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ham and lamb plus a little gospel and a bunch of bats…

gosple brunch

Two Sundays ago was Easter and I’m still posting Easter recipes. This past Sunday I was in Austin and Marissa and Jeff took me to Gospel Brunch – it was AMAZING!

There are several restaurants in Austin that serve brunch with a side of gospel music, we went to Stubb’s BBQ and heard The Original Bells of Joy. What an absolute JOY it was. Thanks, M & J!

on the bat boat

The night before that we took a boat cruise out on Lady Bird Lake and watched as the 750,000 pregnant Mexican bats started out for a night of hunting.

bat bridge

You can read all about it HERE. It is a truly beautiful and fascinating sight to behold.

bats over austin

My Easter ham was a no-brainer.  I bought a spiral-cut ham at Costco. I mixed together some whole-grain Dijon mustard (1/4 cup) with 1/2 cup each of the following; maple syrup, brown sugar, and fresh orange juice. I spread that all over the ham put it on a rack and stuck it in a 325-degree oven for 90 minutes. That was it. No recipe is needed and no photos were taken of the easy process.

easter dinner

The lamb was almost as simple, though I do have a recipe and photos for you. I bought a little French-trimmed rack of lamb at Costco, cut it into chops, and served the chops with a chimichurri sauce.

Traditional Argentinean chimichurri is made with parsley, garlic, white vinegar, and oregano. I put my spin on it and used cilantro in place of the oregano, added a little southwest spice by way of cumin and red pepper flakes, and used red wine vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar.

lamb chops with Chimichurri

Lamb Chops with Southwest Chimichurri

Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Lamb

  • 8 to 10 rib lamb chops
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

parsley and more

Chimichurri Sauce: Puree all ingredients, except oil, in a food processor.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the oil (start with 1/3 cup and add more if desired) run the machine again to combine and then transfer to the bowl.

Chimichurrijpg

Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Or maybe made up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate, and let come to room temperature before using.

Makes about 1 cup.

lamb chops

Lamb: Season lamb chops on both sides with salt and pepper, then place on the rack of a roasting pan. Broil until medium-rare, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove and let rest for 3 minutes. Top with room temperature chimichurri before serving.

lamb chops with Chimichurri

Serves 4

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1 comment

1 Marissa { 04.06.16 at 6:58 AM }

I love the bats!

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