Mark Araxs Marinated Lamb Food

GRILLED MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in sealable plastic bag. Add lamb and seal bag, pressing out air. Turn bag to coat lamb, then put bag in a shallow baking pan and marinate, chilled, turning bag over occasionally, at least 8 hours.
• Bring lamb to room temperature, about 1 hour, before grilling.
• Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure.
• Remove lamb from marinade (discard marinade) and run 3 or 4 skewers lengthwise through lamb about 2 inches apart. Grill on a lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using gas grill, turning over occasionally and, if necessary, moving around on grill to avoid flare-ups, until thermometer registers 125 to 128°F, 8 to 14 minutes total for medium-rare.
• Transfer lamb to a cutting board and remove skewers. Let lamb stand, loosely covered with foil, 20 minutes. (Internal temperature will rise to 135°F while meat stands.) Cut across the grain into slices.

MARINATED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, rosemary, cumin, garlic and 2 tablespoons mint in a medium bowl. Place the lamb into a resealable plastic bag and pour half of the marinade over the lamb. Season with salt and pepper, seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Add the lemon zest and juice and remaining 6 tablespoons mint to the remaining marinade and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot; lightly brush with oil.
• Remove the lamb from the bag, letting the excess marinade drip off (discard the marinade). Season with salt and pepper. Grill the chops, turning once, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.
• Serve the chops with the reserved marinade.

HERB-MARINATED RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Clean the rib bones well by scraping off meat and sinew with a small sharp knife. Cut the racks in 1/2 so that each has four ribs. Mix together the olive oil, crushed garlic, crushed rosemary and thyme sprigs in a large bowl. Add the lamb and coat well. Grind some coarse black pepper over all. Wrap well and marinate the racks overnight.
• The next day remove the lamb from the marinade and scrape off as many herbs as possible. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the lamb well with salt; no additional pepper should be necessary, and sear fat side down until golden, about 7 minutes. Turn over so that the fat side is up and roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Let the rack rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
• To serve, cut each lamb rack into 4 equal pieces, 2 bones per chop and serve on individual plates or a platter with the accompaniments of your choice.

MARK ARAX'S MARINATED LAMB

Steps:

• Place steaks in a nonreactive baking dish. Rub each steak with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and a shy ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Drizzle each steak with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Then sprinkle 1 tablespoon rosemary over each steak on both sides. Rub the spices, olive oil, vinegar and rosemary all over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a grill until very hot. Grill steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing thinly on the diagonal. Serve immediately.

MARINATED RACK OF LAMB WITH MUSTARD AND VINEGAR

Steps:

• Whisk mustard, vinegar, oil, garlic and brown sugar in medium bowl to blend. Place lamb in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread marinade over each lamb rack. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate lamb overnight.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer lamb to rimmed baking sheet; reserve marinade. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Roast lamb to desired doneness, basting occasionally with reserved marinade, about 25 minutes for medium-rare. Cut lamb between bones into chops. Divide chops among 4 plates and serve.

YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB WITH CARDAMOM AND ORANGE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425º. Remove as much of the surface fat as is practical from the lamb. Mix together the yogurt, mint, orange zest, cardamom, salt and pepper; rub the meat all over with the yogurt mixture. If you have time, let the lamb sit for an hour or more (refrigerate if it will be much longer).
• Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. (You might line the pan first with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.) Roast for 30 minutes, then check; if the lamb threatens to burn, turn the heat down to 350º; otherwise leave it at 425º.
• After about 1 hour (total) of roasting, check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to check every 10 minutes; when it reaches 130 for medium rare (125 for very rare) in its thickest part (check it in several places), it's done. Total cooking time will be less than 1 1/2 hours. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving. Serve garnished with more chopped mint.

LAMB MARINADE FROM THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK

Steps:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Marinate meat overnight.
• Double or triple the recipe as needed, depending on how much meat you have.