CHULETAS DE CORNERO CON PAPAS (Broiled lamb Chops with Potatoes)

We Puerto Ricans love spicing up food. It’s in our nature. One of our favorite methods is dried spice rubs. This is a favorite with the old folks and the older generation. The beauty of these dishes was that you didn’t need fresh herbs. A lot of them were not available once a criollo family arrived on the mainland from the island during the great migration in the 1950s. Dried spice rubs became the norm. What’s singular about this method is that the longer the spice rub coating is left on the meat, the stronger the taste. It was also convenient. You coated the meat in the morning, went to work in a factory during the day, and when you got home, the meat was  prepped for cooking.

This method of cooking has survived through the ages. Today I use the same spice rubs my parents used back in our apartment in Spanish Harlem. And one of our favorites was spicing up lamb chops. Then as now, it’s a great dish exploding with flavor. In this variation, I served the lamb chops with red potatoes. But you can use regular potatoes, if desired. In our household, we never stood on rigid formality.

Now, in this recipe, the game plan is thus: you rub the lamb chops with the spice rub, and then marinate them for the time desired. You grill the lamb chops while you boiled the potatoes to just tender. Remove the chops from the oven, replaced with seasoned potatoes and broiled them for a couple of minutes. Then  serve both to the delight of family and friends.

CHULETAS DE CORNERA CON PAPAS
(Broiled lambs Chops with Potatoes)

Ingredients

8 lamb chops
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crumbled
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler to high
2. Wash lamb chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Combine rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt and cayenne in a small bowl and mix well.
4. Brush the lamb chops with the olive oil and rub the spice mixture into both sides of lamb. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature or, better yet, overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Arrange chops on a shallow baking pan (I prefer cast-iron) and broil 5 minutes. Turn and cook until done (about another 5 minutes).

Yield: 4 servings

GRILLED POTATOES

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks (do not peel)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash the potatoes under running water. Place in a medium pot or pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, and                cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
2.  Drain the potatoes, brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3.  Place on a shallow baking pan and broil until tender, about 2-3 minutes, turning once or twice.

Mention liver as a food, and the reaction you’ll invariable get is Aaak! Ugh! Yuck! Liver does that to people. In our family, we loved liver. Still do. Maybe it’s a Rican thing and, yes, in certain circles liver is considered a delicacy. And I’m not talking about Hannibal Lecter lovingly describe how he ate a human liver with fava beans and Chianti. I mean other methods: in classical French cuisine liver pate and foi gras are at the top of the food pantheon.  Plus, chicken livers and onion has always been a standby in English cooking. Our family’s humble contribution is Higado al Sartén. In Spanish, sartén translates as “frying-pan.” Rather than terming it “Frying Pan Liver” we translate it, roughly, as “Sautéed Liver.”

When my mom cooked this dish, it was always with either calf’s liver or lamb liver. We never tried it with beef liver, so I wouldn’t know how that would turn out. And we served it (because my father insisted) with rice, preferably yellow rice. But you can elect to have it with mashed potatoes or, as I did this time around, with boiled potato chunks drizzled with olive oil.

The other thing to note about liver is a wine matchup. Liver is notorious in this respect. No matter what animal it comes from, liver is gamy, and it renders a unique flavor. Experts in the field (if you believe experts) usually recommend a good Italian red like a Rosso di Montalcino, if you can find it. Others recommend Pinot Noir or Burgundy. My experience has been that a French Syrah, or Shiraz from Down Under, makes a perfect match. We had this dish with a Shiraz from South Eastern Australia (Dark Corner Durif Shiraz 2016), and it was just right.

HIGADO AL SARTÉN
(Sautéed Liver)

Ingredients

8 whole black pepppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound lamb or calf’s liver
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. In a mortar, crush peppercorns, garlic, oregano, and salt.
2. In a medium saucepan, place liver in water to cover along with lime juice. Bring to a rapid boil. Drain and pat dry with paper towels, then cut into thin slices.
3. Mix crushed seasonings inside a zip-lock bag along with the flour. Add liver slices, and thoroughly coat the liver with the flour mixture.
4. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add liver (shaking off excess flour) and sauté until firm (but not hard) and browned on the outside, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on absorbent paper towels, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

I’m a fan of curries; mainly because I like fragrant and spicy dishes. Coming from a Latino culture, this is a given. The origin of curry dishes is India. It is the Tamil word for “sauce.” Today we think of it more as a seasoned gravy. This is thanks to our British brethren who, during the 18th century, adopted the ides of curry, modified it, and made it an international dish.

