Jim (sig gets a name) talks about what he calls his "top twenty" -- his favorite meals I've cooked -- and pretty high up the list is grilled lamb chops with pasta and pesto. It is a "neo" classic pairing, given basil's close relation to mint, which is the classic herb pairing for lamb. Give it a try. You will be astonished at how well they go together. So, without further ado....
Mise en place (things in place, literally) for pesto.
We have basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, parm, and olive oil.
It's that simple.
It's a little extra step, but toasting the pine nuts is worth the effort. They take on a crispier texture, and a richer fragrance. The great thing is, you can toast a bunch at once, and freeze what you don't need. Then the next time, they go straight into whatever recipe you are using them for.
take them off the heat as soon as they begin to brown
they go from brown to burnt in seconds
As soon as the nuts cool, you are in business. And that business is best done in a food processor. Well, some purists would say it's best done in a mortar and pestle, but in my house that would mean it would rarely get done. I like to start by grinding the garlic and nuts, and then adding the basil, then the already shredded or ground cheese. Turn on the machine, and drizzle in the olive oil, until you have a nice, thick paste. Make a lot. It freezes extremely well.
hmmmm....pesto.....
To freeze it, portion it out in zipper freezer bags, press out all the air, and freeze it flat. It remains pliable enough that if you need just a small amount, you can break off a little chunk of the frozen stuff, and pop the rest right back in the freezer.
I'm not going to say much about the lamb chops, except that all I season them with is salt and pepper. They go on the grill for about 4 minutes a side for medium rare, rest for a few minutes, and this is what dinner looks like.
I think this looks pretty yummy,
but I think I need to get a white plate for the photo shoots.
No comments:
Post a Comment