Lamb with Pomegranate Salsa Verde

....with wild mushroom risotto and crispy delicata squash

After reading food Art (a wonderful professional food magazine), they discussed a pomegranate salsa verde that they served with squab. But I thought it would make an equally nice pairing spooned over the top of a local Sonoma grass fed lamb. This lamb is a bit gamier but exceedingly tender. Pomegranates are a wonderful fall fruit and one of my favorites. As a little girl, I would sit naked with newspaper and paper towel all around me tearing through pomegranates. With fond pomegranate memories, I couldn’t wait to pair this fruit with something savory. The pomegranate salsa verde is a mixture of fresh seeds, pomegranate syrup, ginger and fresh herbs. Unfortunately I didn’t measure out the ingredients but simply tasted the “salsa” to find the balance between herbs and pomegranate flavors.



Pomegranate Salsa Verde

To make the pomegranate syrup:
You can buy store bought pomegranate juice and reduce it down until it forms a thick syrup.
I mashed up pomegranate seeds to extract the juice. I placed this juice in a small pot with water and sugar, to form a pomegranate infused simple syrup, and reduced it down to thick syrup, where it is nape (meaning to coat the back of a spoon.)
In another bowl place:
Fresh pomegranate seeds approx. 1 cup
Grated ginger (1/4 tsp.)
Freshly chopped thyme (1/2 tsp)
Freshly chopped parsley (1/2 tsp)
Finely minced garlic (1/2 tsp.)
A good drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pour in the syrup enough to excessively coat the mixed ingredients. If it isn’t sweet enough, add a bit more. But I would veer to the less is more with the highly sweet syrup.
Lightly spoon over lamb chops.

Drizzled over lamb chops, the fruity acidity of the salsa gives a breath of freshness to the earthy dish of wild mushroom risotto, lamb and roasted squash. For the crispy roasted squash, I used a delicata prepared in the following manner:
Cut the delicata squash in half, de-seed and make ¼ -1/2 inch wide Half moon slices.
Place on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Put the oven to 425, (if it seems as if it was cooking to fast, turn down the temperature.) You will get an ultra crispy skin and a soft luxourious squash bite.
As for the wild mushroom risotto, follow any risotto recipe you love, but add coarsely chopped mushrooms (chanterelle, morels, shitake, brown, oyster…whatever you would like, but choose three) near the beginning of cooking. Even though this might discolor the mushrooms, it gives the risotto a fuller mushroom flavor without having to make mushroom stock.
ENJOY!!!

Rose Bakery and Lamb Chops

Not knowing the importance or deliciousness of Rose Bakery, I was intrigued by a simple summary in our guidebook: a London bakery in Paris using seasonal organic produce to make delicious scones, lunch and breakfast food. I had to go.
Up a winding street, filled with bucheries, patisseries, and produce stands, people lined up to purchase to go items.
We sat down to creamy scrambles eggs with a cheese and an herb scone accompanied by a corn and tomato salad. The scone was tall and tender. And the combination of all three was delicious. The pancakes were extremely fluffy but the berry sauce needed to be sweeter. I also enjoyed the fennel/apple salad with walnuts, which was crunchy, light and refreshing.
I was so captivated by this place and figuring out its’ highly regarded reputation, I came back for seconds. This time I had a savory tart of broccoli and smoked salmon. The crust was buttery and crispy and the broccoli and salmon were layered to ensure that every bite was in balance.
My boyfriend bought me the cookbook, where Rose, the owner handed me the copy. Returning home with my great big green book, I wanted to try to recreate the delicious meals I had in Paris. My first recipe was braised artichoke with lemon and grilled lamb chops.
Finding some baby artichokes at the farmers market and Sonoma raison loin lamb chops, I knew I had the ingredients that Rose herself would approve of.
Recipe Follows.
The artichokes were rich in flavor from braising, with just a hint of lemon. The mirepoix that they were cooked in was just as tasty. And the lemon and artichokes was a great earthy complement to the grilled lamb. It also makes a lovely presentation. Breakfast, Tea and Lunch is a great cookbook with beautiful pictures. I will say, the recipes aren’t exact because of measurement conversions and sometimes the recipe instructions are spotty. But after going to the establishment, it is not just a cookbook but also a keepsake.


Lamb Chops with Braised Artichokes and Lemon

Serves 6
Juice 2 lemons (for acidulated water)
12-14 medium globe artichokes (or smaller ones – which I prefer)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for chops
3 onions finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
About 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
18 lamb chops
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Half-fill a large bowl of water and add lemon juice.
To prepare the artichokes, remove their stalks and the tips of their outer leaves, then peel them down to the light pale green leaves. Halve them and scoop out and discard the fuzzy inside.
Put the artichokes the acidulated water to stop them from turning brown.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a saucepan and cook the onions over a low heat until softened.
Add the celery, carrots, salt and pepper and lemon zest. Continue to cook over a low heat until all the vegetables are turning golden (nice carmelization has occurs) – about 15 minutes
Add the garlic and the artichoke hearts.
Pour enough stock to cover vegetables and simmer for about 25-20 minutes until the artichokes have just cooked and the liquid has reduced by half.
Check seasoning and set aside.
Season the chops and frill them, till they are cooked through but still slightly pink – about 5 minutes each side.
Serve with the artichokes on the side or underneath the chops. Garnish with parsley and Enjoy.