Curry also has a history in Pakistan and Thailand. Indian curry is made with a mixture known as masala. This comes from the Hindi word for “spice.” It’s a combination of spices such as garlic, ginger, onions, and chili paste. While Thai curry is made from a paste of chilies, herbs and vegetables. Today, curries are popular world-wide.

Below is my recipe for lamb curry. Let me note that curry is usually served with plain boiled rice. This time around I served it on a bed of tubettini noodles.

LAMB CURRY

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and slice into thin rings
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup chicken bouillon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups unflavored yogurt

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute (do not let garlic brown).
2. Add ginger, lamb, garam masala and chili powder. Cook, stirring, until the lamb is browned.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon, salt and pepper, and half the yogurt. Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is tender (about 30 minutes). Stir in the remaining yogurt and serve on a bed of pasta or rice.
   Yield: 4 servings.    

On May 15th of this year I did a post on rack of lamb, specifically Nuyorican Rack of Lamb. It was my version of this classic dish with a Caribbean slant. But there are other ways to prepare this type of lamb, obviously. And I was fortunate to acquire another rack. I also had some cilantro in the fridge, and I decided to try another variation. Thus now we have Rack of lamb with Cilantro. It is an elegant and sophisticated dish, but also a quick dinner with style. You dinner mates will not be disappointed.

With this dish, it goes without saying that it’s convenient to buy a rack of lamb that has been specifically prepared by the butcher. And today they can be found in almost any good food market. As always, quick cooking is the trick. The center of the meat should range from pink to red. Overcooking will render grayish, dry meat.

RACK OF LAM WITH CILANTRO

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano or 1 tablespoon dried
2 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle the lamb all over with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic.
3. Rub the cilantro all over the lamb, pressing evenly on the meat.
4. Drizzle the lamb with olive oil.
5. Place lamb fat side up in a baking dish large enough to hold in one layer (I prefer cast-iron). Roast for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Turn lamb fat side up and roast 15-20 minutes more. Check for doneness (around 135 degrees for medium rare). Let lamb stand 10 minutes before serving. Before serving, rub the lamb with the butter.
    Yield: 3-4 servings.

This is what my father, of late memory, would call a “highfalutin dish.” And I can understand that view. It seems, mention rack of lamb and you get immediate pictures of people in some fancy-dan restaurant with waiters fluttering about with a maītre d’ snapping his fingers and pointing at tables. Fact is, rack of lamb is very easy to cook. Granted, it’s a mite more expensive cut but, for that special occasion, it’s well worth it. And my version is, naturally, Nuyorican style. Yes, we do have rack of lamb, with the usual seasonings native to our cuisine (plus a dash or rum). Think of it as an island treat.

In the old days, cooking rack of lamb was a pain because you had to prepare the rack of lamb by getting a whole rack, cutting all of the surface fat from the meat and bone, removing the long chine bone, hacking off the ends of the ribs, and leaving about one and one-half inches of the ribs intact while separating the rest from the loin of meat. This was difficult and time consuming. Today you can buy a rack of lamb with bones “frenched” (as they say) with blade and chine bone removed. All you have to do is wash the lamb under cold running water, dry with paper towel, season and cook.

Rack of lamb can be prepared in one of two ways: you can cook atop the oven by searing the meat on each side, and then simmering in some liquid on low heat, or roasted in the oven. Some chefs sear and then roast. I go for the traditional roasting method: just coat with bread crumbs and seasonings, and roast to desired doneness. Nothing could be simpler. Given my Puerto Rican background, I serve the dish with pilaf or saffron rice; but you can also serve it with baked or puréed potatoes and/or broiled tomatoes. Hell, you can serve it with french fries, if you want. In my culture we don’t stand on ritual, just taste and satisfaction.

RACK OF LAMB – NUYORICAN STYLE

1 well-trimmed rack of lamb (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), bones frenched (blade and chine bones removed)
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
3 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon dark or white rum (dark rum gives more pronounced flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, oregano and pepper.
3. Rub the rack of lamb with butter.
4. Coat the rack of lamb with bread crumb mixture, pressing evenly over the meat on both sides.
5. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the rack in one layer, sprinkle with the rum; and roast, meat side up, for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Roast for 15-20 minutes more. Check for doneness (around 135 degrees for medium rare). Let lamb stand 10 minutes before serving.
    Yield: 3-4 servings.