Luscious lamb ribs add some spice
Serve up a delicious main course for Easter dinner with either of these tempting takes
Like many baby boomers, I grew up in a meat and potatoes household, but we had even more. That’s because my mother was a secretary at the head office of Swift and Company in St. Boniface. Every Friday she would bring home a week’s supply of top-quality beef, pork, lamb and veal purchased at a generous employee discount, and nearly every night, we sat down to a meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables and a salad.
Lamb was my favourite, and I even preferred lamb burgers to beef.
As much as I enjoy other cuts, I had never tasted lamb ribs until I tried the spicy glazed recipe here from Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California by Travis Lett (Chronicle). Although the ribs are small, they’re fatty and have an intense lamb flavour that’s hard to get from a rack of loin chops. Either of these recipes would be perfect for an Easter dinner.
Spicy Glazed Lamb Ribs
This glaze would be tasty on pork spareribs, or baby back ribs, too. Serves: 4-6 8 lb (3.6 kg) lamb ribs Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup (60 mL) chicken stock Spicy Sauce 3 tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil ½ yellow onion, sliced 3 garlic cloves, sliced Kosher salt 3 tbsp (45 mL) dark brown sugar ¼ cup (60 mL) tomato paste 2 tsp (10 mL) crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cayenne powder 1 tsp (5 mL) dried jalapeno 1 cup (250 mL) chicken broth 3 tbsp (45 mL) red wine vinegar Freshly ground black pepper To finish the ribs: 3 tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Season the ribs with plenty of salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Pour the stock into a small roasting pan. Put the seasoned ribs in the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and roast until the meat pulls easily away from the bones, about 3 hours. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. (You can prepare the meat to this point up to two days ahead and refrigerate, covered tightly.)
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the brown sugar and tomato paste and cook until the sugar dissolves and begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pepper flakes, cayenne and jalapeno, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, and lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cover and continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes, until the spices soften. Set aside to cool. Process the mixture in a blender until smooth. Add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. (May be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated, covered.)
Preheat a gas grill to high. Brush the ribs with the olive oil and grill until they begin to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Brush with a thin layer of the spicy sauce and flip the ribs. Repeat this step several times until the ribs are well shellacked with the sauce, forming a caramelized crust, 8 to 10 minutes total. Serve hot with any remaining sauce alongside.
Rack of Lamb Persille
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and often serve it with crabapple or red pepper jelly and mint sauce. Although I’ve always had the ribs “frenched,” Seattle chef Tom Douglas discourages it. “You lose the best part,” he says. Serves: 6-8 2 racks of lamb, 7 to 9 ribs each, excess fat removed ½ cup (125 mL) butter 1 cup (250 mL) good quality bread crumbs
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped parsley 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C). Season lamb with salt and pepper and roast fat side down in an ovenproof skillet or roasting pan for 15 minutes. Turn and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven to 400 F (205 C). Meanwhile, heat a skillet over moderate heat and melt butter. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
Pat bread crumb mixture evenly over both racks to form a thick crust. Set lamb in roasting pan and roast until internal temperature registers 130 F (54 C) for medium-rare, and crust is golden brown.
Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing between the bones.
KITCHEN HACK: If sliced meat is underdone, place it on a baking sheet and cover the slices with lettuce leaves. Place under broiler for a few minutes. The meat will steam under the lettuce without drying it out.