Recipes

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto
Recipe from Bon Appetite

For those of you who hate the mint jelly that is so often served with lamb, check this out. This recipe has a found a way to pair mint with lamb without using the boring old mint jelly. I have served this dish many times for dinner parties, and people always rave about the mint pesto. It is a simple recipe that allows you more time to spend with your guests. You can serve the lamb with creamy polenta, roasted potatoes or beans. (See the recipe below for the beans.)

Lamb
• Rub each rack with Dijon mustard
• Sprinkle each rack with salt and pepper

Pesto
• 2 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Mix all pesto ingredients in a food processor and puree.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 lamb rack, rounded side down, and cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining lamb rack. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Arrange racks facing each other, bone ends up and brown side out, about 2 inches apart on same baking sheet; tip toward each other, intertwining bones loosely.
Roast lamb until thermometer inserted into center of lamb registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter and tent with foil. Carve and serve with a dribble of pesto on each piece. I like to put extra pesto on the table for my guests.

Serves 4

Jamie Oliver’s Creamiest White Beans

The title of this recipe says it all: they really are the creamiest white beans I have ever made. This is another simple recipe I use for dinner parties. The beans are delicious and can go with steak, lamb, chicken, and even fish.

• 4 leeks washed, trimmed and finely sliced
• Small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup white wine
• Hand full of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp crème fraiche
• 500g/1lb-2 oz canned butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the leeks, thyme and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are lovely and creamy. Add the parsley, crème fraîche and a good glug of the extra virgin olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Serves 4

Sticky Chicken Thighs with New Potatoes and Tomatoes

We found this recipe in one of Jamie Oliver's magical cookbooks. This quickly became our household favorite and comfort food. This is a great dish to serve for a casual dinner party as everything can be prepped before the guests arrive. The Phoenix Ranch Syrah is a perfect pair with this delicious meal.

• 1 3/4 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
• 12 boned chicken thighs, skin on, preferably free-range or organic
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds cherry tomatoes, different shapes and colors if you can find them
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar

Put the potatoes into a large saucepan of salted boiling water and boil until cooked.

While the potatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cut each chicken thigh into 3 strips and place in a bowl. Rub the meat all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss.

Heat a large frying pan, big enough to hold all the chicken pieces snugly in 1 layer, and put the chicken into the pan, skin side down. If you don't have a pan that's big enough, feel free to cook the chicken in 2 batches. Toss and fry over a high heat for 10 minutes or so, until almost cooked, then remove with a slotted spoon to an ovenproof pan or dish.

Place the tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for a minute or so. Drain and place in the oven proof pan with the chicken. Prick the tomatoes with a sharp knife. By now the potatoes will be cooked. Drain them in a colander, add them to the chicken and tomatoes, and lightly crush them by pushing down on them with your thumb.

Cut the red onion into large sections and disperse around the chicken, potato and tomato. Chop up the oregano leaves and sprinkle over the dish. Add 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, a good splash of red wine vinegar and some pepper and toss everything together carefully. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven until golden.

Serve family style at the table out of the hot dish with a green salad and lots of crunchy bread.

The Perfect Grilled Shrimp

Marjoram tends to take over our herb garden, so we have the star flavor of this dish right in our back yard. This is a very simple dish to make and can be prepped ahead of time for parties. Because the shells are left on the shrimp, you and your guests will have a real hands-on experience at the dinner table removing the shells. People will be licking the marjoram sauce off their fingers during the meal. Our Estate Viognier is the perfect complement to these delicious shrimp.

• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 bunch fresh marjoram, chopped
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of red chili flakes
• 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes.

Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut through the backs of the shrimp and remove the veins, leaving the shell intact on the shrimp. Rinse the shrimp in a colander. In a bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, marjoram, lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper and chili flakes. Whisk with a fork to combine.

Roll your sleeves up and rub the marjoram mixture under the shells of each individual shrimp, collecting the shrimp in a bowl for skewering. Leaving the shells on allows for more even cooking and the sauce will infuse into the meat of the shrimp. Skewer the shrimp 3-4 per skewer depending on the size of the shrimp.

Preheat the grill to high heat. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 3 1/2 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 3 1/2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a large platter. Serve with lemon wedges.

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