What a Nice Rack!

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

		Rosemary-Pesto Lamb Rack VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

What do you do when you’ve got an ample supply of Rosemary (from your own little spice garden) and a rack of lamb sitting in the freezer?  Why not try a pesto marinade?

Having seen pictures of basil pesto recipes from a variety of sources I thought why not give a rosemary pesto on lamb a try; it should work right?  The fresh piney scent goes really well with a roasted lamb shoulder so why not give this a try.  Cooking I find is more about experimenting with things and seeing how far you can try pushing flavors and textures.  So it was off to the kitchen I went to give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup parsley leaves and stems
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary plus rosemary sprigs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 500g Frenched rack of lamb

Directions

Seared and Ready for Roasting

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 200°c
2. Place parsley, chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan cheese and garlic in a food processor
3. Process to coarse paste. With machine running, gradually add olive oil
4. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear the lamb on both sides 2-3 minutes*
6. Remove lamb from the pan and spread all pesto over rounded side of lamb
7. Place back in cast iron pan (or baking tray) and roast in the oven for 5 minutes
8. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C and roast to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium-rare
9. Cut lamb between bones into chops

*step is optional.  If you are omitting this step add an additional 5 minutes to steps 7 & 8

Lamb with Carrot Quenelles VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

In addition to the lamb I oven roasted some South African pears and made carrot puree, let me know if you want the recipe for the carrot.

Bon Appétit – Sidney