Boneless Colorado Lamb Porterhouse Recipes

GRILLED LAMB PORTERHOUSE WITH FIG-CASCABEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat grill to high or heat a grill pan over high heat. Brush chops on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chops on the grill or grill pan and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn over the chops and continue grilling to medium doneness, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.
• Ladle some of the sauce into the center of each dinner plate. Place 2 chops per order in the center of the sauce and drizzle the edges of the meat with some more of the sauce. Garnish with parsley leaves.
• Place figs in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let sit until softened, approximately 30 minutes. Place the softened figs in a food processor with 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid and process until smooth.
• Combine the vinegar and port wine in a medium nonreactive saucepan and reduce by half over high heat. Add the sugar, orange juice, and fig puree and reduce by half again, stirring occasionally.
• Combine the chile puree and chicken stock in another saucepan and reduce by half over high heat. Add the reduced vinegar-fig mixture to the chicken stock mixture along with a touch of honey and reduce by half again, stirring occasionally. Strain the mixture into a clean medium saucepan and reduce to a sauce consistency.

VEAL PORTERHOUSE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the porterhouse with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the steak and sear until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet from the heat. Transfer the steak to a plate and add the mushrooms and shallot to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the porcinis are golden brown. Remove skillet from the heat again. Pour in the brandy, slowly put back on heat and allow the alcohol to flame up. Once flame is out, add the heavy cream, butter and porterhouse. Let simmer until sauce thickens. Remove veal porterhouse and place in the oven until desired temperature. Transfer the steak to a serving plate, top with the sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serve and enjoy.

COLORADO LAMB CHOPS WITH AN HERB MARINADE, SOFT POLENTA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS, AND A HIBISCUS GLAZE

Steps:

• For the marinade: In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Cut each 1/2 rack into 9 chops, yielding 18 chops (3 chops per person). Rub chops with the marinade. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.
• Heat a saute pan and pour oil into the pan when it is hot. Saute the lamb chops. For the Hibiscus Glaze: In a non-reactive saucepan combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 1/2 hour. Strain. Return liquid to a simmer and reduce until syrupy consistency. For the Soft Polenta: Bring water and salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta. Heat to a very low simmer and cook for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the cheeses, butter, and nutmeg and season as needed with salt and pepper. Take the polenta off the heat, wrap well with plastic wrap, and store it in a warm place. The polenta will hold its heat for quite a while. For the Sauteed Mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms as needed. Some can be brushed off, while others may have to be quickly rinsed in water and well drained. Never soak mushrooms, as they will absorb too much water and become soggy when cooked. Cook each variety of mushroom individually because they all cook at different rates.
• Heat a saute pan 2 for minutes over a medium flame. When it is hot, add 1/3 of the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown. Add 1/3 of the shallots and 1/3 of the butter. Keep the mushrooms moving in the pan until they are just tender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat process for the other mushroom varieties.

COLORADO LAMB AND CARAMELIZED ONION MASH WITH LAMB FENNEL ESSENCE

Steps:

• Lamb Fennel Essence:
• Remove all fat from the lamb top rounds and discard. Combine rosemary, thyme, garlic, and 1/8 cup canola oil. Marinate lamb in herb-garlic mixture, covered and refrigerated, overnight.
• For the Lamb Fennel Essence: Trim lamb scraps and dice into 1/8-inch cubes. Heat canola oil until just smoking. Pan fry lamb in batches. Cook until lamb is evenly caramelized dark brown, but not burnt. Strain off fat and de-glaze pan with vinegar and scrape fond from bottom of pan. Add thyme, fennel seeds, and red wine to pot. Reduce. Add demi-glace and simmer very slowly for 2 to 3 hours.
• Add water to bring sauce up to original volume as needed. Reduce by half and season with salt. Strain through fine chinois. Adjust seasoning.
• To finish, bring one cup of sauce to boil. Whip in two tablespoons of cold butter and check seasonings.
• For The Lamb: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove lamb from marinade. Season well with salt. Sear the lamb over high heat with one tablespoon oil in ovenproof pan. Sear to a dark brown, then turn lamb over, and transfer to the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, for medium rare. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Place potatoes and salt in a large pot. Add cold water and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until completely tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
• Combine 4 tablespoons butter and cream in a saucepan over low heat and heat until butter is melted.
• Peel onions and slice thin as possible. To very hot skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter, then onions, and salt. Stir and continue to cook over high heat until they color. Then reduce heat and caramelize to a chestnut brown color.
• Mash the cooked potatoes into the pot they were cooked in. Keep potatoes warm over a very low flame, stirring in the cream and butter and onion mixture. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

MOLE COLORADO

Steps:

• Make chicken broth: In a deep stockpot, place the chicken, onion, cloves, peppercorns, parsley, and garlic and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and tender. Remove chicken from the broth and reserve; cover and refrigerate as you will not be using it for a while. Let the broth cool. Skim any fat from the surface and then divide broth into 2 equal-size batches.
• In a hot, dry, large skillet roast the chiles and then add them to 1 half of the broth. In the same skillet, toast the black peppercorns and cinnamon stick separately over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute, and then add them to the chicken broth with the chiles.
• In the same skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and saute until transparent; remove onion and reserve. To the hot oil, add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it; remove garlic and reserve. To the hot oil, add the plantain slices and fry until golden; remove plantain and reserve. To the hot oil, add the peanuts and fry until golden; remove peanuts and reserve. To the hot oil, add the tortilla and fry until crisp; remove tortilla and reserve. Finally, fry the bread in the hot oil until crisp; remove bread and reserve.
• Add everything that has just been fried to the chicken broth with the chiles. Add the chocolate, raisins, and the roasted tomato to this same mixture and stir to combine. In batches, add mixture to a blender and blend until smooth*. Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl.
• In a dry medium saucepan over medium heat, roast the sesame seeds until they are fragrant; do not brown. Transfer the sesame seeds to the blender with half of the remaining plain chicken broth and blend until smooth*. Add sesame seed mixture to the large bowl with the other pureed ingredients. In the same saucepan, roast the squash seeds over medium heat until they become puffy. Transfer the squash seeds to the blender with the remaining chicken broth and blend until smooth*. Add squash seed mixture to the large bowl with everything else.
• In a "cazuela" or a large, heavy-bottomed wide pot, heat the remaining 1 cup of oil over high heat. When the oil is really hot, add the mole, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the pot. Then add the chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with tortillas.