Pastry Wrapped Lamb Rack Food

LAMB SAUSAGE IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake the sausage on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. Turn the sausage and bake it 5 to 10 minutes more, until it's fully cooked. Cool to room temperature.
• Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured board. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and brush the top sides with mustard. Divide the sausage into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the long end of the pastry, place 1 piece of the sausage on top of the mustard and roll it up tightly, overlapping the end by 1/2 inch and sealing the pastry by brushing the edge with water. Cut off the excess pastry. Roll the other 3 pieces of sausage in puff pastry. Place the 4 rolls, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the egg wash. Lightly score each roll diagonally to make 7 equal pieces. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned. Slice and serve immediately with mustard.

RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the salt, rosemary, and garlic until they're as finely minced as possible. Add the mustard and balsamic vinegar and process for 1 minute. Place the lamb in a roasting or sheet pan with the ribs curving down, and coat the tops with the mustard mixture. Allow to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Roast the lamb for exactly 20 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve.

ROAST RACK OF LAMB WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Mix 2 tbsp of the olive oil with the harissa, then add the cumin, turmeric, paprika and coriander, half the parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then stir. Sit the lamb in a roasting tray, season well, then spread the spice mix over surface of the meat. Roast for 15-20 minutes for rare to medium, 25 minutes for well done.
• Meanwhile, throw the carrots into a small roasting tin, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until carrots are just browning slightly at the edges.
• Just before you take the carrots out of the oven, prepare the couscous. Tip it into a bowl, pour over the hot stock, then leave to stand for 5 minutes. Break the couscous up with a fork and leave to cool. Add the remaining olive oil and parsley, satsuma juice, allspice, mint and onion, stir well, then add the cooked carrots and season.
• Put the lamb on a warmed plate and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Slice it in half to give 3-4 cutlets each, then cut in half again. Spoon the couscous on to two plates, scatter over the almonds and top with the lamb. Serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt.

ROAST RACK OF LAMB WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Stand the racks of lamb in a china or glass baking dish, scatter the garlic and rosemary over the top, and drizzle with the olive oil. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours (or overnight if you have the time), turning occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy frying pan over a moderately high heat and brown two of the racks well on the meaty sides for about 1-2 minutes, then turn and brown the other sides for a further 1 minute. Finally, brown the ends briefly so that all of the exposed meat is seared. Remove and repeat with the remaining two racks.
• Put racks in a large roasting tin, standing them in pairs with their bones interlinked. Roast for about 8 minutes for very pink meat, 17-20 minutes for medium and 25 minutes for well-done. To test the lamb stick a skewer or the point of a knife into the centre of the meat, leave it for 30 seconds and then test it against the inside of your wrist, it should feel hot. If it still feels cold then keep cooking the lamb as it will still be raw in the centre. Test again after 5 mins.
• Transfer the lamb to a warmed plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest in a warm place for about 5 minutes before carving (if you have to wait longer than this, you may want to return the lamb to the oven for a minute or so before serving, to bring back up to temperature). Carve into cutlets and serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the chickpea stew.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB WRAPPED IN PASTRY(BOUTY ARNIOU GHEMISTO ZIM)

Steps:

