Fig-Mint Marinated Chop & Slow Cooked Shoulder of Ellensburg Lamb – Cerignola Olives, Tradespoint Creamery Yogurt, Pomegranate

I have  long wanted to get away from this very popular lamb presentation that had been on our menu for the better part of a year and have finally done it… but not without taking a piece of the old one with!

The aspect of the dish I am taking with me is the marinade for the lamb chops. It so nicely compliments the semi-gamey flavor of the lamb and is so well loved that I can’t help but to keep it around. Aside from being a fun play on words, it also includes an ingredient that your grandparents probably request with their lamb chops… mint. I shudder when mint jelly is requested (inevitably a couple times a year) and we don’t keep any around. The marinade is a ‘fig-mint’ of the imagination… I know… very lame!

Dried figs are blended with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, water, mint and black pepper. It should have a good balance of sweet, sour and spice from the pepper. The racks are frenched and marinated in this for at least 2 days.

The shoulder was cut into sections following its natural grain. I pounded it out as thin as possible and for the 1st time in my career I wish I had Activa RS (a meat binding agent also known as transglutiminaise). I just now ordered it from Koerner and am somewhat afraid that I will come to love this as many of my colleagues do. For better or worse (it’s in the oven now as I type), it was marinated overnight with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme, then rolled up in plastic wrap (without the Activa) and cooked in lamb stock in a 175 degree F oven for 24 hours. My idea is that once cooled and re-wrapped, the natural gelatin will bind to itself. And if all goes according to plan (I’m still not sure how to check for doneness other than timing), it can be sliced into discs and very gently heated in the lamb sauce to order. To be honest, I’m a little skeptical that it will stay rolled after being heated. Of course by the time this is finalized I will be able to know. Let’s just say you’ll know the truth.

Ellensburg Lamb is raised in small flocks on a co-op of  northwest family farms and is brought in through Foods in Season . Each lamb is tracked from birth to verify health and humane treatment.

The rest of the dish was conceptualized last fall after a dinner with my friend and colleague, Curtis Duffy of Avenues. I was reminded of it (see photo in this link) by Phil Vettel – who in addition to one of our dishes – called it one of the 10 best dishes of 2008  (I personally preferred his corn soup with peach and aloe from my visit there last summer). Even though a stretch from each other – and that mine is meant as a main course and not as a component of an extensive tasting menu – I must admit that our presentation is about 100x more rustic and less refined than his. In short,  if you’re into world class cuisine and top notch service, I highly recommend checking out Avenues. I just went back again for my 3rd anniversary and it has only solidified my belief that Curtis is on a plateau above most in this city. He keeps a blog as well, but I probably put up more posts in a week than he will in a year.

In any case, I’ve been waiting a long time to move this theme onto the menu and am glad the time has come. 

Here’s a link regarding the Cerignola olives (Italian in an otherwise Greek preparation). Jens brought them in from a specialty Italian shop near his home. They are so good that I am happy to mix up the Greek roots to the dish. The Traderspoint Creamery Yogurt is as good as yogurts come and we simply pick some up from Whole Foods when it’s needed. Though expensive, the tradeoff is a worthwhile one. Pomegranates are about to go out of season so I will have to be tweaking this very soon. Fork crushed potatoes seasoned with lemon mosto oil prop up the chop.

P.S. The lamb shoulder kind of worked, but did unravel a little… the activa does the trick, but leaves me feeling like I just had plastic surgery on my little piggy toe… in other words, is it really necessary?

P.S.S. Curtis has gone on a long awaited blogging spree as this post is about to be going live… so check out his site.