To give you a little inspiration for Valentine’s Day, I compiled what I would consider romantic recipes for two. All the recipes work well with both Rack of Lamb and Lamb Loin Chops. Until February 6th our Loin Chop Lover’s Package is 30% off. Say ‘I Love You’ to that very special someone with a lamb dish prepared from the heart and shared together.

French Rib Chops with Balsamic Reduction

• 8 French Rib Chops
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Red Wine
• 1 sprig of Rosemary
• 2 tablespoons Butter

Herb Citrus Crusted Lamb Chops

• 4 lamb french rib chops
• 1 orange, peel zested
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• rosemary, handful, minced
• olive oil
• maldon sea salt to taste

Rack of Lamb with Roasted Figs

• 1 rack of lamb
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 4 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil

Fig Sauce

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/6 cup red wine
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
• 4 roasted figs, roughly chopped

Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Plum Agrodolce

• 1 lbs lamb chops (about 4-6 chops)
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

for agrodolce

• 1 C pomegranate juice
• 1 C japanese plum wine

During the week I can be pressed for time in the evenings to make a nice slow cooked meal. That’s where my crockpot comes in handy. It is quite a wonderful thing to be able to place an assortment of ingredients into the crockpot before work and come back in the evening to a delicious meal ready to go. And my home is filled with tasty smells to boot.

I love this stew recipe because the prep time is low (I roughly chopped all my ingredients) and you can play around with amounts and seasoning based on what you have. I served this up with mashed cauliflower instead of the typical mashed potatoes or rice to cut down on the starch. To make mashed cauliflower simply blend/ puree steamed cauliflower with salt, pepper and a bit of butter. Enjoy!

Crockpot Lamb Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion peeled and chopped into 2-3 inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped in 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 potato, chopped into 1-2 inch cubes
• 3 collard green leaves, ribbon cut
• Dash of cinnamon
• Dash of cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups water (or stock)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• Lava Lake Lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes

Procedure

1) Trim the exterior fat off the lamb shoulder then cut into 2 inch cubes.

2) Place ingredients into the crockpot starting with the butter first and adding the onions, garlic, carrot, potato, collard greens, salt and pepper, cumin, cinnamon, fresh rosemary, water, red wine and lamb on top.

3) Cook in the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours or on a high for 4-5 hours.

*Recipe adapted from andreabeaman.com

Lamb loin chops are rich and tender and don’t need much to enhance the natural flavor. However, when you cook for that special someone its always nice to spice things up.

This recipe is basically a dry rub that acts as a marinade and a crust and is spicy without the heat. I have scaled the recipe for two but you can adjust it to accommodate more dinner guests. Use this recipe to impress this Valentine’s Day regardless who you will be spending it with.

Adobo Crusted Lamb Loin Chops

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 4 Lava Lake Lamb loin chops

Procedure

1) In a skillet, toast fennel seed, cumin seed, coriander seed and cracked pepper until aromatic. Let the mixture cool and then grind coarsely with a spice grinder. ( I used a mortar and pestle)

2) Stir the garlic, salt, oregano and lemon zest into the spice mixture.

3) Rub both sides of the chops with the spice mixture. Cover and let stand for at least an hour.

4) Preheat the oven to 400⁰F. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add roughly 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bring the pan to about smoking point.

5) Place the chops in the pan and sear 4-5 minutes. Sear the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven to cook chops another 5 minutes. You can cook longer for a more well done chop.

6) Serve with a side of sauteed dark greens or your favorite side dish.

*Adapted from a recipe at www.culinary.net

Frittatas are simple and easy to prepare anytime of the day. They are a great way to use up small amounts of leftovers and produce. I throw together a frittata with what I find in my fridge because nearly anything can go into it: vegetables, meats, herbs, cheeses, etc. I had 2 lamb chorizo sausages left over from another meal, one yukon gold potato and a bit of kale I needed to use up as well as two hungry roommates, so a frittata was a perfect choice for a late morning meal. Enjoy this recipe as a snack, light lunch, with salad or as a hearty filling for a sandwich!

Fittata with Kale, Potato and Lamb Chorizo Sausage

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 yukon gold potato, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 2 lava lake lamb chorizo sausages, sliced
• 7 eggs
• 1/4 grated Pecorino cheese
• salt and pepper

1) In a nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent.

2) Add the garlic, potato, salt and pepper for seasoning and saute over medium-low heat until the potato is tender.

3) Slice the sausage and add to the potato mixture. Then add the kale and saute until slightly wilted.

4) Preheat the broiler. In a bowl whisk the eggs and Pecorino cheese.

5) Stir the egg mixture into the potato/sausage/kale mixture. Cover and cook until the egg mixture is almost set but still runny on top. Roughly 2 minutes.

6) Transfer the skillet under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes allowing the top of the frittata to set and brown.

7) Loosen the frittata from the skillet with a rubber spatula and cut into wedges to serve.

Rosemary Lamb Noisettes

photo and recipe by Jen Yu of Use Real Butter

A friend of mine received a smoker for Christmas this year and I thought what better way to break it in then to smoke a lamb shoulder? Since I had never smoked lamb before I first had to go on the prowl for a tasty recipe. My first stop is always Saveur Magazine and it paid off with a recipe for Barbacoa. The definition varies, but Barbacoa is generally lamb slow smoked until it can be shredded with a fork. In this case the recipe called for 4-6 hours of smoking. Being the first time that either of us had used a smoker, it took much longer than anticipated, and the shoulder only rose to 140 degrees. Two things came out of our first smoking experience: a lot of pictures of us standing around the smoker scratching our heads (so forgive the post with no photos) and lamb shoulder that was finished on the grill, in the dark.

Even with operator failure, the shoulder turned out delicious and the chile-rub complemented the smoky flavor perfectly.

If anyone has any smoking tips I would love to hear them. I am not going to let one set back turn me off from the smoker.

Barbacoa (Chile-Rubbed Smoked Lamb)

¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. dried Oregano
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
6 dried guajillo or chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 whole cloves
2 whole allspice berries
¼ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 4-5-lb. boneless lamb shoulder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Puree vinegar, salt, Oregano, cinnamon, chiles, garlic, cloves, allspice, and onion in a blender. Season lamb with salt and pepper on a baking sheet, and rub all over with the chile puree. Let sit a room temperature or refrigerate overnight.

2. Prepare your grill using the kettle grill, bullet smoker, or gas grill method, (see links for instructions) using apple wood chunks or chips (see Fuel and Flavor). Place lamb, fat side up, on grill grate. Maintaining a temperature of 225°-250° (if using a kettle grill or bullet smoker, replenish fire with unlit coals, as needed, to maintain temperature; see instructions), cook until a thermometer inserted in the meat reads 190°, 4–6 hours. Shred lamb and serve with salsa and warm corn tortillas.