Rack of Lamb with bulgur pilaf

Is there a dish that makes you lose control and that you devour in minutes?

When I make a rack of lamb,  Nick (son) forgets he is a vegetarian and wants to attack all of the meat  the minute he sees it;  Alice (daughter) wants to show me how she cleaned out every speck from the bones. (They turn  into cave people). They eat it in minutes.

It will require 20 minutes of preparation. Cook in 30 minutes or so. Devoured in less time, unfortunately.

INGREDIENTS: 6 servings

• 3 pounds rack of lamb
• 2 Tablespoons seven-spice (or any spice mixture of your choice)
• a bunch of garlic cloves
• salt, pepper
• chopped fresh herbs (optional)
• olive oil, as needed
• 2 cups of bulgur #4 (coarse)
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 2 cups of assorted nuts and dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, pecans, walnuts, pistachios
• a handful of kumquats, for decoration

METHOD:

1. Remove all the extra fat from the lamb, leaving a little layer only and season with spices; insert garlic cloves into the flesh or rub mashed garlic all over; sprinkle some herbs all over, drizzle some olive oil and set the lamb aside for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the bulgur pilaf: Heat 3 tablespoons of clarified butter or oil in a pot; add the bulgur and stir-fry for 4 minutes until the grains are well coated in fat and translucent; add 2 cups of water, the bouillon cubes, the dried raisins and cranberries and bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes; reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes till done; add the toasted nuts, toss and serve.
3. Cook the rack of lamb: Heat the oven to 4ooF (200 C) ; place the rack on a pan lined with foil. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the lamb is still pink inside. Check it halfway through to make sure it is not cooking too fast. If you want it medium-rare the temperature should be 145F. Medium 160F.  Serve with the bulgur pilaf.

NOTE:if you boil the kumquats in a syrup for 15 minutes; (one cup sugar and 1/2 cup water); that way,the fruits that are left over can be used  for other purposes.

Seven-spice is a Lebanese spice mixture found at middle-eastern stores; the mix is sold in a spice packet and is made up of: Allspice, black & white pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom.

I bought the lamb at the Palestinian grocer; he has a Halal meat market; however the butchers there are not super sophisticated and don’t do the Frenching technique to clean the rack and make it pretty; oh well!