Recipe

Tea Rubbed Lamb, Taleggio Orzo & Kohlrabi Slaw

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

55 minutes cooking; 2 hours to marinate lamb

Servings: 

4

This recipe came from a local food challenge that was presented by Mississippi Market in St. Paul, MN. The co-op presented me with some ingredients and I had to make up some dishes on the spot. I thought these dishes worked really well together, but each of the components works well on its own, so don't feel like you need to cook it all.

Lamb

Ingredients

  • 8 lamb chops (2 per person)
  • 1/2 cup black tea
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons toasted coriander
  • 2 tablespoons black pepper

Preparation

Grind all the ingredients (except the lamb) in a coffee grinder or food processor. Sprinkle onto lamb, and rub into the flesh.  Let sit for 2 hours then use a paper towel to wipe off what you can, bring the lamb to room temperature.  Sear the lamb chops on both sides and cook to medium rare (140). Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Kohlrabi and Beet Slaw

I don't grate Kohlrabi because it loses its crunch, the beets however benefit from being broken down a little more. This is a simple slaw, I always need acidic flavors on the food I cook - slaw is always a nice option.

Ingredients

  • 2 small kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
  • 3 small yellow beets
  • beet greens , minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • olive oil
  • salt

Preparation

Combine all the slaw ingredients in a bowl, leave to marinate for 5 minutes or so.

Taleggio Orzo

Ingredients

  • 2 cups orzo
  • 2 cups dandelion greens, minced*
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • salt
  • 1 cup Taleggio cheese, grated

* hearty greens such as spinach or Swiss chard can be substituted if dandelion greens are unavailable.

Preparation

Add salt to a pot of water and bring to a boil, add orzo and cook through. Strain the orzo but reserve some of the liquid. To the orzo, add in the butter, followed by the dandelion greens (you want them to wilt a little). Then slowly add the grated cheese, make sure to add some of the pasta water as well. You are basically making mac and cheese, by slowly adding the cheese and hot water, it will melt evenly to a sort of risotto consistency.

Serving Suggestion

Serve all together or as separate dishes.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 1159, Fat: 64 g, Cholesterol: 179 mg, Sodium: 793 mg, Carbohydrate: 87 g, Dietary Fiber: 11 g, Protein: 59 g