A bit of a Ramble

It's a beautiful day outside. On not necessarily an entirely different note, being unemployed, or rather, being employed in a minimal time commitment part-time job, has some terrible advantages, or disadvantages, depending upon how you'd like to view it. One, it's quite easy to sleep in until extremely late and miss any loosely-confirmed appointments (this is bad, I know...very very bad), as well as the majority of any beautiful day. Also, lessons in monetary frugality are always a blast. On another hand, I technically have lots of time to work on personal projects (although I do seem to be idiotically procrastinating on the priority one), and snuggle with the dog on the couch. In fact, he's sitting on me right now, with his head nestled on my chest. Qué estoy haciendo con mi vida??

Point is, being unemployed is both a soulfully wonderful thing, and a goal-oriented ghost's nightmare. Unfortunately, I find myself right in between those two worlds right now, and who knows what will come out of it. Let's try to make today a little more goal-oriented.

On that note (a lot "On"s and parentheses today, I know), here's a savory recipe. Ironically, it could actually work as a Valentine's day dinner, as lamb chops are wont to do. It's also super simple and quick to prepare, food will be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Either way, sweet carrots with garlicky lamb and herb paste are a happy pairing, glass of red wine or barleywine on the side. It's been awhile since I've posted a dinner recipe, but that's only because I rarely get impressive pictures of dishes at night. I think these turned out all right. In terms of the garlic paste that goes on top, you can really use any herb paste you'd like. If you don't mind the slightly strong and bitter taste that comes from rosemary, you can grind up rosemary leaves with the garlic. If not, you can just use garlic as a base and add herbs like thyme or basil. In fact, next time, I think I'll use a pesto sauce on top. Really, the point of the paste is just to keep things moist and add flavor and color as the lamb finishes off in the oven, so you really have the option to put whatever you'd like on top. I'm a fan of the garlic rosemary, with a balsamic reduction sauce on the side, but you can also make things spicy with just garlic and a dollop of green habanero sauce on top. The possibilities for the paste are endless, and the recipe below is just one of many. In this case, what's most important is to cook the lamb correctly, because overdone lamb is really a drag.

Here's a lovely trick behind getting the right cook on meat. On your non-dominant hand, pinch together the tips of your thumb and pinky. Lightly touch the pad under your thumb; the way that feels is what well-done meat feels like. If you pinch together your thumb and ring finger, it's medium rare. If you pinch together your middle finger and your thumb, you get rare. The thumb pad on an open palm gives you the feel of raw meat. I think lamb is best medium rare, so when it feels like it's becoming medium rare or just stepping out of rare, take it out of the oven and let it rest in the hot pan for at least 5 minutes. Then serve atop a bed of ginger carrots, with the balsamic reduction sauce on the side.  


Honey and Ginger Carrots
2 C carrots, cut into half-inch rounds
2 TB salted butter
1 TB crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 TB ground ginger
1 TB honey
salt and white pepper

Steam the carrots with a pinch of salt until fork tender. In a large pan, combine the remaining ingredients and cook until a sticky sauce as formed. Pour the steamed carrots into the pan, and toss the carrots in the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Let rest until the lamb is ready.

Seared Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Herb Paste
serves 2-4 

8 thick lamb loin chops
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 TB salted butter
1 head of garlic
4-5 stalks of rosemary (or herb of choice)

Strip the stalks of rosemary and collect the leaves in a separate bowl, reserving the rosemary stems in another. Season the lamb loin chops with salt and pepper. On the stove on med-high flame, add the 2 TB of butter to a wide pan. Once the butter has melted, lightly crush the rosemary stalks in your hands and then add them to the butter, stirring until you can smell the rosemary aroma. Remove the stalks from the pan, or else they will blacken, and that's just annoying. Once the butter is hot, sear your lamb loin chops until brown on all sides, especially on the bone side. This is what will keep in the moisture while baking in the oven. Careful, do not overcook, just sear the lamb loin chops until brown (they should still feel very soft to the touch). Once the lamb is finished searing, transfer to a baking pan. De-glaze the pan with red wine or a beer of choice (something light like a pilsner), and a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar. Reserve balsamic reduction glaze in a bowl for serving later.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor or blender, puree the head of garlic with your herb of choice (in this case the rosemary leaves), adding oil olive until a smooth paste is formed. Season with salt and pepper to desired taste. Using a spatula, spread the garlic herb paste over the seared chops until evenly distributed.

Bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Uncovered is important, do not bake covered or else the lamb will steam, lose all its juice, and become well-done extremely quickly.  Bake around 5 minutes for rare, 10-15 minuets for medium-rare. Once the lamb has the softness you want, remove from the oven and let rest at least five minutes outside of the oven. It is ready to serve once finished resting. Place atop atop a bed of ginger honey carrots, with the balsamic reduction sauce on the side.