Spring Lamb With Rosemary Food

HERB-ROASTED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.
• Peel 6 of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced. Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Toss the potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and roast for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a meat thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Place the lamb on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the potatoes.

LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.
• Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roast lamb in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare).
• Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.

SPRING LAMB WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Season the racks liberally with salt and pepper. Using your hands, rub each rack with the garlic, the chopped rosemary, and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the racks, fatty side up, in a roasting pan and leave them at room temperature for an hour or so.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (204° C).
• Roast the racks for about 20 minutes, until they're nicely browned and have an interior temperature of 125°F (51°C) on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and place a serving platter in the oven to warm.
• Transfer the racks to a cutting board. To carve the lamb, simply slice between the bones. Arrange the lamb chops on the warm platter and serve.

ROASTED LEG OF SPRING LAMB WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND ROSEMARY JUICE AND PORTOBELLO AND EGGPLANT RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Portobello and Eggplant Ratatouille: Place the portobellos, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, pepper, jalapeno and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a single layer over grill. Grill over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn and cook 4 more minutes. Starting with the tomatoes, remove all the vegetables from the grill. Place the vegetables on a cutting board and chop coarsely. Add garlic, rosemary, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit 1/2 hour. After 1/2 hour drain 1/2 cup of the juice from the vegetables and save for the Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Juice.;
• Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Juice: Puree the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and ratatouille juice in a blender. Season with salt and pepper.;
• Roasted Leg of Lamb: Combine garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl, or mortar, and crush together. Add oil and rub the mixture over the lamb vigorously, forcing the mixture into the meat. Skewer the lamb and place on a spit. Roast the lamb 1 1/2 hours over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Take the bone out and slice the leg into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices into a circle around the outside of a platter. Place the ratatouille in the center and drizzle juice around the lamb.

SPRING LAMB WITH ROSEMARY AND TURNIPS

Steps:

• Season lamb generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, and rub the herbs into the surface of the lamb. Arrange rosemary sprigs on the bottom of a roasting pan. Lay lamb rack(s) over sprigs. Let meat come to room temperature before roasting.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Roast lamb, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 125 degrees (for medium-rare). Let rest on a cutting board.
• Put turnips in a wide medium saucepan over medium heat and cover with 1 inch of water. Season with salt, add butter and bring to a brisk simmer. When turnips are fork-tender, about 5 minutes, add greens and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 more minutes. If desired, bring the water to a boil and let evaporate. Let turnips brown slightly in the remaining butter, if you like.
• Cut lamb racks into 4 thick chops or 8 thin chops, slicing between the bones.

SPRING LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Generously sprinkle the leg of lamb with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat. In two batches, brown the lamb all over and remove to a plate, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste and stir. Deglaze with the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Return the lamb to the pot and bring to a simmer.
• Place the lid on the pot and roast until the meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

LAMB WITH ROSEMARY AND PORT

Steps:

• Mix together the oil and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl, then smear this over the steaks, either with a pastry brush or by dipping the steaks directly into the bowl.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the steaks for about 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steak and how you like it done. If you prefer to use boneless lamb sirloin or noisettes, I'd advise 2 per person, and less time for their cooking.
• Wrap the steaks in aluminum foil to rest on a warm plate or in a warm place, while you make the sauce. With the pan still on the heat, but turned down low, add the butter and let it melt, then finely chop the needles from the rosemary sprig and add them to the pan.
• Peel and crush or mince the garlic clove and add it to the pan, then pour in the port, letting it sizzle and reduce slightly. Unwrap the steaks and add any juices from the foil parcel to the sauce. Arrange the steaks on serving plates and drizzle them with the sauce.

