Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille & Roasted Pepper & Heirloom Tomato Purée
Roasted Pepper & Heirloom Tomato Purée
Ingredients
3 Bell Peppers. I used 1 Yellow, 1 Red, & 1 Orange, but it shouldn't matter.
3-4 Large Heirloom Tomatoes.
1 Medium Onion
2 Carrots
1 Stick Celery
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup of Chicken Stock
Splash of Olive Oil
2-3 Stalks of Fresh Thyme Leaves
Method
Heat oven to 375 F.
Dice the onion, carrots & celery into small similar sized pieces. Heat Olive Oil in a heavy sauté pan or dutch oven. Add onion & saute until translucent (5 mins). Add crushed garlic for 2 minutes. Then add carrots & celery and coat in the olive oil. Reduce heat & sweat for 5-10 more minutes until soft.
Cut Bell Peppers into large slices & lay on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 mins until soft.
Remove from oven & char each piece on an open gas flame until black. Let cool slightly & peel off the skins. Then chop into large chunks.
Chop tomatoes into large chunks & remove core & as many seeds as possible.
Add all the veg & the chicken stock to a high powered blender & blitz at high speed until smooth. (Can be done with a stick blender in the pan, but I find it easier to use a blender.)
Ratatouille
Ingredients
3 Zuchini Squash
2 Yellow Squash
4 Plum Tomatoes
2 Japanese Eggplant
Olive Oil
Herbs de Provence
* Quantities of vegetables vary with the size of your dish. A variety of vegetables can be subsituted here, but it helps if they are round slices & similar sized.
Method
Heat oven to 325
Slice all of the vegetables into a equal thickness (around 4mm) using a food processor, mandolin or sharp knife.
In an oven proof dish, spread an even thin layer of the Roasted Pepper & Heirloom Tomato Purée on the bottom then fairly tightly shingle all of the veg in alternating colors until the vegetables cover the whole pan in a single layer.
Drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables & sprinkle with sea salt & Herbs de Provence.
Cover dish with aluminum foil & roast for 30 minutes in upper 3rd of oven.
After 30 minutes, remove foil, turn dish & cook an additional 45mins-1 hour.
Rack of Lamb
Ingredients
1 8oz Rack of Lamb (serves 2)
3 Sprigs of Rosemary (remove the woody stalk)
2 Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
Method
In a small food processor, blitz Rosemary & Garlic together.
Slowly add Olive Oil until mixture forms a coarse paste.
Season Lamb with S&P, then spread mixture all over. Let marinate in refrigerator 1-2 hours.
Heat oven to 450 F.
Place Lamb on a foil lined pan & roast in oven for 15 mins. Turn pan around & roast for a further 10 minutes. Internal temp of meat should be 125 degrees.
Remove from oven & let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Temp will rise slightly.