cover the potatoes with water, plus 1 teaspoon salt and boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. 
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the ground beef, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Brown the ground beef breaking it up a bit as you are cooking it. I like to use a 10-inch cast iron pan and then use it to bake the pie in after. You can  use any oven-proof pan.
3. Remove the cooked ground beef to a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the stove and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the vegetables and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the cooked and seasoned ground beef back into the pan and stir in the tomato paste and stock. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. 
5. When the potatoes cooked, drain well and put the potatoes back into the pot with the butter and mash. Stir in the thawed peas, 2/3 cup of the cheese, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Spoon the meat mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or a large baking dish. Cover with the potato and pea mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese over the top.
7. Bake for another 30 minutes or until heated through and the potatoes are lightly browned.

Variations:

• Curried Cottage Pie, instead of adding herbs, add 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon ground coriander to the ground beef while it is cooking.
• Substitute the potatoes with mashed rutabaga, celery root (celeriac), or cauliflower. These are lower carb alternatives for potatoes.

Serves 2-4
Meatballs
1 pound ground lamb
3 scallions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup packed chopped mint leaves 
1 teaspoon cumin ground 
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt 

Minted Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain whole fat yogurt
2 scallions, chopped
¼ cup lightly packed chopped mint
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. To make the meatballs, gently combine all the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl using your hands. Separate the mixture into 16 equal portions. Gently roll each portion into a ball (do not compact too much). Or, use a 1 ounce cookie scoop and portion the lamb mixture.
3. Place the meatballs onto a rimmed baking sheet and place into the oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. To make the yogurt sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve the sauce with the lamb meatballs for dipping. 

Serving suggestions:

• Serve the meatballs with warm pita and a grain salad
• Serve with my favorite squash dish using this minted yogurt sauce.
• Serve with a noodle bowl.