ROAST SPRING LAMB WITH ROSé WINE & ORANGES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Using a small knife, trim away any excess fat from the lamb and place the fat in the roasting tin. Then criss-cross the top and sides of the lamb with the knife, making shallow incisions. Mix half the olive oil with the rosemary, salt and pepper and set aside.
• Place the roasting tin over a medium heat and warm the lamb fat with the remaining olive oil for a few seconds. Add the lamb and rub the rosemary oil over the top and into the slashes. Keep turning the lamb over in the hot oil until it begins to colour all over.
• Tip the vegetables and sprigs of herbs into the tin, sprinkle the lamb with a little extra salt and roast in the oven for 50 minutes or until the outside fat starts to brown. Remove the tin from the oven and turn the temperature down to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 4.
• Scrape the vegetables away from the bottom of the tin and turn the lamb over. Baste with a little of the fat, then continue to roast for 45-50 minutes. Test by inserting a metal skewer into the thickest part of the leg: for medium-rare meat, the tip should feel warm to the touch and the juices that run out of the meat should be fairly pink.
• Remove the lamb to a warmed serving dish and cover with a loose tent of foil. This will prevent heat escaping and will allow the lamb to relax while the gravy is made.
• Blanch the orange zest in boiling water for 1 minute until soft, then drain and set aside. Remove the vegetables from the roasting tin (reserve any that aren't too dark for tucking round the roast), then put the tin on a medium heat and skim away all but 1 tbsp of the fat. Sprinkle the flour in and stir constantly. Add the wine, orange juice and zest and stock and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes until the gravy thickens, colours and is reduced by about half. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Finally, stir in the redcurrant jelly and simmer until melted, then strain. Serve the lamb surrounded by any reserved vegetables, with the hot gravy.

BRAISED LAMB WITH SPRING VEG & GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Make several slashes about 1cm deep in each shank, then put them in a large roasting tin. Rub the rosemary, oil and seasoning into the meat. Leave to marinate for 30 mins if you have time. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
• Brown the lamb shanks in the oven for 20 mins, turning halfway. Add the carrots and all but one of the garlic cloves, turn them in some of the fat in the pan, then roast for 5 mins more. Pour in the wine and stock (make sure the carrots aren't too submerged), then cover the tin tightly with foil. Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and cook for 2½ hrs or until the shanks are meltingly tender.
• Chop the parsley, lemon zest and the remaining garlic clove and mix to make the gremolata. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
• Lift the shanks and carrots from their broth, cover and keep warm. Skim most of the fat from the sauce, then boil the sauce hard for 10 mins in a pan to reduce it by half. Check the seasoning and add the peas and the onion greens for the last few mins.
• To serve, return the shanks and carrots to the tin, pour over the sauce, scatter with the gremolata and squeeze over some lemon juice, if you like.

ROAST LAMB WITH SPRING HERB CRUMBS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. For the lamb, scatter the vegetables, bay leaves and a few rosemary sprigs into a large roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Use a sharp knife to make little slits all over the lamb. Poke a slice of garlic and a small sprig of rosemary into each one. Sit the lamb on top of the veg in the roasting tin, add a splash of wine, then cook for 2 hrs if you like it pink, or 2 hrs 15 mins for cooked through. Remove from the oven, transfer to a board and cover with foil, then rest for 45 mins-1 hr.
• To make the gravy, pour off most of the fat from the tin but leave the veg and any meat juices. Place the tin on the heat to caramelise the veg, then stir in the flour and cook to a paste. Gradually stir in the wine, cook for a min, then stir in the stock and simmer until you have a tasty gravy. Push the gravy through a sieve into a small pan and keep warm.
• Turn oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. For the crumbs, blitz everything in a food processor and scatter over a tray. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until crisp, then re-blitz or break up with your fingers to crumbs again. These can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container for 2 days. Serve the lamb carved into slices, sprinkled with crumbs and a jug of gravy alongside.

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.

ROAST LAMB STUDDED WITH ROSEMARY & GARLIC

Steps:

• Using a sharp pointed knife, make at least 30 small incisions all over the leg of lamb.
• Take 4 cloves from 1 bulb of garlic, peel and thinly slice them, then prod a slice into each incision. Next, take 1 bunch of rosemary, pull off small sprigs and push into the incisions, too.
• If done in advance, cover the leg of lamb well and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge 1 hr before roasting.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and brown the leg of lamb all over.
• Scatter 2 carrots, cut into large chunks, 1 quartered onion, the remaining garlic and rosemary in a large roasting tin, pour in 1 glass of red wine and 1.2l beef or lamb stock, then place the browned lamb in the tin.
• Roast for about 1 hr 45 mins. Turn the leg of lamb halfway through so by the time it's cooked, each side has been in the stock.