As you might have guessed, the Quick Fire title is from Top Chef. The last season of Top Chef was somewhat disappointing in that they seemed to emphasize all the personal drama. Nonetheless, I enjoy the Quick Fire challenges because it challenges chefs to create something special in a short amount of time. Chefs have 60 minutes on the show, but this meal can be prepared in 30 minutes from the start of prepping to sitting down to eat.
Lamb is a delicious, gamey meat that compliments my savory style of cooking rather well. The evergreen family member of rosemary is mint- and pine-like all in one herb with an unmistakable scent that pairs with lamb like a match made in heaven. Rosemary is also a healthy herb, containing decent amounts of fiber, iron, and calcium.
I had a sandwich and bag of chips for lunch, so I went with a starch-less dinner preparation. You could easily add some roasted potatoes to provide a rustic profile to this meal. The combination of sautéed vegetables provided a nice contrast to the broiled meat. This meal was made complete with an intensely fruit concentrated pinot noir from the Arroyo Grande Valley near San Luis Obispo in the Central Coast region of California that has the natural pinot noir characteristics of earth and spice on the finish – Laetitia Vineyards (2009).
Ingredients and Directions:
-4 lamb chops, frenched
-2.5 cups spinach, packed
-1/2 cup sliced baby portabellas
-sliced onion, as much as you like
-2 minced garlic cloves, separated
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
-1 tablespoon butter
-salt and pepper to taste
Prep everything before cooking. Mix together lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Coat lamb chops with this mixture in bowl and set aside on a plate. Preheat broiler on high heat, and place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet large enough to hold the lamb chops under the heat for 10 minutes to get very hot.
Place a pan on low heat on the stove after four minutes of warming skillet in broiler. Add olive oil and remaining garlic to pan after two minutes and turn up heat to medium. Add onions to pan and sauté for two minutes. Add mushrooms to onions and cook for two minutes. Add the butter and melt. Now remove the skillet in the broiler – the skillet is going to be hot, so remove it carefully. Place lamb chops in skillet, and return to broiler for about four to five minutes. Wait two minutes to add spinach to onions and mushrooms and stir to wilt. Cook veggies and lamb for two more minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
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