Roasted Baby Rack of Lamb with Stuffed Sweet Mini-Peppers and Eggplant Cake, with Rosemary-Carrot Au Jus
This very Mediterranean dish draws its flavors from both shores of that inland sea, and tops everything off with a brilliant sauce of reduced carrot juice, lamb stock, and rosemary.
Ingredients
- Lamb
- Baby Racks of Lamb - two, 8-bone
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Stuffed Sweet Mini-Peppers
- Baby Red Bell Peppers - 8
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Ratatouille
- Olive Oil - 6 tablespoons
- Eggplant - 1 cup, 1-inch-cubed,
- Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Red and yellow bell peppers - 1 cup, finely diced
- Zucchini - 1 cup, finely diced
- Yellow Squash - 1/2 cup, finely diced
- Garlic Cloves - 4 to 5, minced
- Fresh basil - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Fresh Thyme - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Tomato - 1, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Tapenade
- Nicoise Olives - 1/4 cup, pitted and chopped
- Garlic puree - 2 teaspoons, roasted
- Mixed Fresh Herbs - 1-1/2 tablespoons, chopped, such as parsley, chervil, tarragon, and chives
- Sun-dried tomatoes - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Eggplant Cake
- Eggplant - 1 , peeled
- Olive Oil - 4 tablespoons
- Fresh Fennel Bulb - 1/2 cup, diced, (not the feathery tops)
- Lightly Salted Water - 1 cup, boiling
- Red and yellow bell peppers - 2 tablespoons, diced
- Chicken Stock - 1 cup
- Curry powder - 1/2 tablespoon
- Instant Couscous - 2 cups
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Rosemary-Carrot Sauce
- Freshly Extracted Carrot Juice - 1 cup (about 4 to 6 carrots)
- Lamb stock - 1 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Shallot - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Fresh rosemary sprigs - one, 3-inch
- Curry powder - 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter - 1 tablespoon
Instructions
To prepare the lamb: Preheat the oven to 500 F. Place the racks back-to-back and tie together with white cotton string. In a large ovenproof saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and place it in the hot skillet with the bones standing upright. Brown on the bottom for about 3 minutes, then turn the racks over and place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the lamb is medium-rare.
To prepare the mini-peppers: Preheat the broiler. Rub the peppers with the oil, place them under the broiler 2 inches from the heat, and broil them until the skin is charred and loosened but not burned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the peppers in a paper or plastic bag, close it, and let them cool until they can be handled. Split the peppers in half lengthwise through the stem. Remove the seeds, ribs, and skin. Season the peppers with salt and pepper and set aside.
To make the ratatouille: In a large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the eggplant until it begins to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and another 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are a light golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the peppers, zucchini, squash, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs, and saute for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool, then add the diced tomato and sauteed eggplant.
To make the tapenade: Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse puree.
To make the eggplant cakes: Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and saute some of the eggplant slices until lightly colored on each side, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat to cook all eggplant slices, adding the remaining olive oil one tablespoon at a time as necessary.
Poach the diced fennel in the boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the bell pepper, chicken stock, and curry powder. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Add the salt and pepper, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Place four 2-1/2-inch stainless steel rings or similar molds on an oiled baking sheet. Line the bottom of each mold with eggplant slices, overlapping them and allowing the ends to extend over the sides. Fill the olds with the couscous mixture, packing tightly, and fold the ends of the eggplant slices over the top. Set aside until ready to serve.
To finish the peppers: Fill half the roasted pepper halves with the ratatouille and the other half of the pepper halves with the tapenade. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.
To make the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the carrot juice until it is reduced by half. Add the lamb stock, salt, and pepper. Add the shallot, garlic, rosemary, and curry, and simmer over medium-low heat for at least 10 minutes, or until the flavors have mingled. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan and swirl in the butter over low heat.
To serve: When the lamb has been roasted to the desired doneness, let it sit in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes. Reheat the eggplant cakes in a hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Warm the serving plates.
Place a warmed eggplant cake, smooth side up, in the center of each warmed serving plate and carefully remove the ring. Remove the strings from the lamb and slice between the bones to cut it into chops. Place two of each of the filled red peppers at opposite positions on the plates and place four lamb chops in between the peppers, bones toward the center. Ladle some of the strained sauce over the chops and around the edges of the plates.
