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Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

There’s no better way to enhance any cut of lamb than with a coating of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and lemon juice, but feel free to adjust the garlic and rosemary up or down depending on your taste preference. Creamy polenta or whipped mashed potatoes are a perfect accompaniment along with roasted Brussels sprouts or glazed carrots.

Ingredients

  • 1 rack of lamb with 8 ribs, frenched (see “Healthy Ingredient Spotlight” below)
  • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles, plus extra sprigs for garnish 
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
  • Coarse sea salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper 

Directions

Step 1

Place the rack of lamb bone side down on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Add the garlic, olive oil, rosemary, and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar to the bowl of a small food processor and pulse until the garlic is finely chopped. Coat the lamb on all sides with the mixture, and season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the lamb to stand at room temperature for one hour. 

Step 2

Put an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Roast the lamb for 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare or until the internal temperature on an instant-read meat thermometer registers 125°F. (Roast the lamb 5-10 minutes longer if you prefer it less pink.) After removing it from the oven, loosely tent the lamb with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. To serve, slice the rack into individual chops and divide them between two dinner plates, fanning them in a semicircle. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired. 

Yields 2 servings.

Apple Sauté

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

More elegant than a baked apple yet healthier (and faster to make) than apple pie, this sautéed dish is a great way to satisfy a sophisticated sweet tooth. If you want to indulge even further, it’s amazing over a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

For the apple sauté

  • 8 -10 shelled almonds
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 Macoun, Granny Smith, or Gala apples, cored
  • 1 tablespoon walnut or grapeseed oil
  • 1/2 cup apple cider, a liqueur like Poire Williams, or a sweet wine like Sauternes 
  • 1/2 teaspoon All-American Gingerbread Spice (recipe below)
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • Cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese, to taste

For the All-American Gingerbread Spice

  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves 
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese
  • 2 tablespoons allspice 
  • 2 tablespoons ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon grated nutmeg 
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Toast the almonds in a small sauté pan for 3-5 minutes. When they’re cool enough to handle, chop coarsely and set aside. Using a microplane grater, zest the lemon half, setting aside the zest. On a cutting board, slice the apples horizontally into circles about one-half-inch thick, and then squeeze the juice from the lemon half over them. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the apples in one layer (do this in batches if needed to avoid crowding). Sauté for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the slices have released all their juices and feel tender when pricked with a knife tip, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, lift the apples from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Add the lemon zest, cider/liqueur/wine, gingerbread spice, and vanilla to the pan and rapidly boil down to a syrup, whisking constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the apples, and top with the chopped almonds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Step 2

Pulverize the cloves in a coffee bean grinder and transfer to a small bowl along with the other spices. Whisk to combine and funnel into an airtight glass jar. Note: Wipe out the grinder very well to remove all traces of cloves.

Yields 2 servings.

One-Pot Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Hearty, filling, and needing only one pot, this comforting dish will warm a three-dog night. I first cooked with passata (strained uncooked tomato purée) during a visit to Italy, but have since found passata on some upscale American supermarket shelves.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
  • 2 sweet or hot Italian sausages (5 to 6 ounces each), casings removed
  • One 24-ounce jar of passata (see above) or one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 pound cavatappi, fusilli, or other small, tubular pasta
  • 5 packed cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Step 1

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Use your hands to pull the sausages apart into small pieces; add to the skillet and cook untouched for 1 minute.

Step 2

Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals and breaking up the sausage into 1/2-inch chunks, until browned and crispy on the outside with no pink remaining.

Step 3

Carefully pour in the passata (it may splatter), then add the cumin, red pepper flakes and 2 cups of water, stirring to combine. Season with salt and increase the heat to bring to a boil.

Step 4

Add the pasta, coating it with the liquid. (It won’t be fully submerged, and that’s OK.) Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer with small bubbles forming on the surface. Cover and let cook, stirring every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. If the pasta is still hard at this point, add a few tablespoons of warm water at a time and cook until just al dente. Depending on your pasta size and shape, you may need to add several tablespoons of water.

Step 5

When the pasta is just al dente, reduce the heat to low and season to taste with salt. Stir in the spinach in batches, and cook, uncovered, until most of the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute more. (It will continue to wilt in the heat of the pasta after you serve it.) If the pasta seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Step 6

Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Top with Parmesan and serve additional extra virgin olive oil on the side for drizzling.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from cooking.nytimes.com