Italian Feast Part 3 - Anchovy & Rosemary Roasted Lamb with Salsa Verde

This is our last and final post for our Italian Feast series and it does not disappoint. Thought Italian food was all pasta? Think again. This beautiful and flavorful lamb recipe is simple and easy.

Don't let the anchovies turn you off. There is nothing fishy about these little guys, they are pure salty flavor and no one will know you've even added them.

This dish is a two-parter. First there is a marinade for the lamb. This can be marinated for 5 hours in the fridge or 1 hour on the counter-top. If you go the fridge route be sure to let it come to room temp for an hour before roasting.

The second part is this delicious salsa verde. Don't even think about skipping it! It's 10 minutes of prep and gives a huge return on that investment.

We used around a 3 lb leg that we got from Whole Foods and cut this recipe in half. There was more than enough meat to feed 4-5 people with just that. One leftover meal we made is dicing the some of the leftover lamb and adding it to the leftover salad. Tah-dah, lunch!

Lamb isn't cheap so do your homework and learn what to look for when purchasing it. If you know of a local farmer who raises grass-fed lamb, go that route. We normally would but we didn't prepare that far in advance.

If purchasing a leg is out of the question because of the cost look for some thick chops and cut the recipe in 4ths. Also adjust cooking times.

We thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Everything went perfectly together and paired beautifully with our Biltmore Pinot Noir. It was classic Italian in that it was simple ingredients and easy to prepare. Hope you will give this a try on your next special occasion, date night, or family gathering. Salute!

Check out!
Part 1 - Escarole & Edamame Salad
Part 2 - Souffléed Gnocchi 

Lamb Burgers with Feta Sauce and Spinach

This was the third and last burger of the New Years Eve slider experiment. We had a lot of fun making these together and sitting down and eating them! This lamb burger was just delicious and one we plan to do in a larger version very soon! The feta sauce is so good and the crunch from the walnuts really makes this fun!

Garlicy Rosemary Lamb Chops

These are the last in the freezer of the lamb chops we bought from a local farmer and we definitely plan to purchase some more. They were just delicious! Add good local meat with a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and you've got a winning combo in our book. The rosemary really makes this and brings our some great flavors. Totally delicious!

Ingredients

* 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
* Pinch cayenne pepper
* Coarse sea salt
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 6 lamb chops, about 3/4-inch thick

Directions

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until combined. Pour in olive oil and pulse into a paste. Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb chops and let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and allow the chops to come to room temperature; it will take about 20 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.

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Grilled Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops

We got these gorgeous lamp rib chops from our favorite local farmer. The Other Williams wanted to keep them pretty simple so she just did a wet rub application on them. And I have to say they were killer! The broccoli is also local and so was our beverage that went with this meal. Basically this was a local meal outside the sweet potato.

Over dinner we got to talking about where our food comes from and the 100 mile diet. We're very fortunate to live near so many local sources of food and drink. We're not interested in eating 100% local 100% of the time but we like to really try to use the resources that are available to us locally first, before looking further.

4 lamb rib chops
3 cloves of garlic
4 springs of rosemary, destemmed and chopped.
Salt & pepper, to taste
Olive Oil

A couple of hours before your ready to eat paste your garlic in a morter and pestle or using some other method. Mix the rosemary, salt, and pepper in with the garlic paste and rub onto the chops.
Drizzle the chops with a little oil before putting them on the grill to prevent sticking.

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Similar Recipes:
Lamb Chops with Greens and Crispy Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut-Rosemary Pesto
Grilled Lamb with Brown Sugar Glaze

Lamb Chops with Greens and Crispy Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut-Rosemary Pesto

Yes, I realize I haven't updated in a while but I'm coming back with a bang! We had this meal this weekend and it was so delicious I had to post it. We saw this meal while watching Rachel Ray's 30-minute meals. We normally don't cook a lot of Rachel Ray recipes but this one just sounds so delicious and we weren't disappointed! We had the butcher slice us some shoulder chops because they were out of regular lamb chops. The meat was so tender and everything was so good. The kale is a little tough and we'll probably go with Chard next time but that's the only changes we'd make. This is quick and easy als

Ingredients
* Salt
* 1 pound orecchiette pasta
* 1 1/2 cups walnuts
* 7 to 8 stems rosemary, 1/4 to 1/3 cup leaves, loosely packed
* 2 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
* Black pepper
* 3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 4 shoulder lamb chops, bone-in, 8 to 10 ounces each
* 2 tablespoons butter
* Grated nutmeg, to taste
* 1 red onion, thinly sliced
* 2 large heads kale, dinosaur kale or chard, chopped
* 2 to 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Directions

Bring water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook to al dente.

Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, a few minutes then cool. Add the nuts to a food processor with rosemary, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper and turn processor on. Stream 1/3 cup oil into food processor to form pesto then scrape into a bowl and stir in about 3/4 cup grated cheese.

Rub chops with cut clove of garlic then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and cook 4 minutes each side for medium rare doneness.

While lamb cooks, drain pasta and return pot to heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and butter in pasta pot and melt over medium heat. Place the pasta back in the pot and crisp 4 to 5 minutes, toasting the pasta. Season the pasta with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg.

Remove lamb from skillet and cover with foil to let meat settle. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high to high heat. Add onions and greens and sear them. Season the greens with salt and pepper and wilt down, 3 to 4 minutes. Add vinegar and turn greens to coat in vinegar.

Serve a chop alongside greens. Top greens with toasted pasta and drizzle some pesto over everything.
From Rachel Ray

Grilled Lamb with Brown Sugar Glaze

These small lamb chops were WOW! The brown sugar rub glazes the chops and makes them yummy sweet. We had this meal for our Spring Equinox dinner and it was super good. I'm not a big lamb person but this recipe is a keeper and one we plan to make again soon! Also pictured is the Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 lamb chops

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, ginger, tarragon, cinnamon, pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Rub lamb chops with the seasonings, and place on a plate. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat grill for high heat.

Brush grill grate lightly with oil, and arrange lamb chops on grill. Cook 5 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness.