Lamb Chops With Fennel And Tomatoes Recipes

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES, TURNIPS AND CARROTS

Steps:

• For topping: Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For lamb: Whisk chicken broth, beef broth, 1/2 cup wine, 1/3 cup currant jelly, herbes de Provence, vinegar and garlic in large glass baking dish to blend. Add lamb shanks; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove lamb from marinade; reserve marinade. Pat lamb dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb; cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large roasting pan. Add all vegetables to roasting pan.
• Pour reserved marinade into same skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour over lamb. Cover; bake until lamb and vegetables are very tender, turning occasionally, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb and vegetables to large serving bowl. Tent with foil.
• Spoon fat off top of cooking liquid. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cooking liquid. Add 1/3 cup wine, 1/3 cup jelly and tomato paste. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce, then topping, over lamb and vegetables.

SPICED LAMB CHOPS WITH FENNEL AND CUCUMBER

Steps:

• Using a knife, mortar and pestle or spice grinder, finely chop or coarsely grind fennel seed. (Just grind it enough to break down the whole seeds: You're not looking for a powder.)
• Season lamb with salt, pepper and fennel seed.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb fat-side-down in the skillet and cook until it's a good golden brown, about 2 minutes. (This also renders some of the fat, which you'll sear the meat in.) Using tongs, turn the lamb and cook until it's nicely browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side, which will give you medium-rare meat. Transfer lamb to a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss sliced fennel bulb, cucumber and shallot in a medium bowl. Zest and juice 1 lemon and add to the fennel. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve lamb chops whole on a large serving platter, or slice lamb away from the bone or rib about 1/4-inch thick, then transfer to a large serving platter or divide among plates. Cut remaining lemon in half and squeeze over lamb. Scatter with dill or mint and serve alongside fennel salad and cooked grains, if you like.

LAMB CHOPS WITH FENNEL, ARUGULA, RED ONION AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD

Steps:

• For the lamb chops: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the mix. Reserve.
• Remove 2 rib bones from each rack of lamb and cut the remaining racks into 6 equal, thicker chops (instead of 8 thinner chops).
• Sprinkle the lamb chops with salt and reserve at room temperature. Brush both sides of the chops with the rosemary mixture.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the lamb chops on all sides, including the fat edge. (Remember: Brown food tastes good! If your pan gets too hot, lower the heat. Ditch the oil in between the batches and start off with fresh oil. It is really important not to crowd the pan while browning the chops. If the pan is crowded, the chops will steam instead of browning and getting crispy.) When all the chops are browned, arrange them neatly on a sheet tray (with sides, you don't want any juices or fat to run off). Brush the browned chops with the rosemary mixture. Roast the chops for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, 12 to 15 minutes for medium.
• For the salad: Meanwhile, toss together the fennel, arugula, radicchio, red onion and olives with the olive oil, lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of salt in a large bowl. Taste to make sure it is delicious. Arrange the salad on a large serving platter and top the salad with the hot lamb chops to wilt the salad a little bit. Brush the chops with any remaining rosemary oil and drizzle any juice from the baking sheet over the lamb.
• Chop chop!

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH ROUILLE AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• For rouille: Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, pound or pulse saffron until bruised and fragrant. Mix in a half teaspoon of boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt and cayenne and pound or pulse until a paste forms.
• Mix in the egg yolk until thoroughly combined. While pounding and stirring constantly (or with food processor on), slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When oil is fully emulsified, stir in tomato paste. Add more salt and cayenne if necessary.
• Light grill. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper, and coat with rouille. Allow lamb to rest at room temperature while grill heats up.
• Halve cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Toss with celery leaves or chives and vinegar.
• Grill lamb chops to taste, about 2 to 3 minutes a side for medium rare. Brush bread slices with oil and grill until toasted, about 30 seconds a side. Serve lamb with more rouille drizzled on top, and grilled bread and tomatoes on the side.

GRILLED MARINATED LAMB CHOPS WITH BALSAMIC CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Stir together honey, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper and transfer to a sealable plastic bag. Add lamb, then seal bag, pressing out excess air and turning to distribute marinade. Marinate lamb, chilled, turning occasionally, 1 hour. Bring lamb to room temperature.
• Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill and on lid.
• Remove lamb from marinade, reserving marinade. When fire is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds), grill lamb on lightly oiled grill rack, turning once, about 4 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered.
• Cook tomatoes (still on vine, if using) in disposable roasting pan, covered with grill lid, carefully turning, until softened and just beginning to split, about 8 minutes. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over tomatoes, turning to coat, then cook, uncovered, until vinegar is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Remove from grill.
• Bring reserved marinade with any lamb juices accumulated on platter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, covered.
• Drizzle lamb with marinade and serve with tomatoes.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH THYME, CARROTS, AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim fat from lamb and discard. Cut each chop lengthwise along bones into 3 separate pieces, leaving bones attached to meat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to bowl. Add onions, 2 chopped carrots, halved head of garlic, and 6 thyme sprigs to pot and sauté until onions are brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir 2 minutes. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to simmer. Cover pot tightly; transfer to oven and bake until lamb is very tender, adding up to 3/4 cup more water if juices evaporate, about 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer lamb to medium bowl; discard bones. Pour vegetable mixture from pot into strainer set over large bowl. Press on solids to extract as much vegetable pulp and pan juice as possible. Return strained pulp and juice to pot. Spoon off fat from surface. Return lamb to pot; bring mixture to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrots, 2 thyme sprigs, fennel, and bay leaf and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, stirring often, about 35 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with sautéed vegetables.

LAMB CHOPS WITH GREEN TOMATOES

Steps:

• Season lamb chops with coriander, salt and pepper. If you have time, let meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; once it thins and runs all over the pan, add lamb. Cook meat, without moving, until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes more. It should still be very rare inside. Transfer lamb to a plate.
• Return skillet to heat and lower flame to medium. Stir in shallots and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until anchovies dissolve, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook until tomatoes are almost softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in honey. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Push tomatoes to side of skillet. Place lamb back in center of skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook lamb to taste, about 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare (or longer if you like). To serve, spoon tomatoes over chops, garnish generously with basil and drizzle with more olive oil.

MARINATED LAMB CHOPS WITH FENNEL AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil, garlic and pepper in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the lamb chops. Place the lamb chops in the dish and coat well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Wipe the oil off the lamb chops. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the chops and sear until medium rare, about 30 seconds per side. Remove the chops from the skillet and wrap in foil to keep warm.
• Reduce the heat to very low. Add the shaved fennel, cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the fennel is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the fennel from the skillet with a slotted spatula and divide among 4 warmed plates.
• Increase the heat and add the white wine and chicken broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Stir in the olives and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 2 lamb chops over the fennel on each plate, spoon the sauce over the top, sprinkle with the fennel tops and serve immediately.