Hello again, everybody, and welcome back to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog. Today, we’re talking about rack of lamb with ratatouille. This dinner is a “candidate” dinner for a wine event we’re planning for January, which will highlight Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet-based blends. We’ve done traditional dishes like steak, short ribs, and roasts for previous events. They were all successful, but we wanted to try something a little different, something our wine friends probably don’t experience very often.
Mary grew up eating lamb in California. She loves it, especially the leg of lamb her mom prepared around Easter. Here in the South, though, lamb is not part of our regular dietary repertoire. I don’t think I tasted it until I was grown and moved away from my hometown in Georgia. Even now, I would describe my experience with lamb as very limited. So, in the spirit of culinary adventure, off we went.
The ratatouille is also part of the adventure. It’s tempting to stay with the tried and true sides with a dish like rack of lamb…potatoes, carrots, etc, but what the heck, let’s try something different! While traveling in France last May, we encountered a vegetable dish in the southern Rhone region that they called simply, légume du jour, or vegetable of the day. It was chopped vegetables, stewed or sautéed with Provençal herbs and spices. It was served as a side with hearty foods like roasted meats. Mary loved it and with some online research, we decided it was ratatouille. She has made it several times, always delicious. One of the lamb recipes we saw suggested it, so we decided to try it as a single side dish to accompany the rack of lamb.
I think Mary should go into business as a food photographer! Here she is, discussing the preparation -- These are the ingredients for the ratatouille. Considering the vegetables in the picture above, I knew that ratatouille was a great summer dish, when everything is in season. I wasn't sure I'd find what I need in December, but I was happy to find eggplant and zucchini are still available. Plum tomatoes, bell peppers, parsley, onion, and garlic complete the picture.
Here are the ingredients for the main course: the rack of lamb, garlic,
good olive oil, fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. It's really an easy dish to prepare.
The rack of lamb was marinated for several hours in a combination of olive oil, garlic,
rosemary and thyme. Once that was in the fridge, I turned my attention to the ratatouille.
Eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic are chopped. I learned from Julia Child's book to slice and salt eggplant and zucchini and put on a paper towel to absorb much of the water so it cooks up better in the skillet. This particular recipe called for cannellini beans, which Brian and I really enjoy, but the authentic ratatouille we had in France was strictly vegetables and herbs. Either way is delicious!
First I sautéed the eggplant in olive oil.
Transfer that to a small bowl, and sauté the zucchini (below).
Also transfer the zucchini to a small bowl, and sauté the onions and peppers.
Now the veggies stay in the skillet, and you just add the rest in layers: first the garlic ...
... then the tomatoes ...
... then the beans and parsley ...
This all cooks together for 15 mins or so, and then the eggplant/zucchini is added back and simmered slowly (covered) for 15-20 minutes.
While the ratatouille was simmering, I seared the rack of lamb in a hot skillet in a little olive oil, browning both sides. The recipe suggested covering the bones with foil before roasting in the oven, so I did that and smothered the rack of lamb with the marinade. Into the oven it goes for 25 minutes.
And here is the finished product. It looks and smells fantastic!!
We are happy to report that it was delicious!
Now, back to Brian and the wine. Since we’re considering this dinner for our Cabernet Sauvignon event in January, we paired it with a very traditional Bordeaux red.
Chateau Lynch Bages is a highly regarded producer from Pauillac, one of the prestigious villages of the Left Bank region of Bordeaux. Like almost all Bordeaux, it is a blend of more than one varietal. The cèpage is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, but also includes Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This bottle is quite mature. As you can barely see on the label, it was the 1994 vintage. Here are my notes on the wine.
Chateau Lynch Bages Pauillac 1994. This wine was probably a bit past peak. Its aromas were muted at first, but with time in the glass, the wine opened to reveal wonderful currant, cedar, graphite, and mineral notes. The palate was medium in body, had medium acidity, smooth texture, and flavors of red cherry, currant, and herbs. It was nicely balanced, moderately complex, medium in length. I wish I had opened this wine a few years earlier. It was delicious nonetheless. The pairing with the lamb and vegetables was just about perfect. The lamb and vegetables stood up to the power of the wine, maybe bringing out the fruit flavors of the wine even more. Likewise, the wine did not mask or overpower the flavors of the dish. The refinement, finesse, and elegance of a mature Bordeaux heightened the flavors of the overall dish, creating a flavor synergy that cannot be obtained with only the food or only the wine. 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.0% alcohol. We paid $65 for it.
Voilá! There you have it! Rack of lamb, ratatouille and Chateau Lynch Bages 1994. The finishing touch is mint jelly on the edge, which adds a wonderful punch of flavor (so says Mary). Mary swooned over the deliciousness of the dinner. I think her mind was floating back to those great childhood leg of lamb memories of 35th Ave in San Francisco and all her St. Gabriel and Presentation friends, but wherever she was, here or there, it was a happy place. I think we can safely say this is the winning candidate for our Cabernet event.
Thanks for reading the blog. Let us know what you think and offer suggestions for future topics. We'd love to hear your comments. In the meantime, keep checking back at Cèpage et Cuisine.
Cheers,
Brian♥Mary
No comments:
Post a Comment