This Recipe is part of the Table for Two Valentine’s Menu
For your second course this aphrodisiac-infused dish is sure to please. The protein in the lamb will increase alertness and the magnesium in spinach blood flow.
Ingredients
3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, tough fibers removed and finely chopped
1 cup Beluga lentils (or French green lentils)
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
Sea salt to taste
1 pound (4-rib) Frenched rack of lamb, trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups washed and torn spinach
Ingredients
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium sauté pan, heat 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil for 1 minute over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté the vegetables until they are softened, 5 to
7 minutes. Add the lentils and bay leaf and sauté for 3 minutes more, coating all the lentils.
4. Raise the heat and add the red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring, until the mixture becomes dry. Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the chicken stock to a simmer, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
5. Add the warm chicken stock to the lentils (like cooking risotto) ½ cup at a time, letting the lentils absorb the liquid with each addition.
6. Repeat, stirring the mixture consistently. After 28 to 30 minutes the lentils should be slightly chewy and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. While the lentils are cooking, rinse and pat the lamb dry and rub it with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then press the rosemary into the flesh.
8. Place the lamb in a small roasting pan in the middle of the oven, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 140°F.
9. While both the lentils and the meat are cooking, prepare the spinach. In a medium sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 1 minute over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until just translucent but not brown. Add the spinach and sauté for 2 minutes, then cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Slice the rack in half. On two large dinner plates, arrange a bed of lentils and a side of spinach, then place the lamb on top of the lentils and serve.
Excerpted from Cooking for Two: Perfect Meals for Pairs by Jessica Strand. Photography by Caren Alpert. Text copyright © 2009 by Jessica Strand. Photo copyright © 2009 by Caren Alpert. Excerpted by permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book!
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