Rosemary Lamb Chops and Irish Parsnip-Apple Soup (2012- Week 11)

2012 Week 11 Featured Ingredient: Parsnips

I was trying to think of a good Irish type of ingredient to use for St. Patrick's Day, and I realized I've never worked with parsnips before.  So I found an Irish Parsnip-Apple soup recipe to use and also cooked up some Rosemary-Marinated Lamb Shoulder Chops and served it with some store-bought Irish Soda Bread (since my soda bread recipes never seemed to taste that great).  The soup was good.  I liked the sweetness from the apples, and I guess parsnips themselves are a little sweeter than carrots.  The soup had a nice creamy texture.  The marinade on the lamb chops was delicious, and pan-grilling them produced a nice char flavor.  Jeremy and I decided we need to purchase a regular outdoor grill because that would have been even better.  I'll definitely make the marinade again, but maybe for steak or pork.  The lamb chops were just too expensive and it didn't seem like we got a lot of meat out of them after picking around the bones and fat.

Irish Parsnip and Apple Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound of parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
5 cups chicken stock (plus extra if needed)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat the butter.  When melted, add the parsnips, apples, and onions.  Soften them but do not let color.  Add the garlic and spices and cook for another couple minutes, stirring well.   Pour in the stock slowly, stirring until well mixed.  Cover and gently simmer for 30 minutes until the parsnips are soft.  Taste for seasoning.  Liquidize using a blender and add stock if too thick.  Add the cream and reheat, but do not let boil.  Serve garnished with chopped chives or parsley if desired.

Anne's Pan-Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops 

 

Ingredients:
2 lamb shoulder chops
2 full stems of fresh rosemary

Marinade:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl and transfer to a large resealable plastic bag, reserving about 1/2 cup for the pan sauce.  Put the lamb chops in the bag along with the rosemary stems.  Seal the bag and shake well to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Remove the chops from the marinade and scrape off any bits that may be sticking.   Preheat a grill pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, and raise temperature to medium-high.  Place chops on the grill and cook until chops have distinctive grill marks, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, flip chops over and cook another 4 minutes or until chops reach 140ºF.  Remove from pan and let rest a few minutes.  Meanwhile, deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade, scraping up any bits.  Reduce sauce until thickened and spoon on top of lamb chops.