Oriental Lamb with Crispy Fried Vegetables
Stir-fried vegetables and crisp wonton strips garnish lamb which is served with a sauce made with Asian and tropical ingredients. The fruit in the sauce and relish is a wonderful counterpoint to the rich lamb.
Ingredients
- Sesame Seed Oil - 1/4 cup
- Onion - 1 large, finely diced
- Stock vegetables - 1/4 pound, (carrot, celery root, parsley root), finely diced
- Balsamic Vinegar - 1/4 cup
- Mango syrup - 2 tablespoons
- Banana syrup - 2 tablespoons
- Coconut Syrup - 2 tablespoons
- Rhubarb Stalks - 2, deribbed and cut into small dice
- Black Trumpet Mushrooms - 1/2 cup, dried
- Freshly grated ginger - 1 teaspoon
- Lamb stock - 1 cup
- Soy Sauce - 1/2 cup
- Nutmeg to taste
- Cardamom to taste
- Salt to taste
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons, cut into pieces
- Cornstarch - 1/2 teaspoon
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Lamb
- Racks of lamb - 2 small, about 2 pounds
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Virgin olive oil - 3 to 4 tablespoons
- Rosemary Sprigs - 2
- Fruit Relish
- Celery Root - 1
- Red Bell Peppers - 3, peeled and julienned
- Mango - 1, peeled, pitted, and julienned
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Mango syrup - 2 tablespoons
- Cardamom to taste
- White wine vinegar to taste
- Fried Vegetables
- Dough wrappers - 4 spring roll
- Canola oil for deep frying
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Red Bell Pepper - 1, peeled, seeded, and julienned
- Snow Peas - 1 cup, julienned
- Celery Stalks - 2, strings removed, julienned
- Green asparagus tips - 12
- Radish Sprouts - 1 cup
- Soy Sauce - 1 tablespoon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
To prepare the sauce: Heat the sesame seed oil in a large skillet and brown the onions and stock vegetables over medium heat until deep brown. Drain off the excess oil and return the pan to the heat; deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Stir in the mango, banana, and coconut syrups. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Add the rhubarb, mushrooms, and ginger; stir to blend. Pour in the lamb stock and soy sauce, then continue to cook down for 1 hour. Press through a sieve; return the liquid portion to the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. When the sauce has thickened a little, season to taste with freshly ground nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Add the bits of cold butter and swirl to blend. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and stir into the sauce; stir over medium heat for 1 minute to thicken. Set aside.
To prepare the lamb: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large heatproof skillet over medium-high heat and brown the lamb on all sides. When the racks are browned, turn onto the bones, meat-side up, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Lay the rosemary over the meat and continue roasting for another 15 to 20 minutes, to an internal temperature of 125 - 130 F, to taste. Remove and let rest in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes.
To prepare the relish: Peel the celery root and cut into fine dice. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and put the celery root in the water; boil for 1 minute. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry on paper towels. Mix all ingredients with the mango syrup and season with salt, pepper, cardamom, and a dash of vinegar to taste. Set aside to steep for 10 to 20 minutes.
To prepare the vegetables: Cut the spring roll wrappers into 1/2-inch strips. Heat the oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or deep saucepan and fry the wrapper strips until crisp and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and pan-fry the peppers, snow peas, celery, and asparagus, swirling the pan to move the vegetables around. Remove from heat and swirl in the sprouts and soy sauce. Set aside.
To serve: Cut the lamb into individual chop pieces and divide among the plates. Form a medium quenelle from the relish and place on a plate to one side of the lamb; repeat with remaining plates. Spoon sauce around the lamb on each plate. Toss the wonton crisps with the vegetables and mound on the plates.
