Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Garlic Sauce

I made my first rack of lamb last night, and it was delicious (don't worry, I have second opinions to back up my horn-tootin' self!).
This recipe is simple yet flavorful, which in case you haven't noticed is something I love.


Ingredients:

• 1 rack of lamb, frenched (your butcher can do this if it's not already packaged that way) 
• 3 cups red wine (Shiraz/Malbec)
• 2+6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, dried thyme

Directions:

1. Marinate the rack of lamb in a gallon-sized ziploc bag with 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 chopped garlic cloves for at least 1 hour (overnight would be great!!!). 
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a roasting pan by coating it with foil and drizzling canola oil on the base. Place the rack of lamb fat-side-up in the pan. Season generously with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and thyme, and 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary. You want to form a crust, so don't be shy about seasoning! Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how well done you like your meat (30 minutes is a deep pink but not red).  Tent the rack and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
3. Meanwhile, pour the remaining wine and  the garlic in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce, about 1/4 of the amount of liquid that you began with. 
4. Slice the rack of lamb apart by using the bones as a guide, top with a hearty spoonful of the red wine garlic sauce, and enjoy!

 

Red Wine Short Ribs with Mushrooms

I have a secret -- short ribs are really, really, really easy to make. They just sound like they are complicated and froufrou-y. Do you know what the key is to juicy, tender, melting short ribs? Time, baby, time. If you pop your short ribs into the oven for an hour, they will be tough and dry and you'd probably feel bad giving them to your dog to gnaw on. However, if you put them in a slow cooker on low for 12 hours you will end up with short ribs that slide right off the bone when you go to pick them up, meat that falls apart if you even whisper at it (you will whisper at it, you'll be whispering sweet nothings when you open that lid and take a whiff).
So all you need to do is gather the ingredients, put them in your slow cooker, and then forget about it for 12 hours. Easy.

Serves 4


Ingredients:

• 6 short ribs
• 1/2 bottle red wine (I used Shiraz)
• 2 cups water
• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary
• 12 white mushrooms

* I use water and not broth because I find that broth, even the low-sodium kind, is too salty for this kind of cooking. We want to leave an unadulterated red wine taste in these ribs!




Directions:

1. Clean your mushrooms by wiping them down with a damp paper towel. Slice the stems halfway down to cut off the dry ends, then chop each mushroom in half. 
2. Place your mushrooms in the slow cooker followed by your short ribs and the sprig of rosemary. Pour the red wine and water into the slow cooker then turn it on low. Cook this for 12 (or more!) hours. 
3. When you are ready to take the ribs out, use a pair of tongs to take them out of the slow cooker, then using a slotted spoon take out the mushrooms as well. 

How to serve it:
I placed a big spoonful of mashed potatoes in the middle of each plate, then topped it with 1 short rib and 3 mushrooms. If you want a juicier plate, add a spoonful or two of your reduced red wine from the slow cooker.

I found that when I went to remove the ribs from the slow cooker they were so melty that they literally fell off the bone back into the sauce, so my servings were less of a rib and more like spoonfuls of melt-in-your-mouth meat.

Enjoy!