Skewered Lamb With Almond Mint Pesto Recipes

SKEWERED LAMB WITH ALMOND-MINT PESTO

Steps:

• Finely chop almonds, cheese and garlic in processor. Add 1/3 cup oil and process to form paste. Add mint and basil and process until well blended and smooth. Mix in more oil if necessary to loosen mixture. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
• Thread 1 strip of lamb onto each skewer. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Lightly brush lamb with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Top pesto with 1/4-inch-thick layer of olive oil. Cover pesto and lamb separately and refrigerate. Spoon off oil from top of pesto before serving.) Preheat broiler. Broil lamb just until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Serve with pesto.

SKEWERED LAMB WITH SPICY POMEGRANATE-RIOJA RED WINE VINAIGRETTE AND MINT-ALMOND RELISH

Steps:

• For the skewered lamb: Combine the oil, garlic, parsley, rosemary and thyme in a bowl. Add the lamb, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer the refrigeration time, the better.
• For the spicy pomegranate-rioja red wine vinaigrette: Combine the pomegranate juice, wine, peppercorns, thyme and 1 tablespoon honey in a small saucepan. Cook over high heat until the syrup is reduced to 1 cup. Remove the syrup from the heat and cool. Remove the thyme and peppercorns with a spoon.
• Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon honey, mustard and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the red wine syrup. Cover and refrigerate the remaining syrup to keep up to 1 month. Yield: about 1 cup.
• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
• Preheat a charcoal grill for direct grilling. Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper on both sides. Thread 2 or 3 pieces of the lamb onto each skewer, so the lamb lays flat. Grill the lamb until golden brown and charred on both sides and cooked to medium doneness, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer the lamb to a sheet pan. Drizzle the lamb with some Spicy Pomegranate-Rioja Red Wine Vinaigrette and let sit for 5 minutes.
• For the mint-almond relish: Mix the almonds and mint and sprinkle with salt and pepper just before serving.
• Drizzle the remaining Spicy Pomegranate-Rioja Red Wine Vinaigrette over the lamb and sprinkle with the mint-almond relish.