September 29 – October 5, 2025

Monday:                              Grilled Brats with Texas-Style Beans and Cole Slaw

Tuesday:                              Onion Soup with Panzanella

Wednesday:                      Pappardelle with Hunter-Style Sauce

Thursday:                            Chicken Cutlets with Prosciutto and Sage

Friday:                                  Salade Niçoise a la Francais du Sud

Saturday:                            Margherita Pizza

Sunday:                               Rack of Lamb with Parsnip Salad (Spring rolls)

Eating the Innocent

If eating lamb* bothers you, read no further.  I respect your feelings, if not your palate.  Lambs are, by definition, innocent.  Adult humans, particularly older ones like me, are not.  So, you might wish to go frolic with the lambs and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.

As for the rest of us, there’s no getting around the fact that we are large, omnivorous mammals and that it is dangerous to be the sort of animal that we like to eat.  And many of us like to eat lamb because of the luscious quality of the meat.  It is, to my thinking, the king – perhaps I should prince or dauphin given its age – of proteins.  And its age, by the way, is always less than one year old.  I mean, the definition of lamb is ‘a sheep less than one year old.’

The adults at Casa Stuarti cooked a rack of herbed lamb last Sunday, having extra time on our hands because the Steelers were not playing.  We also had a side dish of roasted parsnip salad from a recipe of Yottam Otolenghi.  If you don’t know about this brilliant Israeli chef who can make vegetables sing (he also cooks meat and, indeed, lamb), you need to find out.  His go-to hummus is so far superior to the standard hummus served in this country as to be a different species.

But back to that lamb.  Meat is expensive and you don’t want to overcook or under-season what you serve to your family.  If you are an experienced grilling chef, by all means cook the lamb on the grill.  Back in our archives you will find a great recipe for Asian-spiced grilled lamb chops with a tangy mint and sriracha sauce.  But the recipe below is less risky since you’ll do a quick sear on the grill and then finish the cooking in the oven, allowing you to check on the lamb and take its temperature and to make sure that you have pink, succulent chops to throw to the carnivores roaming your household to keep them from making a meal of you.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

(adapted from Chef Frank Tokach – local private chef)

Note:             The peppered honey is key to this recipe – do not skip.

Timing:      About 40 minutes, plus the time it takes to get your grill hot

Ingredients:                                            Serves 3

   For the lamb:

1 “frenched” rack of lamb

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 bunch parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

2 ounces Dimon mustard (scant 4 tablespoons)

2 ounces melted butter (1/2 stick)

Salt and Pepper

   For the peppered honey:

½ cup honey

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh-cracked black pepper

2 ounces water (4 tablespoons)

Prep:

Preheat oven to 425 and Get a grill hot

Crack the pepper – put peppercorns into a plastic baggie and whack with a hammer.

Melt butter

Cook:

Season the lamb all over will salt and pepper and place on a hot frill for 90 seconds on each side (fat side and other side)

In a food processor pulse together panko, parsley and thyme.  Stir in the melted butter, 1/3 tablespoon of salt and ½ tablespoon of pepper and mix well to combine.

Spread the Dijon mustard on the top and sides of the lamb, but not on the bones – stop where the meat begins to be frenched.

Pack the herb mixture onto the mustard using your hands.

Place the lamb (fat side facing up on a sheet pan and roast for 25-25 minutes – until the meat registers 138 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.  [The reason for the variable time is that most home ovens are not well calibrated.  So, one person’s 425 is another’s 390.]

Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before slicing and while making the honey sauce.

Combine the honey, salt and pepper and water in a small saucepan and whisk to combine, then bring to a simmer over medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

Slice the lamb into single or double chops and drizzle with peppered honey and serve.