By Chef Ella Freyinger

March 2021

4 Servings

As a chef one of the first signs of spring that I search for is the apperance of spring garlic at the farmers market. I’ve been making variations of this chimichurri for years and it is always the first thing I make when I’m able to snag spring garlic form the markets. It is delicious on these chicken kabobs and quite frankly on anything else! Shrimp, veggies, stirred into yogurt for a dip, tossed into a salad dressing...the opportunities ate endless.

Ingredients

FOR ARTICHOKES
8 fresh baby artichokes
2⁄3 cup vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
1 small shallot, cut in half
1 blood orange
2 lemons
FOR THE LAMB
2 small racks of lamb
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground caraway seeds
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
FOR ASSEMBLY
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
3 oz shaved parmesan
1⁄2 cup mint leaves
Flamingo Estate olive oil
Flake salt

Steps

FOR ARTICHOKES
Fill a large bowl halfway with water and add the juice of 1 lemon. Trim the stems to 1⁄2” inch on each artichoke. Peel back and remove petals until only the top third of the remaining petals are green. Cut off the deeper green tips. Quarter each artichoke and place into the lemon water.
Add the vegetable broth to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the blood orange by squeezing the juice into the pot and then adding the rind. Add the artichokes, shallot and garlic. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
FOR THE LAMB
In a small bowl combine thyme, cumin, coriander, ginger, caraway, sweet and smoked paprika and salt. Place racks of lamb on a baking sheet and rub generously with the spice mixture. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and add any remaining spice that did not originally stick to the lamb. Transfer to the fridge, uncovered, to marinated overnight or at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 450° F. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and lamb racks, fat cap down. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the lamb is beautifully browned. Turn over and immediately place the cast iron into the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 130*. Remove and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, carve the lamb between each rib.
FOR ASSEMBLY
Arrange the artichokes around the edge of the same cast iron the lamb was cooked in. Add the celery, parmesan, mint and the juice from the 1 remaining lemon. In the center, arrange the lamb chops. Liberally drizzle the entire dish with olive oil and a sprinkling of flake salt.
Best enjoyed with those that you love!