MEDIUM-RARE RACK OF LAMB, SOUS-VIDE WITH TRUFFLE OIL, GARLIC, AND HERBS. ROLLED IN SUMAC. BASIL AND BLACK OLIVE PESTOS. ROSEMARY LEMON STEAMED RED AND GOLDEN BEETS. BLACK PEPPER ROASTED TOMATOES. OLIVE OIL ROASTED GARLIC. AVOCADO CREAM. MICROGREENS.
After all these years, Pea and Boo find ways to celebrate their month-versaries – this time, it was a cooking project and the resulting three-course Mediterranean-inspired meal since Pea has always taken a liking to Mediterranean food. With tabbouleh (coming soon!) starting us off, and fruity panna cotta (just recently posted) closing the meal, the main course needed to be spicy, fresh, and deeply savory. After an afternoon of therapeutic knife work for deboning the rack of lamb, prepping the vegetable sides, and making the pestos, Pea and Boo sat down to enjoy another month gone by with each other.
Though removing the bone from the rack of lamb is unusual, it made for an interesting presentation and easy eating experience, as well as the excuse to call this a “rib-eye” because of the strikingly similar look when it’s cut. The bones and meat trimmings also made a yummy lamb stock for a different dish, so don’t dare just throw those away! The procedure below is for those who want to try sous-vide, but searing and finishing the lamb in the oven would work, too, as long as you check your meat temperature every several minutes after it goes into the oven. If you don’t own a sous-vide machine, that’s okay (Pea and Boo don’t, either)! Filling a large pot with water and keeping it at a steady temperature with a thermometer achieves exactly the same goal, even though it takes a little more effort. – Pea and Boo
P.S. as with all our recipes, you can omit or change a few ingredients if they’re hard to find or too expensive! Special notice on this recipe because of the black truffle oil that only the snobbiest cooks might want to keep in their pantry.
Servings: 3-4 (main portions)
Difficulty: 
Ingredients:
- 1 (1.8-2 lb) rack of lamb
- Marinade
6 rosemary sprigs
6 thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tb extra-virgin olive oil
0.5 tb black truffle oil
coarse sea salt and black pepper - Basil pesto
1 c chopped basil
3 tb pine nuts
1 garlic clove
4 tb extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 tb grated parmigiano-reggiano - Black olive pesto
2 tb basil pesto
3 tb black olives - Lamb seasoning
sumac
black truffle oil
coarse salt and black pepper
Directions:
- With the rack of lamb bone-side down, slice just between the meat and bones to de-bone. Reserve bones and attached meat for stock or other purposes.
- In a sous-vide bag, rub de-boned rack of lamb with marinade. Vacuum seal the bag, and refrigerate, 8-12 hours.
- In a sous-vide cooker or large pot of water, cook lamb in vacuum-sealed bag at 130-135 F (medium-rare), 4-5 hours. Meanwhile, prepare pestos.
- In a food processor or pestle and mortar, process basil pesto ingredients until finely minced. Cover and refrigerate in a small bowl.
- In a food processor or pestle and mortar, process black olive pesto ingredients until finely minced. Cover and refrigerate in a small bowl.
- Remove cooked lamb from sous-vide bag, and discard herbs.
- In a hot cast iron skillet, sear and roll lamb in olive oil until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
- Roll lamb in sumac, and slice into 3-4 portions.
- Plate with pestos, and season with black truffle oil and coarse salt and pepper. Serve.
