Spring Bounty with Yotam

     My friend Mark came over for dinner last night.  Ostensibly to discuss the desk he is going to build for me, it was also a great opportunity to cook.  Mark is one of the people I know who loves to cook, is good at it, and is quite omnivorous.  This allowed me to select a menu that sounded great, but was also a bit challenging to throw together perhaps, as I knew that I wouldn't have to do all of the work.
     Who better to utilize for such a menu than Yotam Ottolenghi?  His cookbooks are full of beautiful photos and great stories.  The recipes rarely disappoint either.  For some reason, I don't dip into them often enough, a habit I shall have to change.  Admittedly, this menu took a fair amount of labor to throw together, but could easily have been broken up into pieces, had I been more organized.
     It started with lamb chops, a recipe I have from some other source which I don't recall.  These are reliable and delicious, coated in garlic and herbs and grilled quickly.  The other dishes were from Jerusalem and Plenty More:   Chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt, and Spiced chickpeas and fresh vegetable salad.  To finish:  a roasted rhubarb dish with sweetened labneh.  All are excellent!
     I love cooking with someone else who knows their way around a kitchen.  I set Mark off on the chickpeas and chopping while I did the eggplant.   It also helps to have excellent ingredients.  The eggplant and tomatoes are from the store, but the rhubarb, and herbs are from the garden.  The yogurt is Ellenos, which I confess I have become addicted to.  Other yogurts are embarrassed to be in it's presence.
     I think what makes Ottolenghi's recipes excellent is the really creative combinations of flavors.  You don't just roast the eggplant, you baste it with a spiced oil mixture first.  You don't just throw bulgur on top, you mix it with green olives and golden raisins and herbs.  You don't just chop some cucumbers and tomatoes, you make a lemony vinaigrette and then sauté some chickpeas in spices to warmly accompany it.  The rhubarb was inspired.  A prefect combination of sweet and tart and crunchy.
     The Chermoula eggplant recipe can be found online.  It would be easily made gluten free by substituting quinoa.  (I think rice might be too large a grain).  I quadrupled the cilantro.  I would use smaller eggplants, the longer skinnier versions, for ease, as the larger globe version is a bit much.  So, using 2 globe eggplants easily makes enough for 6-8 when served as part of this menu.  Then again, it was designed to be an entree.

     The chickpea recipe is also online.  The only adjustment I made was in deference to the clock:  I used a can of beans, and didn't cook my own.  It worked just fine.  May lightening not strike me.

    The lamb and rhubarb recipes are found below.   The rhubarb is easily made ahead of time.  It lends itself to modifications.  My suggestion:  Make the whole batch of recipes for a fantastic meal in late spring and wait for the accolades to flow in!

Baked Rhubarb with Sweet Labneh 

adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

This recipe serves 4

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

7T muscat or other sweet dessert wine (orange juice would work as well)

5 1/2 T sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, and seeds scraped

1 lemon:  you want the rind, 1/2 shaved in strips, 1/2 tested

3T shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 1/2c plain Greek yogurt

3-5T powdered sugar

Place the rhubarb in a baking pan that fits them all snugly.  Place the lemon strips, vanilla and seeds around them, sprinkle with sugar and then wine.  Bake at 400F x 20, until tender but not mushy.  Set aside to cool.

Mix yogurt with powdered sugar to make it slightly sweet, or to taste.  Add lemon rind, chill until ready to serve.  

To serve:  Place yogurt in a serving dish, top with rhubarb, spoon some of the cooking juices on top, then sprinkle with pistachios.  

Thyme Rubbed Lamb Loin Chops

serves 4, or more if you are making all of the recipes

2 garlic cloves

salt

1 1/2t thyme leaves

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 T cider vinegar

2T extra virgin olive oil

8 x 1" thick lamb loin chops

Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium high heat. 

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4t salt, add the remaining ingredients and coat the chops.  This can sit a short while if needed.

Oil grill rack, and grill the chops, covered, until grill marks appear, approx 6 minutes total for medium rare.  Let rest x 5 minutes.