The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (9 page)

This main course was a last-minute inspiration. For a small supper for friends, I had decided to
grill lamb chops and serve them plain. But, while at the supermarket, I came across some glorious
Roquefort and then spotted some Black Mission figs. At home I soaked the dried figs in warm red
wine, then combined them with bits of cheese and chopped rosemary. The slightly charred meat
topped with the mixture of salty cheese, sweet fruit, and robust rosemary turned out to be a stellar
combination.

SERVES 4 WITH 3 CHOPS PER SERVING OR 6 WITH 2 CHOPS PER SERVING

LAMB CHOPS

½
cup dry red wine

3
tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for oiling grill rack

¾
teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried

¾
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried

Scant ½ teaspoon salt

Scant ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12
3-to 4-ounce rib lamb chops, about ¾ inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
TOPPING

½
cup dry red wine

12
dried Black Mission figs

4
ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

½
teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
TO PREPARE THE LAMB CHOPS:
Combine wine, 3 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Place chops in a shallow nonreactive dish. Pour marinade over them, cover, and refrigerate. Marinate 2 hours or longer. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before ready to grill.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
In a small saucepan, heat wine until hot. Place figs in small bowl and pour wine over them. Soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove, pat dry, then cut figs lengthwise into thin slivers. In another bowl, combine figs, cheese, and ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary. Set aside.

When ready to cook lamb, oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature). Remove meat from marinade and lightly pat dry with paper towels. Grill chops about 3 minutes per side or until browned on the outside and just pink in center.

(Internal temperature for medium-rare is 145 degrees F.)

Remove chops to a serving platter and top each with a generous tablespoon of the cheese/fig mixture. Garnish each chop with a rosemary sprig.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH ORANGE AND

MINT COUSCOUS

This main course requires only a modest effort on the cook’s part, yet the results are impressive.

Rib lamb chops are covered with a flavorful marinade, then grilled and served with quick-cooking
couscous flavored with orange and raisins. For serving, the golden couscous grains are mounded
in the center of a platter, sprinkled with fresh mint and surrounded by the crusty chops.

SERVES 4 WITH 2 CHOPS PER SERVING

LAMB CHOPS

8
3-to 4-ounce rib lamb chops, about ¾ inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4
cloves garlic, minced

2
teaspoons ground cumin

Kosher salt

½
teaspoon cayenne pepper

3
tablespoons olive oil plus extra for oiling grill rack

ORANGE AND MINT COUSCOUS

1
large navel orange

3
tablespoons golden raisins

1½
cups chicken stock

1½
tablespoons unsalted butter

1
cup quick-cooking couscous

2
tablespoons chopped fresh mint plus several mint sprigs for garnish
TO PREPARE THE LAMB CHOPS:
Place the lamb chops in a shallow nonreactive pan. Crush minced garlic along with cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne in a mortar with a pestle, or place in a small bowl and crush with a teaspoon. Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Brush both sides of each of the lamb chops with some of the seasoning mixture; cover and refrigerate. Marinate 45 to 60 minutes or longer. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

TO MAKE THE COUSCOUS:
Grate enough peel from the orange to make 2 teaspoons zest. Place in a small bowl and add the raisins. Juice the orange to get ½ cup. Heat the juice in a small saucepan set over high heat until hot. Pour juice over the raisins in the bowl and marinate 20 to 30 minutes to soften.

When ready to cook, oil grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature). Grill chops 3 minutes per side, until rosy pink inside. (Internal temperature should be 145 degrees F for medium-rare.) Remove to a large plate and cover loosely with foil.

To finish couscous, heat stock and butter in a medium, heavy saucepan (with a lid) over high heat until simmering. Remove from heat and stir in couscous. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Then stir in orange zest, raisins, and orange juice. Season couscous to taste with salt.

To serve, mound couscous in the center of a platter and surround with a border of chops.

Sprinkle chopped mint over the couscous and garnish the dish with several bouquets of fresh mint sprigs. Serve hot.

PROVENÇAL LAMB CHOPS AND SUMMER

VEGETABLES

Brushed with olive oil, then rubbed with a quickly made mixture of herbes de Provence, these lamb
chops are grilled along with skewers of little red-skin potatoes, zucchini, and grape tomatoes. For
serving, the vegetables are mounded in the center of a platter surrounded by the succulent chops.

This colorful dish is a meal in itself and needs only a salad and some crusty French bread as
accompaniments.

SERVES 4 WITH 3 CHOPS PER SERVING OR 6 WITH 2 CHOPS PER SERVING

12
3-to 4-ounce rib lamb chops, about ¾ inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
¼
cup olive oil, divided, plus extra for oiling grill rack

6
tablespoons herbes de Provence
(page 20)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1½
pounds very small red-skin potatoes, about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter, unpeeled
3
small zucchini, about 1 inch in diameter, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
12
ounces grape or cherry tomatoes

Metal or wooden skewers (which have been soaked in water for 30 minutes before using and patted dry)

Brush chops with olive oil on both sides, using half of the oil. Sprinkle both sides of each chop with ½ teaspoon of the herbes de Provence. Salt and pepper chops generously and refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and the potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, halve potatoes, and set aside. To the same boiling water add zucchini and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove zucchini with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold running water to cool so that color stays bright green. Pat dry and set aside.

