Herb-crusted Rack of Kid with Hummus, Portobello and Spiced Chickpeas
Tucked away at the top of Drury Lane in London’s Covent Garden is the lovely little restaurant Jar Kitchen. Jar Kitchen is owned and run by two friends, Lucy Brown and Jenny Quintero, who made the ‘brave’ decision to quit their jobs in 2015 and open a restaurant because, well… they just liked restaurants. I’m very pleased they did because Jar Kitchen is fantastic.
Serves 4
2 x 6-cutlet racks of kid
extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
2 nice big portobello mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
small bunch of flatleaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
rosemary sprigs, to garnish
for the hummus
100g/¾ cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1 heaped tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
for the spiced chickpeas
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
30g/¼ cup cooked chickpeas, drained
garam masala, to taste
for the herb crust
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the hummus ingredients except the olive oil into a blender, add salt and pepper to taste and process to a nice, smooth paste. Add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
For the spiced chickpeas, heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 150°C/300°F. If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, add a 6cm/2½in depth of oil to a deep, cast-iron pan and keep an eye on it. Test the oil temperature by adding a piece of bread; if it starts to spit and fry it’s ready. Deep-fry the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for 5 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the hot oil to a bowl, add garam masala, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
For the herb crust, mix the breadcrumbs and rosemary with salt and pepper to taste, and add just enough olive oil to make a paste. Use your hands to pack the mixture onto the fatty part of the rack, making a nice herb crust.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add the rack, herb crust side down to start with. Sear, turning until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to an oven tray and roast in the oven for 8–15 minutes, depending on how you like your meat (we like to cook our rack rare).
Rest in a warm place for about 4 minutes (resting time is usually half the cooking time, and is important for all the juices to remain in the meat rather than bleeding onto the plate).
While the meat is resting, wipe the mushrooms and cut each in half, then cut each half into 3 triangular pieces. Stir-fry the garlic in some olive oil until golden, then add the mushrooms, season well, and stir-fry over a very high heat until nicely coloured. Add the chopped parsley and set aside.
To serve, spread some hummus across each plate, making a bed for the meat. Divide the rack into cutlets and put them in the middle of the plate with the bones pointing upwards to create height. Place the mushrooms around and on top of the cutlets. For the final touch, sprinkle the spiced masala chickpeas all over the plate and add a sprig of rosemary. Delicious!