Tuesday 11 August 2009

Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Ribs

Ribs are one of my favourite cuts of meat. I've previously posted about beef ribs, cooked for hours until falling off the bone. Similarly, pork ribs are barbeque stalwarts. Marinated in a punchy sauce, the charred fat combined with the tender meat is enough to make me dribble a bit.

I came across these lamb ribs in Morrisons. I went to the local branch in Peckham and was surprised to find a lot of the more unusual cuts of meat; oxtail, pig hearts, chicken hearts. These were really cheap - roughly £3 and it fed my housemate and I generously. They didn't require hours of cooking either, though the fat content means that they are definitely a treat rather than an every day meal. I marinated them overnight and the flavours of the lemon and rosemary penetrated the meat through to the bone. They are best eaten piping hot, whipped out straight from under the grill or from the barbeque, as the crispy lamb fat is a joy to eat, with the new potatoes lightly coated in the meat juices. A side of minted braised runner beans completed the meal.

Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Ribs

Serves 2

6 lamb ribs
1 lemon
3 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard

Two handfuls of small new potatoes
300gr runner beans
A small handful of mint
100mls chicken stock

The night before, slash the ribs across. Chop the rosemary and the garlic finely and add to a large dish with the mustard. Slather the mixture over the ribs and place in the fridge.

The next day, take the ribs out and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on to boil. Grill the ribs on a rack (or barbeque them) and grill for roughly 40 minutes on high, turning occasionally. Half way through, drain the fat from the roasting tray underneath and add the potatoes to it, tossing them so that they're covered in the juices. Return to under the grill.

Meanwhile, slice the runner beans diagonally. Add to a pan with the chicken stock and simmer until the beans are cooked, about 7 - 10 minutes. Take off the heat and scatter with the mint, chopped finely. Season with salt and pepper.

When we came to eating this, all you could hear were the sounds of munching and slurping. These were so delicious it was almost criminal.

9 comments:

Sian Meades said...

These look AMAZING. Will try them this week :-)

Nightwol said...

Sounds devine. Don't recall that I've eaten lamb ribs as ribs per se. Will be on the lookout for them now!

Helen said...

RIIIIIIBSSSSS! Bonza that Morrisons innit? There is also a new one just opened in Camberwell - apparently they have a lot of more interesting stuff in there too - lots of Caribbean ingredients.

Boo said...

OMG, Morrisons?? I've never even considered shopping at Morissons, it seems i've foolishly overlooked them. I love getting stuck into a plate of ribs, rarely make them myself though, these look great.

The Curious Cat said...

Yum - and I love chicken hearts too! xxx

rich (them apples) said...

I've often been surprised by some of the wierd and wonderful cuts you can get every now and again at Morrisons. They seem to treat butchery properly and try to turn as many parts of the animal into a useable cut of meat.

Good Northern thrift.

Helen Yuet Ling Pang said...

I was just thinking about my mother's pork ribs the other day. Now I'm feeling all happy and warm reading your post! There's something so satisfying about gnawing on a rib.

Unknown said...

Lemon and rosemary is such a great flavour combination - sounds very good indeed.

Niamh said...

Ooooh, lamb ribs! I was surprised at the selection at morrison's too. You can buy trays of pig skin!