mmm, lamb chops

[cellio]

Tonight I tried this recipe for rosemary lamb chops (from Cooking for Engineers). The name is a bit misleading; there is rosemary in it, but also orange juice, pineapple juice, onion, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Marinate, then sear, then use some of the (set-aside) marinade to deglaze the pan and make a sauce. Yummy!

One thing I like about Cooking for Engineers is that the author explains things but doesn't talk down to you while doing so. So, for instance, he described how you'd know that the sauce is thick enough, rather than assuming you'd know or saying something vague like "until it thickens".

I went looking for lamb recipes in the first place because my broiler usually sets off the smoke detector. (Dunno why.) Searing the lamb emitted a few chirps too even though I was running the vent fan. Oh well. The meat was not overdone, however.

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to the site, I had never seen it before.

Be cautious when you try it on other foods. I would try no more than 30 mins of marination time on poultry, and 10 mins for fish.

For the fish, I would simply swap out the rosemary for chervil or tarragon, and halve the garlic. For halibut, monkfish or the like, I see no reason to even make this adjustment.

Lamb is dense and sturdy, so yes, it could be frozen in the marinade. I frequently pack meat in the marinade before freezing, which helps insulate it from "freezerburn".

My physician's comment was "anything that wouldnt get trashed in a dishwasher can handle an overnight marinade"

Again, thanks for the site. I am always looking for cooking tools to pass on to folks who are interested but havent got a teacher to hand.

[cellio]

Be cautious when you try it on other foods.

Thanks. I don't have good instincts for marination times.

it could be frozen in the marinade

Ah, I wasn't thinking of freezing in the marinade, but rather, making up a batch of marinade and freezing some for later use. When you freeze marinated meat, do you marinate and then freeze, or dump it all in together and put it straight into the freezer, figuring marinating will happen during thawing?

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I put the food in the zip ( or vacuum ) bag, pour the liquid in, and shoot the whole thing in the freezer.
THe normal process of freezing sometimes causes cells to burst, and over time this leads to freezer burn, where the cell walls are cut open by sherds of ice.
The marinade will insulate the meat from this dessication process, letting you keep it in the freezer somewhat longer.

My Mom freezes her fish in milk or in lemon water, for instance. It's a big log'o carp. When we thaw it, I bone it and make it look like it's something that belongs on a plate, not in a river

Marinades are affected by the oil content ( insulation/lubrication ) and the acid content ( which does chemical things to the food ). Most of the rest is for fun.

Also, Pineapples and some other tropical fruits can contain papaine ( not always, depends on irradiation ) which is quite the meat tenderizer.

More later.

[cellio]

Thanks! Good stuff to know.