Pan-seared Lamb with Pomegranate-Date Sauce

… with Israeli couscous, ginger-scented peppers, and roasted carrot and beet salad with mint and yogurt dressing. Serves six fairly hungry people.

For lamb and sauce:

• 2 small racks of lamb, frenched (about 1lb each)
• 2 tsp sel gris
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp pimenton (spanish paprika)
• 1/2 tsp cinammon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin seed
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 10 Queen Noor dates
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup water

For couscous:

• 2 cups Israeli couscous
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pecans, crushed
• 1 qt chicken stock
• 8-10 threads saffron
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 lemon, approx. 1 tbsp
• 1 tsp olive oil

For gingered peppers:

• 3 red bell peppers, julienned
• 1 serrano pepper, julienned
• 1 red onion, julienned
• 1 tbsp. ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• zest of 1 lemon

For beet salad and yogurt dressing:

• 6 small beets
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chiffonaded

Crush 1 tsp sel gris, turmeric, coriander, oregano, and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle; rub both sides of 1 rack of lamb. Crush 1 tsp sel gris, cinnamon, cumin, and pimenton, rub on second rack of lamb. This can be done up to 1 day ahead of time and kept in a plastic bag before cooking.

Preheat oven to 400F. Slice carrots and beets into approx. 1/8″ inch thick slices. Transfer to a sheet of aluminum foil (be sure to allow enough excess to seal the beets in an envelope somewhat like en papillote). Add minced garlic and fleur de sel and black pepper to taste. Place sealed envelope on a baking sheet.

Julienne serrano and red bell peppers and the red onion. Add minced garlic, lemon zest and ginger; seal in foil and place on a baking sheet as above. Put vegetables in a 400F oven and roast, enclosed, for about 10-15 minutes. Poke holes in the foil a few minutes before unwrapping to avoid painful steam burns.

Sear each side of each rack for about 1 minute per side in a cast-iron skillet; transfer skillet to oven and roast, about 15 minutes until medium rare. Transfer racks to cutting board and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.

Place saffron, 1 clove minced garlic, and lemon juice in a glass bowl. Bring 1 qt chicken stock to a boil and add 2 cups Israeli couscous. Boil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add raisins and pecans, boiling for 1 more minute. Drain and transfer to bowl atop saffron, garlic, and lemon juice. Add 1 tsp olive oil and toss. Finished dish can stand for about 15 minutes covered with a kitchen towel while other dishes are prepared. Combine yogurt and mint in a bowl, mix well. Add a pinch of pimenton if you like, spikes the cool yogurt with a little heat and zest.

Boil the pomegranate seeds in about 1/2 cup of water until softened. Transfer pomegranate, seeded and peeled dates, molasses, and honey to a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Strain the sauce to remove the woody part of the pomegranate seeds and return the sauce to the stovetop, adding the turbinado sugar to taste. Reduce until the sauce is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

I plated two “chops” of each of the preparations of lamb per person over a couple of tablespoons-ful of the Israeli couscous and drizzled the pomegranate-date sauce just over the top of each chop to cover. The beet salad and mixed vegetables were served on the side, with additional yogurt-mint and pomegranate sauces available at the table.

This was a big hit. I often find myself (as I’m sure many people do) always cooking a few of the same favorites from Italian, French, and Asian cuisines, so this pseudo-Morroccan dish was a nice departure for me and a somewhat of a surprise for the guests. At a table for six there was just enough of the lamb and the couscous for a few to take an additional portion with no waste. All in all, this was a very successful dish with a pretty short prep time and just a skillet, two sauce pans, and a baking sheet really needed. Total cooking time was about an hour, maybe a half hour active.