Grilled Lamb Skewers with Celery Root Puree and Tuscan Kale Pesto
(serves 12)
2 lb lamb sirloin
1 bunch red radishes
2 T olive oil
1 t chopped parsley
1 t chopped thyme
2.5 cups celery root puree (recipe follows)
1 cup Tuscan kale pesto (recipe follows)
Soak 12 6" wooden skewers in water for approximately 2 hours.
Trim the lamb sirloin of any excess sinew or silverskin and cut into 20 1 oz pieces (approximately 1" cubes). Pick 6 large radishes and cut off the ends. Cut each trimmed radish into to circular disks. Toss both the lamb cubes and radishes with the olive oil and chopped herbs. Assemble the skewers: thread a cube of lamb on a 6" skewer, followed by a piece of radish, and then another cube of lamb. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Heat grill and grill lamb skewers over high heat until medium. (Putting aluminum foil on the grill underneath the exposed skewers helps to prevent the skewer itself from burning).
To plate:
Put approximately ¼ cup warm celery root puree in the center of the plate. Place a lamb skewer on top of puree, slightly off center so that the puree can still be seen. Top with a tablespoon of Tuscan kale pesto.
Celery Root Puree
(makes 3 cups)
2 lb celery root, peeled and diced (should yield about 1.25 lbs)
½ lb russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 T whole milk
3 T unsalted butter
2 T crème fraiche
½ T kosher salt
1/8 t ground white pepper
Boil celery root and potatoes in water until cooked through. Drain, and process through a food mill. Heat milk until warm. Add milk, butter, and crème fraiche to celery root mixture and mix until smooth. (For a smoother texture, pulse in a food processor. Do not pulse too long as you will make the puree rather gummy.) Add salt and white pepper to taste.
Tuscan Kale Pesto
(makes 1 cup)
1 bunch Tuscan kale
14 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T Italian parsley, chopped
4 T toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
1 T sliced garlic
4 T parmigiano reggiano, grated with a Microplane grater
1 T finely chopped shallots
2 T currants, soaked in warm water and chopped
¾ t anchovies, shopped finely
1 t lemon juice
Remove central vein from the kale. Blanch kale in salted boiling water for about 7 minutes. Shock in ice water, drain, and squeeze until very dry. Blanch sliced garlic in the same boiling water as the kale for approximately 30 seconds. Shock and drain as before. Chop kale and garlic finely and combine with all other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste to finish.
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