Spiced Lamb Riblets

You know, I like to cook with people as often as I can. Great! It makes it more fun. As long as it’s someone like Deb, and a handful of other friends that I have, that we have a similar aesthetic, then not only is it fun, but I can make sure that the food tastes good. So pretty. All right, see you in a bit. Ciao. Say, nope, don’t cut it like that. Why are you adding this? Don’t forget a little salt, I like it acid. It’s got to go in that plate. But when it’s sort of like your right hand, and whatever we cook together would be as if I was cooking it all by myself. I’m happy to cook together and really looking forward to the dinner party we’re having tonight. So, we’re gonna do the lamb, and then I think we’re gonna see if Michael will light the fire around five. Is that enough time? Yeah, I think that’s plenty. Because people are coming at 6:30. We’re gonna sit down and first eat some condimenti that I did with that already. Wonderful. And then the lamb. So 5 o’clock. Does that seem too early? [Debbie] I think five o’clock is good. How big a bowl you want? You want a big one? That’s perfect. You want smaller? This one’s great. And then a spoon. I know you don’t know this kitchen that well, so you want a spoon for- I need a little spoon to pull some of these spices out. [Nancy] Small enough. I have littler ones. Yeah. This one’s pretty. The gelato spoon. I love this. [Nancy] I feel like a nurse. What else do you want doctor? That’s it. Could I ask you to toast these for me, please? Yes. Thank you. Nancy is toasting some coriander seeds. So I have turmeric here. We have some black pepper, crushed up dried lime, ground fenugreek, cinnamon, cayenne chili, dried fenugreek leaves. And this is all for the lamb? This is all for the lamb. Cloves, mustard seed, shallots. Wait, are those dried shallots? They’re air dried. They disintegrate in your hand. They’re fun, right? [Nancy] Nice. Crushed up, dried lime, and some cardamom. So you just want me to toast the coriander. Yes, please. And then I’m just gonna start adding things. [Nancy] Okay, my coriander is toasted. Okay. Are you gonna grind it? This smells so good. Nance, do you have a pepper grinder? You know what I have, I have my coffee grinder that I used as a pepper grinder. Have you used it before? [Debbie] No, show me. So you have pepper? Yep, right here. Put it in the top. These I always get at the flea markets in Italy. This is a really, really interesting contraption that I’ve never seen. You know, this is set on coarse. Is that okay? Coarse grain. Ah, sure. And then it comes out into the drawer. Like a present. Grind away. Come on, now. Oh my god, this is so fun. Wow, smell this. Oh, wow. Right. Isn’t that, it wakes you up. Wait, wait, all the spices are in there? This is just the cardamom, but I’m adding everything into this. Oh, wow. That’s just, no that’s not just the cardamom. That’s just cardamom. Wow! There was clove in there before, so it’s really intense. Nancy, do you have a hammer or a mallet? Tenderizer? Thank you. I do, actually. You’re asking me for all these pieces of equipment that I never use. [Debbie] Oh, my mom has one like that. I actually have a heavier one with the handle on it. Is that okay? Yeah, this will be fine. I just need ‘Cause I do have another one. to whack these guys. [Nancy] I just have to find it. Have you ever cooked with Persian lime? You know what? You taught me about it. Don’t you remember when you came to the restaurant and created a lamb recipe for us using Persian. And I had never seen them before. And it’s funny because now You love it. [Nancy] I see it all the time. [Debbie] I think this is a very dominant flavor in Persian food. [Nancy] Sorry, Deb, do you want to grill? You know, I have two levels on my grill. One’s very low and one’s about that much higher. Which level do you want? High. Higher. So, Michael, after that dies down and you’re gonna put it in, she wants to cook on this level. [Michael] Okay, should I light it? [Nancy] So yeah, go ahead and light it. [Debbie] I’m gonna spice the lamb ribs, wrap them up, and put ’em in the oven. Aluminum foil and plastic wrap? Got all that. Pan. Thank you. [Nancy] And you want some plastic wrap and- Plastic and aluminum. And aluminum. Don’t you think it’s great that I keep my foil in my pan drawer, always. So it’s right there for me. It’s easy. I’m just gonna spice these guys. Salt. So I have these all ready, spiced and ready to go. I like to use this cut because when I was working at the butcher shop, no one would buy them. But all the people who were paleo would come in and be like, oh, this is the best cut ’cause it’s so fatty and delicious. So then I start to cook with them. [Nancy] What’s it called again? [Debbie] We call them lamb riblets. [Nancy] Lamb riblets? So it’s the cut right above the belly. There’s like a part where the breast bone connects, right here. So I just cut that off and then I also took off the membrane that lines the bone. I’m going to wrap it in plastic. This helps keep it nice and moist and keeps it all tight. I’m wrapping them in aluminum foil now. Shiny side in, so the heat is conducted. The aluminum is a layer that protects the plastic from melting. It’s an old hack. This goes in the oven. This cooks at 325 degrees, for about an hour and a half to two hours. I’ll check on it after an hour and a half. Margaret’s here. You’re late, Margaret. What’s the time? That’s my song. Hello, Margaret. How are you? Where’s your brother? Margaret, would you like a glass of wine? This is your wine glass, so keep on. Oh, wow, is that done? [Debbie] Yeah, let’s taste it. [Nancy] Oh, it smells so good. [Debbie] You see how it comes off the bones? That’s how it cooked. [Nancy] No, show me. [Debbie] It pulls off the bone. Are you gonna cut off a little piece? Do you want it completely falling off the bone? [Debbie] A little bit of chew would be nice. [Nancy] ‘Cause we’re gonna put it on the grill. I like it. [Debbie] It’ll continue steaming. [Nancy] Will you keep it covered? Put it off to the side. We’re gonna grill it. [Debbie] I’m gonna start grilling the lamb. This is what I’m gonna do. These are almost done on the fat side. We’ll go inside, do the rice. I’ll come back, pull these. So we don’t need Liz. No, she’s busy. [Nancy] What about these? They’re okay? We’ll do it later. Look at those crispy bits. See, that’s what a grill gives you. [Nancy] Excellent. [Michael] What did you want me to do? [Debbie] You know what I would love your help with? [Nancy] What? [Debbie] How would you plate this? Really, so good. Right? Perfect. [Nancy] You want to bring it out, Deb? [Debbie] Lots of oliveNever short of olive oil, here. Behind, behind, behind. Okay, come eat. Eat, eat, eat. Where do we want this? Right here. Alright, we’re ready.