Last week I cooked a version of my spiced chicken with dates and I included lamb for the first time. Slowly, but surely, I have been weaning my children on lamb meat. I love it myself. It's so tender and the way it sizzles on the pan is a joy to watch. That's why I am posting the recipe below tonight. This will be my next challenge. The recipe is by Angela Hartnett, who is the chef patron at Murano restaurant. The photograph was taken by Linda Nylind for The Guardian.
Lamb and aubergine with gremolata
8 lamb chops
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp of chopped mint
1 tbsp of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Rind of 1 lemon
½ tsp English mustard
150ml olive oil
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 small aubergine, sliced lengthways
Season the lamb chops, place them in a large tray under a hot grill, for three or four minutes on each side, making sure the fat renders down to become nice and crispy.
Meanwhile, mix the garlic, lemon rind, mint, parsley and mustard with about four tablespoons of oil.
Remove the lamb chops and rest them somewhere warm.
Add the rest of the oil to the grill pan. Season the aubergine and grill on medium for a few minutes either side until soft (if necessary, give them a couple of minutes in the oven at 180C).
Place the chops and aubergine on a serving dish, scatter the feta on the aubergine, then spoon the mint and parsley dressing over the whole dish
The music tonight is as crispy as and nice as those lamb chops. That's why I am opening with Bonobo's Cirrus, a funky, groovy number that'll have your head bobbing up and down. Enjoy.
I mentioned lamb's tender meat before and Edie Brickell And New Bohemions remind of my tender, younger years. Oh, those were the days!.1988, I was seventeen and listening to What I Am in parties in Havana. One for the oldies.
My next guests tonight have Eurovision Song Contest stamped all over their Chechen, Serbian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian foreheads. Yet, when I first heard this track I couldn't stop tapping my foot. In the same way that the combination of garlic, mint, parsley and mustard work wonder, so does DelaDap's Crazy Swing. C'mon, just get up and dance, you know you want to!
Introduced on this blog last weekend and brought back tonight to close this celebration of food and music. This song was also the closing number at the Rich Mix this summer gone when I first saw Katey Brooks. I love the way scenery, music and voice blend together to provide a magical moment. B****, Don't Kill My Vibe is a special melody to welcome autumn, one of my favourite seasons. Thanks.
Next Post: "Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music", to be published on Sunday 22nd September at 10am (GMT)
