Roasted Rack of Lamb

Ingredients

1/2 rack of lamb
salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oz leeks, julienne cut
2 tomatoes, cut in eighths
zest of 1/2 lemon, cut in eighths
10 black olives, pitted
1 tsp chopped parsley
Chine bone and trimmings from rack, chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 oz tomato paste
10 oz Mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion leeks, finely chopped)
1 clove garlic
thyme to taste
salt
peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup white wine

Method

1. Season rack of lamb with salt, pepper and thyme. Roast in preheated 375°F oven until medium rare.
2. Saute the garlic in a skillet of hot oil. Add leeks, tomatoes, lemon zest, salt and pepper and saute for 30 seconds. Add olives and parsley. Adjust seasonings.
3. to make Lamb Sauce, roast lamb bones with a little oil in preheated 375°F oven for about 1 hour.
4. Add tomato paste and mirepoix. Roast for 5 minutes and add 1-1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil.
5. Add seasonings and spices. Cook about one hour. Reduce to about 1 cup
6. Bring white wine to a boil and reduce to half. Add wine reduction to taste. Strain. Serve with lamb.
7. Carve lamb at table. Serve both sauce and tomato saute separately.

Makes 2 servings.

Source: American Lamb Council

Roasted Spicy Cauliflower

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large head cauliflower, cored, broken into 1-inch florets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Stir oil, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry, and turmeric in a large bowl to combine.
3. Add cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat cauliflower evenly.
4. Arrange in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (scrape any extra seasoning from bowl over cauliflower). Roast until cauliflower is brown around edges and crisp-tender, 10–15 minutes.
5. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle ginger and lime zest over. Serve warm or room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Bon Appetit magazine

Moroccan-style Roasted Rack of Lamb

Ingredients

1 large rack of lamb
sea salt and black pepper
4 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter

Spiced Onion and Olive Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
10 pearl onions, peeled and thinly sliced
12 black olives, pitted and thinly sliced
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
4 tsp harissa paste
few cilantro stalks
few parsley stalks
1 rounded tbsp honey
1 cup lamb or beef stock

Method

1. First, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in pan until hot and add the onions with some seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes until they are soft.
2. Tip in the olives and sherry vinegar and increase the heat slightly. Let bubble until the pan is quite dry.
3. Stir in the ras el hanout and harissa paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the herb stalks, honey, and lamb stock. Give the mixture a stir and boil for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Discard the herb stalks.
5. To cook the rack of lamb, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
6. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan until hot. Season the rack and pan-fry skin side down for 2 minutes until browned.
7. Turn and sear the other side for 2 minutes.
8. Add the butter and, as it melts and foams, spoon it over the lamb. Turn the lamb around, so that the skin is facing upward and put the pan into the oven. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the rack. The meat should be slightly springy when pressed and a skewer inserted into the thickest part should feel lust warm, indicating it is cooked medium rare.
9. Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes while you reheat the sauce. Cut rack into chops and serve the chops with the sauce and couscous.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Gordon Ramsay’s Maze

Chinese-style Roasted Pork Neck

Ingredients

1 kg fresh pork neck — if in 1 piece, cut into 5 thick slices

Marinade

1/4 cup finely diced ginger
10 garlic cloves, finely diced
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons black vinegar
1 cup Shao Hsing wine
1 cup char siu sauce
1 cup Chinese BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Combine pork with marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover and leave to marinate in refrigerator overnight.
2. Next day, preheat the oven to moderate (190ºC).
3. Remove pork from the bowl, reserving the marinade. Place pork on a wire rack inside a roasting tin, then fill the tin with water to a depth of 4 cm.
4. Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then turn the meat over and baste with generous amounts of the reserved marinade.
5. Roast for a further 15 minutes, then baste again. Turn oven to hot (220°C) and roast the pork for 10 minutes.
6. Remove pork from oven and allow to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
7. Cut into slices about 1 cm thick and serve with steamed bok choy and cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Kylie Kwong

Martha Stewart’s Pork Belly with Sweet and Spicy Glaze

Ingredients

3 chile de arbol
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup light-brown sugar or cane sugar
1 piece (3-pound) pork belly
zest of 1 orange
1-1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
2 sticks cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

Method

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast chiles until charred and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove chiles from skillet and set aside. Add cumin seeds to skillet and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Place chiles and cumin seeds in a spice grinder and finely grind. Transfer to a medium bowl along with black pepper, salt, and sugar. Remove two tablespoons of the spice mixture and set aside to make the glaze.
2. Rub remaining spice mixture all over pork belly. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
3. In a small saucepan, combine reserved spice mixture, orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until slightly thickened and heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set glaze aside.
4. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
5. Remove pork belly from refrigerator and rinse off spice mixture; pat dry with paper towels. Add remaining 1 cup orange juice and chicken stock to a roasting pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook until liquid just comes to a simmer. Add pork, fat side up, to roasting pan. Transfer to oven and cook until meat is very tender and easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
6. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Cook pork belly until browned and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes more, basting with reserved glaze every 10 minutes.
7. Remove pork from roasting pan and transfer to a cutting board; let stand for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-by-3-inch pieces.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Martha Stewart

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