Pistachio – Cumin Crusted Rack of Lamb & A Roasted Cauliflower – Hazelnut Salad

Pistachio – Cumin Crusted Rack of Lamb & A Roasted Cauliflower – Hazelnut Salad – Tartelette

Pistachio – Cumin Crusted Rack of Lamb & A Roasted Cauliflower – Hazelnut Salad

14.01.2013

Helene Dujardin
(Senior Editor)
26 Comments

I have had the images for this post up and ready for words for about a week now. It’s not that I can’t find the words to go along. It’s just that I am ever near long enough the computer to sit down and write.
We had such a great time at the beach with my parents, my brother and his family that diving right back into work mode was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It’s been busy around here but having my parents stay with me here in Birmingham for a couple of weeks shifted the rhythm even further.
It’s good. It’s all good. It’s actually awesome to have them around and see the new house, the new job, the new town. They really get a handle on my new situation and all the questions they had are being answered. My photo schedule, the way we do things, the people I work with, the places I like to go to for dinner, a drink or to shop. Things are about as new to them as they are to me and we share discoveries and new finds everyday.

It’s really nice to come home after a long day and start cooking with my mom. Chopping, dicing, searing, etc… while sipping a glass of wine and watching the end of an old movie or listening to the radio. We have more quiet time for serious talks, or to simply catch up on news about the family at large.
It’s been raining lots lately and we have been enjoying a few comforting and hearty meals. The kind to make you feel instantly better and warm inside after being caught by a heavy rain.
Stews, fish soups, long cooked dishes, and roasted veggie soups have permeated the air around for days now, filling me with a bit of nostalgia. The flavors and spices of my grandmother’s stews and roasts come into to our conversation almost at every meal. Her cooking while being so intricately French provincial was so influenced by her life in Northern Africa and encounters with other army wives.

It might be for this reason that I have absolutely loved every page turned in the new cookbook by Ottolenghi, Jerusalem, co-authored with Sami Tamimi. I hear my stomach growl at just about every recipe and my eyes pop out from every stunning picture. I find my family’s cooking in so many of the recipes in the book.
I don’t know if we are atypical or just reflect an era (military, moves, oversea travels, wars, etc…) but some of my most vivid food memories are as much of harissa, Berber couscous and papaya with lime juice as they are of cassoulet and Bouillabaisse.
In that regard, the book completely appeals to me. The way Ottolenghi and Tamimi look at culinary traditions and influences. Understanding that one dish may have the same root but different interpretations in neighboring cultures, civilizations or countries. They understood that cooking is honoring ones traditions as well as sharing common flavors, differences in interpretations. Food travels. It is not one to be of only one people and one culture. It is alive. It reflects peoples, generations and history. It is humanity.

I get that. Especially when sitting down at the dinner table around a plate of Pistachio Crusted Lamb and a side or Roasted Cauliflower & Hazelnut Salad. (recipes after the jump). I get the sharing, the cultural influences, and the roots. The history that brought this plate and the chatter about it, in front of me. I happily grab my fork and ask my mother for one more story about my grandmother. About her own childhood. About mine with her.
Only a few more days and they will be heading back to France. A few more days to revel in the memories and the times we are living in the present. I am grateful for the love and time they give me these few short weeks. It’s been quite nice, indeed…
I hope you all have a wonderful week too!
Pistachio & Cumin Crusted Rack Of Lamb, slightly modified from Southern Living.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
3/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pistachios
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 (4-rib) lamb rib roasts (12 to 16 ounces each), trimmed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Harissa
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
Process the first 3 ingredients in food processor until
finely ground. Transfer crumb mixture to a shallow dish.

In small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard and Harissa and
brush all over the lamb. Season with salt and pepper. Roll in crumb mixture,
coating well and chill for at least 2 hours.
Cook lamb, in batches, in hot oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat 1 minute on each side or until light brown. Transfer to 2 (13-
x 9-inch) lightly greased baking dishes.
Bake lamb at 350° for 24 minutes or until a meat thermometer
inserted into thickest portion registers 135° (medium-rare), or bake 30 to 35
minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers
145° (medium).
Remove from oven; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let
stand 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) or 160°
(medium). Cut into chops and serve with the roasted Cauliflower & Hazelnut Salad.
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Roasted Cauliflower & Hazelnut Salad, very slightly modified from “Jerusalem” by Ottolenghi and Tamimi.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large celery stalk, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons hazelnuts, skin on
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup radish sprouts (optional)
3 cloves roasted garlic, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 teaspoon Zatar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F and position a rack in the middle.
In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons olive oil,  1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread the mixture in a roasting pan and roast for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.Set aside to cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 325F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then chop them coarsely and add to the cauliflower, along with all the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve at room temperature.