Los Angeles - March 27, 2007

Nano’s Seconds

Nancy Silverton’s New Cookbook

Can’t get into Pizzeria Mozza? Counting every minute until Osteria Mozza opens? Yeah, same here.

At least the wait is over for A Twist of the Wrist, Nancy Silverton’s new cookbook written with Carolynn Carreño. It’s full of fast and easy (no, seriously) recipes using ingredients from jars, cans, bags, and boxes — just like this special recipe that you can try tonight.

Seared Lamb Chops with Preserved Lemon, Artichoke Hearts, and Fresh Mint

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. lamb rub (try Tolucay’s Made in Napa Valley)
16 bone-in lamp chops (about 2 lbs.)
¼ c. canola oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
½ c. dry white wine
½ c. vegetable broth
4 whole marinated artichoke hearts from the deli case (or 2 6½-oz. jars)
¼ preserved lemon, pulp discarded and skin finely chopped
Kosher salt
Lemon for squeezing over the lamb
2 oz. feta
High-quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1. Massage the lamb rub into both sides of each chop.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. canola oil in a large skillet over high for two or three minutes. Add half the lamb chops, reduce heat to medium-high, cook for two minutes. Turn the chops over and cook for 30 seconds for rare or one minute for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate while you repeat with remaining meat.

3. Drain all but 1 tsp. of the oil from the pan. Add garlic and swirl off the heat for 90 seconds. Turn heat to high, add wine, simmer until the wine nearly evaporates. Add vegetable broth, artichoke hearts, and preserved lemon; stir; and simmer about two minutes. Season with Kosher salt.

4. Spoon artichokes and sauce evenly onto four plates. Fan lamb chops, four per plate, on top of sauce and drizzle with juices from the plate they were resting on. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over each chop, crumble feta over them, drizzle with olive oil, and top with mint.

Serves four. Estimated time of arrival: 20 minutes.

Let’s synchronize our Swatches.

A Twist of the Wrist is available online at amazon.com or your local bookstore.