Eating In:Give lamb a kick
I have eaten lamb in Spain where the leg just about jutted over the plate, the pale, succulent meat washed down with glasses of white wine. I have eaten rack of lamb in Northern Ireland where the eye of the cutlet was the size of a CD, the meat sweet and juicy but with a salty tang. And I have eaten lamb on Colonsay, in the Hebrides, where the meat had an iodine tang. It's nothing if not versatile, this creature of hill and dale. Here's a way to give it a Middle Eastern flavour.
Recipe serves four
RACK OF LAMB WITH CORIANDER HUMMUS, WATERCRESS AND CHILLI OIL
good olive oil
5 small fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 400g tin chickpeas, well rinsed
1 lemon
1 tbsp tahini
cayenne
bunch coriander, roughly chopped, including stems
2 4-cutlet racks if lamb (use 1 rack for a light meal)
bunch watercress
Combine 500ml of olive oil with the chillies, bay leaves and two of the garlic cloves, bring gently to the boil, remove from the heat and allow to infuse. Strain and set aside. This makes more than you need; any surplus will keep in the fridge.
Combine the chickpeas, juice of the lemon, tahini paste and the remaining garlic clove, which should be mashed to a pulp with a little salt and enough water to make a stiff puree. Season with pepper and salt if required. The meat has to rest on this hummus, so you don't want it too loose.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas six. Rub each rack of lamb with a tablespoon of olive oil and season well. Roast for 20 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the door open. Stir the coriander into the hummus and check seasoning. This should be at room temperature; if you made it in advance remember to remove from the fridge.
To serve, place a mound of the hummus in the middle of each plate, carve the racks of lamb into eight cutlets and lean two against the hummus on each plate. Top with the watercress and a drizzle of chilli oil.