Italian Grill - Mario Batali [49]
BUTTERFLIED
LEG OF LAMB
WITH GARLIC, ROSEMARY, AND MINT
SERVES 8
½ cup olive oil
½ cup vin santo
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
18 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed a bit with the side of a heavy knife
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
One 4 ½- to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied and trimmed of excess fat (or one 7- to 8-pound bone-in leg, boned, butterflied, and trimmed)
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
COMBINE THE OLIVE OIL, vin santo, mint, 6 of the garlic cloves, the salt, and the pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Make 12 small incisions in the fatty side of the lamb and insert one of the remaining bashed garlic cloves and some of the rosemary into each slit. Put the lamb in a large baking dish and pour the marinade over, turning to coat. Let stand at cool room temperature for 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or overnight; turn the lamb occasionally as it marinates.
If the lamb has been in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature. Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Remove the lamb from the marinade, draining it well, and pat dry. Pour the marinade into a small bowl. Place the lamb on the grill and cook, basting several times with the reserved marinade, for 10 to 12 minutes, until well charred on the first side. Turn and cook, basting several more times, for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until well charred on the second side; the internal temperature should register 130°F for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Carve the lamb into ¼-inch-thick slices and serve immediately.
The vin santo in the marinade helps the meat develop a tasty char on the outside, like a steak. Cook it medium-rare, or even medium; unlike a butter-flied beef tenderloin, for example, a butterflied leg of lamb always has some thicker and some thinner parts, which is actually a good thing—it means that when the meat is cooked, there will be something for everyone, some medium-rare, some medium, some a bit more done.
PORK TENDERLOIN
WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES AND
NEGRONI VINAIGRETTTE
SERVES 6
½ cup porcini mushroom powder (see page 21)
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed in a spice or coffee grinder
3 large or 4 medium pork tenderloins (about 3 pounds total), trimmed of fat and silver skin
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed
About 2 ½ cups kosher salt
1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch cubes (ask the butcher to slice the pancetta ¼ inch thick when you buy it)
½ cup Negroni Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Freshly ground black pepper
IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the porcini powder, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds and stir well. Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloins, coating the meat evenly. Wrap each tenderloin tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Spread a thin layer of salt over the bottom of a small roasting pan or a baking dish that will hold the Jerusalem artichokes in a single layer. Arrange the artichokes in the pan and pour 2 ¼ cups salt, or enough to cover them completely, over and around them.
Roast the Jerusalem artichokes, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully remove the artichokes from the salt with tongs, and set them aside on a plate to cool.
Brush the salt from the artichokes and slice them ¼ inch thick. Set aside. (The artichokes can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
Bring a large