Lamb Chop With A Cassoulet Of Pole Beans And Rosemary

By á-170456

Ingredients

• QUICK SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 pounds bones
• 3 cups water divided
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock divided
• 1 cup finely-minced onions
• 1 cup finely-minced leeks, white part only
• 1 cup finely-minced carrots
• 2 cups veal stock (or 1 cup veal stock plus 1 cup stock made with same bones)
• CASSOULET OF BEANS:
• 1/4 cup fava beans peeled
• 1/4 cup soy beans
• 2 tablespoons dried marrow see * Note (or other white beans)
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberry beans see * Note
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 pieces leek, white parts only - (2" long)
• 2 pieces carrot - (2" long)
• 2 pieces onion wedge - (2")
• 1/4 cup green beans
• 1/4 cup yellow wax beans
• 1 recipe Quick Sauce lamb variation
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 plum tomato peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" diamonds
• 2 teaspoons finely-minced mixture leek, carrot and onion
• Course salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• LAMB:
• 6 double-cut rib lamb chops - (4 to 5 oz ea)
• Course salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• Oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 rosemary sprig
• Basil oil see * Note

Preparation

Step 1

* Note: Marrow and cranberry beans and basil oil can be found at specialty groceries. "Frenching" lamb chops means to remove the meat and membrane from the rib bones. Most good butchers will do this for you.

For the Quick Sauce: (Note: Use bones from the meat the sauce will be accompanying. While nothing replaces the quality of fresh stocks, Perfect Additions makes an acceptable veal stock, sold frozen. Some markets sell frozen chicken stock, which can also be acceptable. Canned chicken broth varies greatly in quality; choose one with low sodium, such as Swanson's low-sodium chicken broth and dilute it by a third.)

Cut or chop the bones into 1-inch pieces. Heat the oil over high heat in a wide heavy pot large enough to hold the bones in 1 layer. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the bones. Sear the bones, without stirring until well browned, about 10 minutes. If the bones are moved before they are browned, they will give off their juices and begin to steam rather than brown. Turn the bones and cook until evenly colored, about 10 minutes more.

Add 1 cup water to the pot. Listen as the liquid goes into the pot: You will hear it sizzling as it hits the hot pot, then, as it reduces, it will become quiet. When the water has reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any glazed juices clinging to the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until the water has completely evaporated and the pot is reglazed and sizzling again.

When the water has evaporated, deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock, following the same steps as the water. This time, as the stock boils down, the color of the bones and liquid will become deeper and the natural gelatin in the stock will glaze the bones.

Add the onions, leeks and carrots. The water in the vegetables provides enough liquid for a quick deglazing. Cook as above until the moisture has evaporated and the vegetables are lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups chicken stock, the veal stock and the remaining 2 cups of water. Deglaze the pot, scraping up the glazed juices from the bottom, then transfer the stock and bones to a smaller, narrower pot so that it will be easier to skim.

Bring to a simmer with the pot set partially off the burner to force the impurities to the side of the pot and ladle them off as they rise to the top. Simmer until the stock has reduced to the level of the bones, about 1 hour. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer and repeat. Do not force any of the solids through the strainer or they will cloud the sauce. You should have about 2 cups of liquid. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan, reduce to about 1 cup and strain.

VARIATIONS:

Lamb Sauce: After the vegetables are lightly caramelized, add 2 sprigs thyme, 1 cup chopped tomatoes and 2 crushed cloves garlic and cook until the juices of the tomato as well as those from the vegetables evaporate to form another glaze.

Vinegar Sauce: After the vegetables are lightly caramelized, deglaze the pot with 3/4 cup Banyuls, Sherry, white wine or red wine vinegar, allowing the liquid to evaporate and reglaze the pot before continuing.

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce: After the vegetables are lightly caramelized, deglaze the pot with 3/4 cup Banyuls, Sherry, white wine or red wine vinegar, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey and allow the liquid to evaporate and reglaze the pot before continuing.

For the Cassoulet of Beans: Soak the dried marrow and cranberry beans separately in 1 cup of water overnight at room temperature.

Remove the little "germ" that is attached to the side of each fava bean. Blanch the beans in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until tender, 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer them to an ice bath with a slotted spoon to cool. Drain when cool.

Blanch the soy beans the same way, 3 to 4 minutes, chill and drain.

Remove and discard any skins from the soaking beans that have risen to the top of the water. Drain and rinse the marrow beans and cranberry beans and place them in 2 separate pots. Cover each with cold water by at least 2 inches and bring to a boil. Remove any bad beans that float to the surface.

Drain the beans and run under cold water to cool. Return the beans to the pots and cover each with 1/4 cup chicken stock and enough water to cover the beans by three times. Add a slice of leek, carrot and onion to each pot. Heat the liquid slowly and bring to a simmer. Some beans that have not hydrated, and any loose skins will come to the top. Skim them and discard. Simmer the beans until they are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point one day ahead and the beans refrigerated in their cooking liquid, tightly covered.)

Trim the green and wax beans and blanch until tender. Cool in an ice bath and drain. Cut the green beans and the yellow wax beans on the bias into pieces that are about 1-inch long.

When almost ready to serve, drain the cooked marrow and cranberry beans from their liquid and combine with the fava and soy beans in a skillet with about 1/2 of the "Quick" Sauce. Bring to a simmer, skim any impurities and cook until warmed through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of butter, then the green and yellow wax beans, the tomato diamonds, the minced carrot, celery and leek and the salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm while cooking the lamb.

For the Lamb: Trim lamb chops of excess fat and silverskin. French bones. Loop a piece of kitchen twine around the backside of the bone of a lamb chop. Wrap both ends of the twine around the meat and back to the bone. Tie the twine around the bone to give a uniform shape to the chop. Cut the excess twine and repeat with the remaining chops. Wrap the bones in aluminum foil to protect them from burning, season the chops with salt and pepper, and let rest at room temperature for an hour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1/8 inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb chops and cook for about 3 minutes to brown. Turn the chops and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Place the chops on their sides and rotate them to brown the sides for another 1 to 2 minutes. The meat should be well browned but still slightly rare.

Remove the excess fat from the pan (leave the original amount) and add the butter, basting the lamb chops with the butter as it melts. Top the lamb with the garlic cloves and the sprigs of thyme. Place the pan in the oven for about 2 minutes or until the meat is medium-rare and a meat thermometer registers 115 to 120 degrees.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the meat rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Place a portion of the warm bean mixture on each plate. Stand a lamb chop upright on its edge with the bone facing up over the beans. Arrange a few rosemary leaves on the beans and spoon a few drops of basil oil over the beans and the lamb.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Each serving: 676 calories; 323 mg sodium; 77 mg cholesterol; 62 grams fat; 20 saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 4.14 grams fiber.