LEMON AND OREGANO LAMB CHOPS WITH TAHINI SAUCE

My exploration of Middle Eastern food continues with these juicy lamb chops with a lemon-herb rub. The chops are served with a tangy cucumber-tahini sauce and a side chopped salad called Fattoush.

LEMON AND OREGANO LAMB CHOPS

Freshly grated zest of 2 lemons

1 TBSP. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

Freshly ground pepper to taste

8 lamb loin chops (1 1/2-1 3/4 pounds total), trimmed

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup diced  seeded cucumber, peeled if desired

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP. chopped fresh parsley

1-3 TBSP. water

2 tsp. extra- virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400~

Combine lemon zest, oregano, 3/4 tsp. salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture onto both sides of the lamb chops and set aside for at least 10 minutes or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine tahini, yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Whisk in enough water to thin the sauce to desired consistency.

Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb chops and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn them over and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted horizontally into a chop registers 135~ for medium-rare, 8 -14 minutes depending on the thickness. 

Serve the chops with the tahini sauce.

Recipe from Eating Well

MUSTARD AND HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Please don't freak out...I like my lamb really rare. Most people would cook it a little longer but my French Grandmother always cooked lamb rare and I was raised that way. So, if you make this delicious recipe cook it any way you like, but with a rack of lamb try to cook it no more than medium rare.

You start out by browning the lamb on the grill. Then you remove it from the grill.

And spread creamy, spicy, dijon mustard all over the rack.

Then you press a mixture of fresh bread crumbs, fresh herbs, and olive oil all over the lamb and grill until it's rare...or medium rare.

This is really good!

                  

                                         MUSTARD AND HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 frenched 7-10 rib racks of lamb, trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat, about 1 1/2-2 pounds each
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Procedure

1. Mix the bread crumbs, parsley, mint, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to combine. Set aside.

2. Let the lamb come to room temperature while preparing the grill. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Season the racks liberally with salt and pepper. Place the lamb fat side down close to, but not directly over the coals. Cover and grill until well browned, about 8 minutes, rotating 180 degrees half way through. Remove racks from the grill and place fat side up on a platter or cutting board.

3. Spread the mustard over the fat side of the lamb. Carefully press the breadcrumb mixture into the mustard into each rack.

4. Place the racks back on the grill, fat side up, close to, but not directly over the coals. Continue to cook until an instant read thermometer registers 130 degrees when inserted into the side of the rack, another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest uncovered for 10 minutes. Cut between each rib into chops and serve.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

It was Father's day and Dad wanted lamb shanks. I had planned to serve fish. In fact I planned the menu weeks ago and even shopped for most of the ingredients.

I was watching T.V. and there were some father's talking about what THEY wanted for their father's day dinner. It dawned on me that I should ask Dad what he wanted. It was Friday evening, two days before father's day. I was sure I knew what he would say to me. "Honey, anything you cook will be wonderful". Nope, wrong, he asked for lamb shanks. LAMB SHANKS?!?!  It's hard to find lamb shanks on a Friday night. Finally after calling four stores I found some. They were huge, but fun to make.

First I browned them in olive oil.

Then I added the veggies, cooked them, and deglazed the pan with red wine. Poured everything on top of the shanks, adding whole tomatoes, stock, carrots, and some fresh herbs.

Put it in the oven for about 3 hours. I served it with roasted broccoli and a caprese salad. They were really good.

Thanks Dad for the great idea!


                      LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

4 meaty lamb shanks

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

½ pound dried Great Northern Beans, soaked overnight

1 can whole plum tomatoes (28oz.) with juice

2 cups rich chicken stock

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

8 oz. Baby carrots or 4 medium carrots, chopped

Sprinkle lamb shanks liberally with salt and pepper, and brown carefully on all sides in a little bit of olive oil (this usually takes about 10 minutes or so). Remove the shanks temporarily and drain the fat, then add to the  pan 1 chopped onion, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, three stalks of chopped celery and sauté just until tender. Deglaze with 1 cup of dry red wine.  Now in the covered pan you will be using, place ½ pound dried Great Northern Beans (either soaked overnight or quick soaked), top with the shanks, pour over sautéed veggies and wine, add 1 can whole plum tomatoes and their juices and 2 cups rich chicken stock along with 2 bay leaves, 3 generous springs of fresh rosemary and 8 oz. or so of peeled baby carrots or 4 regular carrots, chopped.  Taste the liquid and adjust for salt and pepper.  Cover and bake at 350~ for 2 hours or more, until the beans are very tender.  To serve, place one shank on each plate and surround with the beans and some of their liquid.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Serves 4

This recipe was adapted from the New York Times Cook Book and Sharon made it as part of our cooking from chapters of this book.