I simplified this recipe a little to make it healthier and estimated on the measurements since I do all my cooking by eye.
Lamb:
Two 9 oz racks of lamb (3 chops/rack - French boned)
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
EVOO
4 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
Mix dijon mustard and minced garlic in bowl. Reserve. Season racks with salt and pepper, lightly coat with EVOO and sear about 2 min on each side until golden brown on a cast iron skillet. Place in 400 degree oven for ~12-14 minutes. Remove and allow to rest under tented foil.
Pine nut crust:
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 tsp garam masala spice
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
3 mint leaves finely chopped
Mix all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. You can do this by hand using a chef’s knife too.
Coat the rested lamb with the garlic/mustard mixture and dredge in pine nut crust. Place in broiler for about 5 minutes or until crust begins to come together and brown. Allow to rest for 10 min before serving.
Red wine sauce:
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 challots finely chopped
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp lamb or beef demiglace (you can get this in the gourmet section of a high end grocery store)
Lightly saute challots in pan drippings over medium heat. Add red wine and beef broth to deglaze the pan. Turn pan to low and simmer until volume is reduced by half. Add honey, and demiglace (this is a somewhat healthier - and tastier - alternative to cornstarch for thickening the sauce). Add butter to finish the sauce until fully melted. Strain sauce through collander to get out any stray debris from the drippings (ie pine nutes, herbs, etc).
Grilled asparagus:
18 stems of baby asparagus (3/chop)
EVOO
salt/pepper to taste
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Use enough EVOO to lightly coat the asparagus. Add in remaining ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Grill on high heat until asparagus is slightly tender.
Serving:
Cover base of plate with the reduction sauce, arrange 3 asparagus in triangle pattern around sauce. Stack two chops in middle and arrange 3 more asparagus on chops in pyramid pattern (you obviously don’t have to do all this, but if you want to impress someone…).
For added effect, you can reserve toasted pine nuts and sprinkle them around the plate and add a small bundle of mint leaves on the side.
[quote]Tizza wrote:
What’s the scoop on lamb? I’ve never really looked into it from the macronutrient standpoint, and it isn’t all that common of a dish here.[/quote]
Lamb is just a good changup from beef on occasion, IMO. It has a gamier flavor and the texture is a little different. I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s actually healthier than beef as well.
you are so far ahead of me cooking- wise… Damn, I envy you. Before I even try something like that, I think I?ll work my way through Berardis omelettes first…
Panther, great stuff! I’ve got to put this one to use.
Now, I’ve recently come into a batch of venison. Anyone have ideas on what to do with it? Normally I’d just stew it up with some spices, tomatoes and potatos but I was kind of looking for something different.
I don’t have any experience cooking venison, but I’ve certainly tasted it. The natural flavors are pretty complex, so a simple recipe to complement those flavors might be in order.
Maybe you can try marinating it with some finely chopped fresh rosemary, some salt and pepper and just searling it on a hot skillet and then broiling it to a medium rare.
Add some chopped challots and a port wine to the pan drippings and reduce it, then finish it off with a pat of butter.
I’m thinking for a side dish, you can make some wilted broccoli rabbe with chili flake-infused EVOO and a splash of some sort of acid…maybe a little fresh lemon juice to complement the rosemary or some balsamic vinegar? Try experimenting w/ that.
Lamb is awesome, but you have to be careful because it can be fatty, which of course is what gives it it’s great flavor. I enjoy it occasionally and not as a staple.
Panther…you should have your own FoodNetwork show…chili-flake infused oil…yummy!!
If you want to eat lamb try to buy american lamb we actually have standards with feeding them. It has no gamey taste as opposed to new zealand and australian lamb which eat whatever is put in front of them. That is why it tastes gamey. American lamb is more expensive but worth it.
[quote]augusta2000 wrote:
If you want to eat lamb try to buy american lamb we actually have standards with feeding them. It has no gamey taste as opposed to new zealand and australian lamb which eat whatever is put in front of them. That is why it tastes gamey. American lamb is more expensive but worth it. [/quote]
I actually prefer NZ lamb and beef whenever possible. I like the taste of grass fed meat better, it’s leaner, and overall has a superior nutritional profile. My NZ ribeye’s look like filets! NZ has some of the highest standards in the world for raising and processing the consumable beasties. Don’t hear alot about rampant mad cow down under.
[quote]Sabrina wrote:
I actually prefer NZ lamb and beef whenever possible. I like the taste of grass fed meat better, it’s leaner, and overall has a superior nutritional profile. My NZ ribeye’s look like filets! NZ has some of the highest standards in the world for raising and processing the consumable beasties. Don’t hear alot about rampant mad cow down under.[/quote]
Well, they do have grass-fed beef here in the states. Quite a bit of it, in fact. And mad cow is not rampant here either. That was primarily in England. Besides, I’m not so sure about eating meat that has had to make its way across the ocean (are they shipping the animals live and slaughtering them here?)
Well, they do have grass-fed beef here in the states. Quite a bit of it, in fact. And mad cow is not rampant here either. That was primarily in England. Besides, I’m not so sure about eating meat that has had to make its way across the ocean (are they shipping the animals live and slaughtering them here?)[/quote]
That’s beef hon, not lamb, I hear it’s damn fine if you can get it - my friends gripe about it not being common, would it just be the area they live in?
Hope you check the country of origin on the packaging of all the meat you buy or go to a local butcher, because meat is shipped all over the world all the time - beef, chicken, lamb, pork, the works. Hard to say where your food’s from these days.