Seared Dijon Lamb Loin With Asian Ratatouille Garlic Mint Tapenade Recipes

SEARED DIJON LAMB LOIN WITH ASIAN 'RATATOUILLE' GARLIC-MINT TAPENADE

Steps:

• Mix Dijon, wine, oil, garlic, and soy. Marinate the lamb filets for 1 hour.
• Coat a large saute pan on high heat with oil. Season the lamb filets with pepper (salt is optional since it has been in the soy marinade) and pan sear both sides until brown, about 6 minutes total.
• Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
• On a large plate, place a small mound of ratatouille in the middle. Surround with 3 filets of lamb, topped with Garlic-Mint Tapenade. Garnish with basil leaves and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.
• Wine: Big, Bordeaux blend, 2nd growth
• In a large saute pan or wok, coat lightly with olive oil and saute the onions, garlic, and fermented beans for 1 minute. Add the eggplant and saute 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and lemon juice just before serving.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and olives. Add the mint, oil, and salt.

LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC, MINT, DIJON

Steps:

• In a mini food processor, pulverize all of the ingredients, except the lamb, into a smooth, somewhat runny paste.
• If your lamb leg isn't boned, remove all but the shank bone (lowest). There are some decent boning instructions and diagrams on the internet if you, like me, are new to this procedure.
• Lay open the upper, meaty, sirloin portion of the lamb leg and rub the spice paste mixture into any and all crevices and flaps.
• Using kitchen twine, shape the uppper portion into a compact roast--in my case I tied it about 5 times across the leg and 3 times lengthwise. I anchored the lengthwise threads by pushing them through a hole in the muscle attached to the shank (this is a testimony as to how much I hacked it up trying to get the bones out!).
• Once it is all tied, roast-like, smear the spice paste all over the outside of the meat.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove lamb from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Position two racks in the upper third of the oven. When oven has come to temperature, oil the top rack, slide a rimmed baking sheet onto the bottom rack and drop the lamb onto the oiled rack. I guess you could use a roasting pan with a rack in it, but I don't have one.
• Check after about 20 minutes, if outside is browning too quickly, lay a piece of aluminum foil over it or flip it over or both.
• Roast until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
• Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• My 4 to 5 pound lamb leg took about an hour and a half to reach the proper internal temperature.

GARLIC-STUFFED LAMB LOIN BITES

Steps:

• In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and chili flakes over low heat for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add the oregano, garlic and lemon zest. Pour mixture out of the pan and into a bowl. Allow to cool.
• For the lamb skewers:
• Slice lamb loin lengthwise (as if filleting) into 2 pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Using a mallet or the heel of your palm, lightly pound meat to about 1/4-inch thickness then cut each in half lengthwise. Place meat in a non-metallic dish and pour reserved oregano marinade over the meat. Turn several times to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare grill or preheat broiler.
• Remove lamb from marinade and discard marinade. Spread about 1 tablespoon garlic paste on each of the lamb pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Roll meat lengthwise end to end and place on skewers. Brush with olive oil. Grill or broil to desired doneness, 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare meat, depending on heat of grill. Turn meat occasionally to ensure even cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of the heads to open the cloves. Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly, place in the oven, and roast until about 3/4 cooked, about 45 minutes. Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• When garlic is cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl. Press against the skins very well to get out all the sweet roasted garlic you can. Add the oil from the baking dish and mix well until a paste forms. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

ASIAN LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Combine all marinade ingredients. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper and massage the marinade into meat for 5 to 10 minutes. Let marinate 4 to 6 hours in refrigerator.
• Broil to perfection (about 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare, or to your liking.)

GARLIC-PEPPER CRUSTED SEARED LAMB LOIN WITH TOMATO HASH SERVED ON CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rub lamb loin with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil then sprinkle with Roasted Garlic Pepper. Wrap bacon around lamb loin and secure with toothpicks. Heat a skillet over high heat. Sear bacon wrapped lamb on all sides until golden brown. Remove toothpicks and strips of bacon. (Since the powerful flavor of the bacon can be overwhelming to lamb we will only use its imparted flavor from the searing process. The bacon strips can be discarded or cooked until crispy and reserved in the refrigerator for a short time to use as a garnish on a future Cobb salad or the like.)
• Place lamb in oven and roast until medium rare, an internal temperature of 125 degrees F. (Since the lamb will continue to cook for 5 to 8 minutes after you have removed it from the oven - carryover cooking - the meat thermometer will continue to rise to that period of time. So, the idea is to pull the lamb out at an internal temperature of 120 degrees F, so it ultimately ends up where you want it for medium rare.) Let meat rest, then cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• To make the tomato hash, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat and gently cook the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the diced tomatoes and chives remove from the heat. Crumble in the cheese and allow it to melt.
• Place a piece of lamb on each slice of baguette, top with some of the tomato hash and mint leaves.

GREEN SALAD VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
• Place the greens in a serving bowl and toss them with enough dressing to moisten. Serve immediately.