This recipe is: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Note: This is a showstopper dish for entertaining and special occasions. You can simplify the preparation for a weeknight dinner for two by substituting four lamb chops for the rack of lamb, halving the amounts of the other ingredients, and preparing the dish stovetop. Good grass-fed lamb from a local farm is worth seeking out. It has a rich, clean flavor that you can’t get from grocery store lamb. You can start this recipe up to two days in advance and do the final oven roasting just before serving time.

Equipment: mortar and pestle

Time: 50 min

Hands-on: 10 min

Difficulty: ●●○○

Yields 4 servings

What you’ll need

• One large red onion
• 8 fresh or dried figs; if dried, place the figs in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water for ten minutes to rehydrate.
• One fennel bulb
• Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup mead vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• One rack of lamb (8 ribs), frenched

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
2. Slice the onion into 1/4-inch-wide strips. De-stem the figs and slice each one lengthwise into six strips. Trim the fennel bulb, reserving any attractive fronds for later to garnish the finished lamb. Slice the fennel bulb vertically into quarters or eighths, so the strips are of similar size to the figs and onions. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, place the figs, onions, and fennel on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and massage with your hands to thoroughly coat all the pieces. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges just start to caramelize.
3. Meanwhile, combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, salt and pepper with 1/4 cup olive oil in the mortar and pestle, grinding and pounding until you form a thick paste. Add the vinegar and grind a bit more to mix well.
4. Use your hands to massage the paste into the lamb, coating well on all sides. You can wrap the lamb in plastic film and refrigerate for up to two days to marinate, or simply proceed.
5. In an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the rack of lamb, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil, and then sear the rack on all sides until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Add the onions, figs, and fennel and their juices to the skillet, mounding them on top of the lamb.
6. Cover the skillet (or use aluminum foil), put in the oven, and lower the temperature to 300 °F. Bake for about an hour, or until the lamb is tender and falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and serve at once.

Finishing Touches:

11. Serve the lamb with garlic mashed potatoes and a big green salad.

Suggested Mead Pairings:

Amplify the fig and fennel nuances with Moonlight Meadery Mojito – mint and lime; Smitten – sweet peach. Bring out the rich lamb flavor with Red Dress – red currants; Admiration – Boysenberry; Destiny – Utopian barrel aged Blueberry, Black Currant, Black Cherry.

This recipe was taken from The Art of Mead Tasting and Food Pairing by Chrissie Manion Zaerpoor. Visit www.meadandfood.com to get your copy.