Spiced Lamb Chops with Moroccan Inspired Charmoula

This was our dinner Friday night:

When Chuck and I were visiting my parents over Christmas we bought a little wine.  A case of wine.  Chuck was like a little kid on Christmas when he found a 2006 bottle of Charles Krug Zinfandel.  We bought it and decided we'd save it for a special occasion.  He had talked about having it with lamb and had a few ideas. I really like lamb so I was all in.  We have been pretty busy and hadn't had a fancy night in for a while. Friday morning I got this text:

Done.




Spiced Lamb Chops with Moroccan Inspired Charmoula

Ingredients:

                  6         Lamb chops of similar thickness, ours were about 1".  This way they cook 
                                         evenly

         Spice rub:
                  1 T      Ground cumin
                  1 T      Cayenne pepper
                  1 T      Paprika
                  1/2 T   Chili Powder
                  1 t        Kosher salt
                  1 t        Freshly grated black pepper
                              Olive oil
        Charmoula:
                  Big handful Parsley
                  Big handful Cilantro
                  3     Green onions (just the green parts)
                  1 T  Spice rub (above)
                  Zest and juice from 1 small lemon
                  1 clove of garlic

Directions:

     1:     Mix together all of the dry ingredients from the rub.  Set aside.

     2:     Place all ingredients for the Charmoula in a food processor.  Blend until fairly
                      smooth and refrigerate.

     3:     Lightly oil all sides of each lamb chop.  Sprinkle rub onto each side, lightly rubbing it 
                      in as you go.  Let sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.

     4:     Preheat oven to 325 degrees and heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat with 
                      about 1 T olive oil. Tip from Chuck:  If you use a non-stick pan in place of a cast 
                      iron skillet you won't get as nice of a crust on the meat.  Place the lamb chops in 
                     a single layer in the skillet and allow the side to sear for 4-5 minutes.  

     5:     Flip your lamb chops and spoon the Charmoula over each one. 

     6:     Transfer into your oven and let back for 7-8 minutes until your meat thermometer 
                     reads 135-140 degrees.  When you remove them and let them rest they will reach 
                     about 145.

Two Cheese and Mushroom Red Wine Risotto
This is very similar to the other Mushroom Risotto that was posted before, but this one is a little different.
 
Ingredients
     3 1/2 c.           Chicken stock - unsalted
     3 T                   Olive oil
     1                       Onion, diced
     1                       Garlic clove, crushed with a pinch of salt*
                              Kosher salt
                              Freshly ground pepper
     8oz                  Sliced mushrooms, shitake
     1/2 c.               Zinfandel - at room temperature (we did use some from our fancy bottle)
     1 c.                   Arborio rice   
     1 T                   Italian flat leaf parsley, freshly chopped
     1/4 c.              Grated parmesan
                             Goat cheese for garnish
Directions:

     1:     Heat the chicken stock in a pot to medium heat.  You won't be adding anything to 
                      this, so you don't need to use a giant, or even medium pot.
     2:     Heat a second pot to medium heat with olive oil.  Add the onion and a pinch of salt 
                      and pepper.  Stir to cook evenly and once the onions are softened, add the 
                      mushrooms and a pinch of salt.  Once the mushrooms are nice and soft, add the 
                      garlic. Tip from Chuck: adding garlic early will cause it to burn and stink.  Add 
                      only about a minute before another big addition to your recipe to keep the 
                      flavor nice and clean. After about a minute, mix in the rice and let it toast with 
                      all of the flavors, stirring well to combine and fully coat with the mushrooms 
                      and onions.
     3:      Add the Zinfandel - remember it should be at room temperature, not straight 
                      from the refrigerator.  Allow to cook for a few minutes then add a couple of  
                      ladles of the chicken stock (the chicken stock should be similar temperature to 
                      the rice mixture). 
     4:     This is the part that takes the most attention.  Allow the rice to cook until the 
                      chicken stock is almost all absorbed. Don't let it get dry! Add a couple more
                      ladles of the stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Continue stirring, watching,  
                      adding stock in this manner and tasting occasionally.  Once the rice reaches the 
                      tender side of al dente, add the Parmesan and parsley.  This while pull it all 
                      together!
      5:     Once plated, garnish with a little bit of chopped fresh parsley and goat cheese.


 Chilled Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:

         1           Bunch of asparagus
                      Dijon vinaigrette (it's about 2/3 of the way down the page)  We added a little 
                                  lemon juice too!
         1 T        Slivered almonds
         1 1/2 T Shaved Parmesan cheese (Chuck shaved it right off the block with a vegetable 
                                     peeler)

Directions:

     1:     Cut asparagus into bite sized pieces and blanch. 

     2:     Chill blanched asparagus in the refrigerator.
     3:     Place on plate, drizzle vinaigrette on top, and finish with slivered almonds and 
                    Parmesan.