Thread potatoes, zucchini, and grape tomatoes on separate skewers. Skewer potatoes and zucchini with cut sides exposed. (Vegetables can be prepared 2 hours ahead.)

To cook, oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat. Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature). Grill skewered potatoes 7 minutes, turning occasionally. Then add skewered zucchini and tomatoes and grill 5 minutes, turning several times, until all vegetables are hot and have started to char slightly. Remove, season vegetables with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining herbes de Provence. Cover vegetables loosely with foil to keep warm.

Grill chops 3 per side, until just pink inside. (Internal temperature should be 145 degrees F for medium-rare.)

To serve, remove vegetables from skewers and mound in the center of a serving platter. Arrange chops as a border around the vegetables. Serve warm.

BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC,

MINT, AND LEMON

Copious amounts of garlic and fresh mint are the keys to the allure of this dish. The simple
preparation includes puréeing those two ingredients along with lemon juice, olive oil, and spicy
pepper flakes to make a paste, which is then rubbed over a butterflied leg of lamb. The grilled leg
looks attractive sliced and arranged on a platter garnished with fresh mint and lemon wedges.

Roasted Tomato Slices with Olives and Herbs
(page 163)
and Skewered Rosemary Red Skins (page

154) would make fine accompaniments. If you have any leftovers, you could fill pita pockets with

lamb, sliced tomatoes, crumbled feta, and shredded romaine, and serve the sandwiches at another
meal.

SERVES 8

1½
cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves, plus 8 sprigs for garnish

2/3
cup olive oil, plus extra for oiling grill rack

12
medium cloves garlic, peeled

2
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1
teaspoon salt

½
teaspoon red pepper flakes

1
4½-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied (see note)

1
lemon cut into 8 wedges for garnish

Combine mint leaves, 2/3 cup oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes in a food processor fitted with metal blade or in a blender, and process about 30 seconds or until the herbs and garlic are finely minced and mixture has a pesto-like consistency.

Rub garlic/mint mixture over all surfaces of butterflied lamb and place meat in a shallow nonreactive dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

When ready to cook meat, oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. Prepare grill for a medium fire (medium temperature). Grill meat, fat-side down, until well seared on that side, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn and cook until seared well on other side. When done, an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into center of lamb should register 145 degrees F for medium-rare. You can also check lamb by making a slit with a sharp knife in center; meat should be juicy and rosy pink when done.

Remove and let rest 5 minutes. Cut meat into ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange overlapping slices on a serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges and mint sprigs. Serve immediately, garnishing each portion with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge.

NOTE:
Have the butcher butterfly the leg of lamb and remove all but a thin layer of fat from the skin side of the meat. Ask that the lamb be trimmed to a thickness of about 2 inches to ensure that it will cook evenly.

Gilroy, California, claims to be the Garlic Capital of the World.

LAMB CHOPS WITH CRUSHED GARLIC,

ROSEMARY, AND RED PEPPER FLAKES

A recipe tester for this book described these chops by saying that they were “easy, foolproof, and
made a sophisticated statement.” She summed them up well, for only a handful of ingredients are
needed, and the prep work and grilling take only minutes. My own experience has proven that
these garlic-flavored, crusty chops with their rosy pink interiors seem to please even the most
discriminating palates.

SERVES 4 WITH 3 CHOPS PER SERVING OR 6 WITH 2 CHOPS PER SERVING

3
tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for oiling grill rack

2
tablespoons minced garlic

1½
tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons crushed, dried rosemary, plus fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish (optional)

1
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

12
3-to 4-ounce rib lamb chops, about ¾ inch thick, trimmed of excess fat Kosher salt

Combine 3 tablespoons oil, garlic, chopped rosemary, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.

Brush some of this mixture on both sides of each chop. Sprinkle chops lightly with salt on both sides, and place them on a large platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 4

hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before ready to grill.

When ready to cook, oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature). Grill chops until rosy pink inside, about 3 minutes per side. (Internal temperature should be 145 degrees F for medium-rare.) Arrange chops on a platter. Garnish chops, if desired, with a bouquet of fresh rosemary sprigs.

BUTTERFLIED PORK CHOPS BRUSHED WITH

TARRAGON MUSTARD BUTTER

The inspiration for this dish came from a small Parisian Left Bank restaurant called L’Epi Dupin,
where I tasted succulent roasted pork tenderloins with tarragon butter. This version calls for
grilled butterflied pork chops, but as in the French original, it is the creamy butter, scented with
Dijon mustard and both tarragon vinegar and fresh tarragon, that makes the dish so special. The
herbed butter, which takes only minutes to assemble, complements the pork with its distinctive
flavor and also adds visual appeal.

SERVES 6

3
tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1½
tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus 6 sprigs for garnish

2
teaspoons, plus 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

1½
teaspoons Dijon mustard

6
5-to 6-ounce butterflied boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat (see note) Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for oiling grill rack

Combine butter, chopped tarragon, 2 teaspoons of the vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl, and stir well to blend. Do not worry if all of the vinegar is not completely absorbed in the butter. (Butter can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Bring pork chops to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling and place them in a shallow nonreactive pan. Using about 2 tablespoons of tarragon vinegar, sprinkle chops generously on both sides. Salt and pepper both sides of pork chops generously. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at cool room temperature.