• For stuffing:.
• Combine all ingredients and blend well.
• Cover and refrigerate.
• For pastry:.
• Disolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let stand until foamy and proofed.
• Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
• Using your hands, rub butter into flour until it is absorbed.
• Make well in the center of flour and pour in yeast and milk.
• Still using hands,push flour from sides of bowl into center and mix to form dough.
• Knead several minutes until smooth.
• Place in lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• For lamb:.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Set butterflied lamb skin side down on working surface.
• Pound to flatten slightly.
• Mix butter,garlic,salt and pepper to a paste; rub half thoroughly into lamb.
• Spread with stuffing and reshape leg.
• Sew closed with string;tie crosswise at 1 inch intervals and twice around length to hold stuffing.
• Rub outside with remaining butter mixture, then rub with rosemary.
• Set on rack in roasting pan and roast 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 and roast an additional 40 minutes.
• Let cool, then remove string and brush off excess rosemary.
• * Lamb can be prepared ahead to this point. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours.Don't start the pastry until you take the lamb out of the refrigerator.
• Lightly oil shallow roasting pan.
• Knead dough once again.
• Roll out enough dough on lightly floured surface to make rectangle 1/4 inch thick, large enough to completely enclose lamb with a 1 inch overlap.
• Set lamb on one end of rectangle.
• Beat yolks with milk and brush some on edges of dough;fold dough over lamb.
• Press seams together; trim and reserve excess dough.
• Set seam side down in roasting pan and brush with some of yolk.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll excess dough into long thin ropes. Braid in threes to go around top perimeter of lamb.
• Remaining dough can also be made into smaller and thinner ropes and/or worked into more intricate designs such as leaves,tiny birds, flowers and coiled snakes inside the encircling braid, all symbols of Easter in Greece.
• Brush decorations with yolk mixture.
• Bake until pastry sets, about 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes(use a meat thermometer to check doneness).
• Transfer to heated platter and garnish with fresh mint sprigs, if desired.
• Let stand several minutes before slicing.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450. Put a large frying pan over high heat until very hot. Rub lamb with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season aggressively with salt and pepper and then sear the meat in the pan until it is golden brown all over, approximately 4 minutes a side. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, and let rest for 20 or 30 minutes, until cool.
• In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. Rub the cooled-off lamb with the remaining olive oil, then pat the seasoned bread crumbs all over the meat in an even layer.
• Put the lamb back on the baking sheet, and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 120 degrees, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. (Tent the lamb with foil if the crust threatens to get too dark at the end.) Remove the lamb from the oven, and allow to stand, covered loosely in foil, for 10 minutes or so. (The internal temperature will rise to 125 degrees, or medium-rare, while the lamb sits.) Carve into chops, and serve on a warmed platter.

LAMB & ROSEMARY ENVELOPES

Steps:

• Season on the lamb all over and sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the lamb for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool.
• Unroll the pastry and cut into four rectangles. Roll out each piece large enough to enclose the lamb.
• Place a lamb steak on each piece of pastry, then pop 1 rounded tbsp cranberry sauce on each.
• Brush the pastry edges with a little beaten egg, then fold over to enclose the lamb, pinching the edges to seal. (You can freeze at this point, or prepare and chill up to 4 hours ahead.) Place on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes to set the pastry (if there's time). Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C.
• Brush the parcels with beaten egg, stick a rosemary sprig into the top of each and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve with your choice of green vegetables.

HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the breadcrumbs, herbs, zest and Parmesan into a food processor with 1 tbsp of the oil and some seasoning. Blitz until everything is finely chopped.
• Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the lamb, then brown it well on all sides and turn off the heat. Turn the racks so that they are fat-side up, and brush liberally with the mustard (Step 1, above). Pack over the herb crust (Step 2), drizzle with a bit more oil, and roast for 25 mins until the crust is golden and the lamb is cooked - this will produce lamb that is pink in the middle but cooked all the way through. If you like your lamb rarer, roast for only 20 mins; if you like it more done, give it 5 mins more. Put the lamb on a board to rest.
• While the lamb is cooking, blitz the beans with the garlic, anchovies, rosemary, lemon juice, some seasoning and 7 tbsp olive oil (or enough to make it a smooth purée. Tip into a saucepan to gently heat.
• Wilt the spinach in the remaining olive oil in another frying pan. Once the lamb has rested, carefully carve it into chops (Step 3), trying to keep the crust intact. Divide the warm bean purée between 4 plates, add a small mound of spinach, then arrange 3 lamb chops on top of each portion. Sprinkle with stray crumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil.

ONE-PAN ROAST RACK OF LAMB & GREEN OLIVE POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 210C/190C fan/gas 7. Generously season the lamb all over and heat the butter in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the lamb all over for 10-15 mins, especially the fat side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
• Put the pan back on the heat and fry the onion for 5-7 mins until softened, then add the garlic, anchovy (if using) and rosemary, and fry for 2 mins more. Carefully arrange the potatoes in the pan with the olives, season, then turn them over so they're fully coated in the mixture, then spread out in an even layer. Pour over the stock, then put in the oven for 30 mins until the potatoes start to crisp at the edges.
• Sit the lamb on top of the potatoes, fat-side up, and drizzle over any of the juices from the plate. Put the pan back in the oven for 20 mins for lamb that's rare, 25 mins for lamb that's pink but cooked through, and 30 mins for well done. When the lamb is done to your liking, lift onto a carving board and leave to rest for 10 mins. During this time, put the potatoes back in the oven to make them extra crisp. Cut the lamb into chops and serve with the potatoes, the cavolo nero and parsley & caper dressing (see 'goes well with', below).