Best Lamb Loin Chops With Warm Polenta And Arugula Salad Recipes

WARM ARUGULA VICHYSSOIS

Steps:

• Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the leeks and salt and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to let the flavors marry. Stir in the chicken broth and pepper flakes. Add the cheese rind and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the arugula and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and discard the cheese rind.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice. Using a handheld blender, puree until completely smooth. Ladle into bowls or cups and top evenly with the mascarpone.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA WITH MARINATED RED PEPPER AND ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• For the marinara: Preheat the canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and fry until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and carrot, reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Fresno peppers, basil, guanciale and parsley and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth and finish with the butter.
• For the seasoned breadcrumbs: Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, parsley, garlic and oregano in a shallow baking dish.
• For the eggplant: Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup of water in a second shallow baking dish. Dredge each eggplant slice in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess flour and place each slice into the egg wash. Once fully coated in the egg wash, dip the slices into the seasoned breadcrumbs. Repeat this process until all the eggplant slices are finished and fully coated.
• Cook the coated eggplant slices in the deep fryer in batches until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and pat dry. Line a 9- by 5-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara. Arrange a layer of fried eggplant slices on top of the marinara. Cover with another 1/2 cup of marinara, 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Repeat this process 2 more times. Add 1 more layer of fried eggplant slices followed by 1/2 cup of marinara.
• Use parchment paper to gently press the eggplant down into the baking dish for a snug fit. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
• For the marinated peppers: Turn on the broiler.
• Gently toss the red and yellow bell peppers in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer to a roasting pan and broil until all sides are charred. Set aside at room temperature until cool enough to touch, about 5 minutes. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into large strips.
• Combine the garlic, anchovies, Calabrian chiles and the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the mixture thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the roasted peppers to the saucepan and let them sit for 5 minutes. Remove the peppers and set aside.
• To serve: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lay the rounds of pancetta on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Toss the marinated peppers with the arugula and chives in a large bowl. Arrange the salad on a serving platter and garnish with the pancetta and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve with the eggplant Parmesan.
• For the marinara: Preheat the canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and fry until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and carrot, reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Fresno peppers, basil, guanciale and parsley and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth and finish with the butter.
• For the seasoned breadcrumbs: Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, parsley, garlic and oregano in a shallow baking dish.
• For the eggplant: Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup of water in a second shallow baking dish. Dredge each eggplant slice in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess flour and place each slice into the egg wash. Once fully coated in the egg wash, dip the slices into the seasoned breadcrumbs. Repeat this process until all the eggplant slices are finished and fully coated.
• Cook the coated eggplant slices in the deep fryer in batches until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and pat dry. Line a 9- by 5-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara. Arrange a layer of fried eggplant slices on top of the marinara. Cover with another 1/2 cup of marinara, 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Repeat this process 2 more times. Add 1 more layer of fried eggplant slices followed by 1/2 cup of marinara.
• Use parchment paper to gently press the eggplant down into the baking dish for a snug fit. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
• For the marinated peppers: Turn on the broiler.
• Gently toss the red and yellow bell peppers in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer to a roasting pan and broil until all sides are charred. Set aside at room temperature until cool enough to touch, about 5 minutes. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into large strips.
• Combine the garlic, anchovies, Calabrian chiles and the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the mixture thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the roasted peppers to the saucepan and let them sit for 5 minutes. Remove the peppers and set aside.
• To serve: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lay the rounds of pancetta on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Toss the marinated peppers with the arugula and chives in a large bowl. Arrange the salad on a serving platter and garnish with the pancetta and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve with the eggplant Parmesan.

WARM SHREDDED LAMB SALAD WITH MINT AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• On the stovetop, brown the lamp, fat-side down, in a large roasting pan. Remove when nicely browned across its middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the shallots, garlic and carrot briefly. Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with the salt, gently for a couple of minutes. Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up. Let the liquid in the pan come to a boil, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.
• Now just leave it there while you sleep. I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it's perfect by lunchtime the next day. But the point is, at this temperature, nothing's going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.
• If you want to cook the lamb the day you're going to eat it, heat the oven to 325 degrees F and give it 5 hours or so. The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you: you know what sort of pottering relaxes you and what makes you feel constrained; how much time you've got, and how you want to use it. Don't let the food, the kitchen or the imagined expectations of other people bully you.
• With the homily over, about 1 hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the pan to a large plate or carving board - not that it needs carving; the deal here is that it's unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds a the touch of a fork. This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavor it deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
• To finish the lamb salad, simply pull it into pieces with a couple of forks on a large plate. Sprinkle with more sea salt and some freshly chopped mint, then cut the pomegranate in 1/2 and dot with the seeds from 1 of the halves. This is easily done; there's a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jeweled pips with a safety pin ever again. Simply hold the pomegranate 1/2 above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it. Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith. In a short while the glassy red, juicy beads will start raining down.
• Take the other 1/2 and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat. Take to the table and serve.
• What I do with the leftovers is warm a pita bread in the microwave, and then spread it with a greedy dollop of hummus, then take the chill off the refrigerated lamb in the microwave and stuff the already gooey pita with it. Add freshly chopped mint, black pepper and whatever else you like; raw, finely chopped red onion goes dangerously well.

PEPPER CRUSTED LAMB LOIN, BABY ARUGULA, ROASTED PINE NUT POLENTA AND WHITE TRUFFLE TOMATO DEMI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Marinate lamb for several hours in the olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Heat an ovenproof saute pan over medium high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil from the marinade. Sear the meat on all sides. Cook until just shy of medium rare with an internal temperature of 107 degrees F.
• To make the sauce, add shallots to a small pot over medium heat with the white truffle oil. Stir until shallots begin to brown. Add tomato juice and reduce by half. Add lamb stock and reduce by 1/2. Lamb stock: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Put trimmings and meat in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, or until browned. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the trimmings and meat to the water and reduce heat to medium. When the water comes back to a boil, skim frequently until the scum stops rising, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered for at least 6 hours. Add additional water if the stock falls below the level of the ingredients. Strain and discard the solids. Let the stock cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Remove and discard the congealed fat layer from the top. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To keep longer, bring to a boil every 3 days. Polenta: Place the pine nuts on a sheet pan and roast in a 350 degree oven until brown. Remove from pan and roughly chop in a food processor and set aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a small pot. Add the polenta to the milk stirring constantly. Add the pine nuts and season with salt ands pepper. Pour polenta into a 2-inch half pan and cool. When cool use a 3-inch circular cutter to portion the polenta.

HONEYDEW AND ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Cut 1/2 honeydew melon into small, thin pieces. Puree 1/2 cup of the melon pieces with 1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt and pepper. Toss with 10 ounces baby arugula and 1 cup of the melon pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

LAMB LOIN CHOPS

Steps:

• In the gallon bag, add lamb loin chops, 1 tablespoons of oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, garlic paste, and salt.
• Massage bag, making sure the chops are covered. Leave on the counter for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Heat sauté pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and once it heats up, add lamb loin chops and sear for 2 minutes each side
• Place pan in oven and bake for 8 - 9 minutes. I like it medium rare, so mine took 8 minutes.
• Pull pan out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving
• Eat
• Smile
• Enjoy