Cold Roast Lamb With Marinated Eggplant Food

COLD ROAST LAMB WITH MARINATED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Pulse garlic, rosemary, cumin seeds, and 2 Tbsp. kosher salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in 1/4 cup oil and pulse again until a paste forms. Place lamb on a rimmed baking sheet and rub paste all over, pushing some inside layers of meat. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 300°F. Slice eggplants in half lengthwise, then slice each half lengthwise into thirds. Working in batches and using 1/2 cup oil total, place a few eggplant spears in a large bowl and drizzle with some oil. Toss, gently massaging each piece to coat; season with kosher salt and pepper. (Because eggplants are very porous when raw, working with a few pieces at a time makes it easier to control where the oil ends up.) Transfer to another rimmed baking sheet.
• Toss shallots and 1/4 cup oil in the bowl you just used for the eggplants, then spoon over eggplants. Cover baking sheet with foil, sealing tightly.
• Place baking sheet with eggplant mixture on bottom rack of oven and baking sheet with lamb on top rack. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of lamb (avoiding gaps) registers 140°F for medium, about 90 minutes (start checking after 1 hour). Remove lamb from oven and tent with foil. Let cool about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove eggplant mixture from oven, uncover, and toss with a spatula. Increase oven temperature to 500°F and immediately place eggplant mixture on top rack. Roast, tossing halfway through, until nicely browned and very tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Remove foil from lamb and roast on top rack until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
• Once eggplant mixture is cool, toss in a large bowl with Master Vegetable Marinade, cover, and let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour.
• Just before serving, toss parsley into eggplant mixture and transfer to a platter. Slice lamb 1/4" thick; arrange on another platter. Drizzle lamb generously with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with Lemony Yogurt Sauce and/or Grilled Serrano Salsa Verde alongside.
• Lamb can be seasoned 12 hours ahead; cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 45 minutes before roasting. Lamb can be roasted and eggplant mixture can be marinated 1 day ahead; cover and chill separately. About 1 hour before serving, remove lamb and eggplant mixture from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to warm up a bit.

GRILLED SOY AND GINGER MARINATED RACK OF LAMB SERVED WITH HUNAN STYLE EGGPLANT AND MISO AND PLUM SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the Soy and Ginger Marinade: in a bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well blended.
• For the lamb: Wrap the chop bones with aluminum foil. (This will minimize the exposure of bones to the marinade and prevent the bones from turning black during the grilling process.) Marinate the racks of lamb for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the grill. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Over high heat, grill the racks of lamb until nicely marked and golden brown in color. Remove the aluminum foil covering the lamb bones. Transfer to a preheated oven to finish cooking to medium rare or desired doneness.
• Cut each rack of lamb into 4 double chop pieces. Serve on a bed of Hunan Style Eggplant, with half the Miso and Plum Sauce drizzled over with Cilantro and Mint Vinaigrette. Garnish with julienne green onions and sprigs of cilantro.
• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Blanch the garlic slices for 30 seconds. Drain. Transfer to a baking tray and allow to cool.
• Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 360 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine the 3 types of soy sauces. Reserve. In a wok or large saute pan, over high heat, add the peanut oil. Stir-fry the blanched garlic until golden brown. Add the sugar and continue to stir-fry until garlic is well coated. Add the chili paste. Deglaze with rice wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Reduce until slightly thickened. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.
• Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Stir in the slurry and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking all the while, to prevent scorching. Add some water if sauce is too thick. Lower to a simmer.
• Deep-fry the eggplant until tender and golden in color. Drain off excess oil. Bring sauce back to a boil and stir in fried eggplant. Lower heat to a simmer and allow sauce to reduce and thicken. Serve immediately.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil. Over medium heat, add the garlic, shallots, ginger and green onions and saute until glossy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in star anise and black peppercorns. Continue to saute until aromatic, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Deglaze with the plum, port and red wines. Reduce until only about 1 cup of liquid remains. Add the lamb demi-glace and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the raspberry puree, red miso paste and neriume. Continue to reduce until glossy.
• Stir in the butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. If too tart, add a pinch of sugar. Strain through a chinois and keep warm until needed.
• In a small bowl combine the mustard powder and the water and stir to make a paste and set aside. In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, egg yolk, peanuts, cashews, lemon juice, pickled ginger, vinegar, and reconstituted mustard. Process to a puree. While the motor is running, slowly add the peanut oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Refrigerate until needed. Use half of the vinaigrette for the lamb and reserve half for the salmon.

BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH FIRE ROASTED EGGPLANT AND GRILLED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Wash the leg of lamb and pat dry. Place in a hotel or lasagna pan.
• In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the salt. Stir until well blended. Pour over the lamb and turn a few times to make sure that the meat is well coated by the marinade. Refrigerate the marinated leg of lamb at least 2 hours, making sure you turn the meat at least once.
• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Season the meat with salt. Transfer to the hot grill and cook for 15 minutes on one side. Turn and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Move the meat to a colder spot on the grill and cover. Continue to cook to desired doneness; check after meat has cooked for a total of 45 minutes and then again after 1 hour. Time will depend on the thickness of the meat.
• Allow meat to cool for 15 minutes before carving to keep as much of the meat juice. Slice on a bias and serve with fire roasted eggplant and grilled tomatoes.
• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Place the eggplant on the grill for about 30 minutes, turning often. Remove and cool completely.
• Once cool, scrape out the pulp and discard the skins. Reserve.
• Rub the halved tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place onto the side of the grill and roast until soft.
• In a large saute pan, over the hot part of the grill, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, cumin, tomato concasse, sesame seeds, and oregano. Cook until onion is soft. Remove from heat and adjust consistency with water. Add the parsley and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.