January 25, 2008

Secret Sauce Bonus:

Method:

• Grind the mustard seeds, peppercorns, and cardamom pods in an electric coffee/spice grinder until medium-fine. Set aside half the ground spices (about 1 scant tablespoon) to make the sauce. Put the remaining ground spices in a bowl and stir in the rosemary and oil.
• Coat the lamb with half of the spice rub. Marinate the lamb, covered and refrigerated, for 4 to 8 hours.
• Prepare the sauce: Heat 4 ½ tablespoons oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over moderately high heat until it shimmers and cook the shallot, ginger, and garlic until the shallot is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the scant tablespoon of ground spices, the tomatoes, and the salt and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start breaking down, about 4 minutes.
• While the tomatoes are cooking, heat the reduced stock to boiling. Add the boiling stock and sugar to taste to the tomatoes and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about a third, about 15 minutes. You should have about 2 ½ cups sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat and keep it warm.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the lamb with salt.
• Heat the ¼ cup of the oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Sear half of the lamb on one side until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn the lamb over and transfer to a shallow roasting pan. Sear the remaining lamb in the remaining oil the same way. Turn it over and transfer to the roasting pan.
• Put the pan in the middle of the oven and roast the lamb for 5 minutes for medium-rare meat. Remove the lamb from the oven and baste thoroughly with the fat in the pan. Transfer the lamb to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Coarsely chop the mint and rosemary and add to the sauce off the heat. Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes, then strain it through to sieve into a small pan, pressing firmly on the solids. Discard the solids and gently reheat the sauce. Slice the lamb and serve with the sauce ladled over.

Yields 6.

• Salmon Stuffed with Coconut Coriander Chutney
• Pan-Roasted Cod and Clams with Basmati Kanji