Ingredients:
Lamb
- rack of lamb, 2 two-bone chops
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons preserved lemon, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, cleaned
- 1/4 cup blended oil
Carrot Butter
- 1 quart coin-cut carrots
- orange zest, 2 to 3 strips cut with a peeler
- 1 quart neutral-flavored oil
Pesto
- 1 pint packed arugula, cleaned
- 1 pint packed basil, cleaned
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- lemon zest, 2 to 3 strips cut with a peeler
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup Bartenura Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- pinch of nutritional yeast (optional)
Greens
- 1/4 cup sugar snap peas
- 1/4 cup fava beans
- 1/4 cup cut green beans
- 2 tablespoons sliced spring garlic (1 teaspoon mashed garlic cloves can be used instead)
- 1 teaspoon Heaven & Earth Lemon Juice
- 1 cup pea greens
- 2 tablespoons mint, cleaned
- 1/4 cup Bartenura Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Sommelier Suggests
- Herzog Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Marinate
Marinate the lamb by blending together the garlic, preserved lemon, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil.
Place the lamb and the marinade in a bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. It’s best to let the lamb marinate overnight.
Prepare the Carrot Butter
Place the cut carrots, oil, and orange zest in a pot and simmer until the carrots are easily pierced with a knife, around 20 to 30 minutes. Do not let the oil come to a boil – you only want to see small bubbles.
Strain the carrots and place them in a blender with about a quarter cup of the oil from the pot.
Purée the carrots and season with salt to taste. Set the carrot butter aside for later.
Prepare the Pesto
To make the pesto add the arugula, basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt (and nutritional yeast, if using) in a food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture is almost smooth but still has some texture. Set the pesto aside for plating.
Prepare the Greens
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Blanch the sugar snap peas, fava beans, and green beans in hot water for one minute, then immediately chill them in the ice water. If using fresh fava beans, remove the skin from the fava bean.
Cook the Lamb
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium-high flame. Prepare an oven-safe sheet pan.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan and sear the lamb on all sides. Place the lamb on the sheet pan and place in the oven to finish cooking to your desired doneness:
Rare – 125 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium Rare – 135 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium – 145 degrees Fahrenheit
Well Done – 155 degrees Fahrenheit
Quickly sauté the snap peas, fava beans, and green beans in an oiled hot pan with the spring garlic, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Clean the pan, then return the pan to the heat and quick sauté the pea tendrils with a pinch of salt.
To Plate
Spread a dollop of the carrot butter across the plate.
Ladle a few tablespoons of the fava bean mixture on one side of the plate.
Lay a two-bone lamb chop on top of the bean mixture.
Place the sautéed pea tendrils on top of the lamb and drizzle with the pesto.
Finish with a few torn pieces of fresh mint and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.