ByJC Reporter, Anonymous
During Pesach, Jerusalem's five-star Inbal Hotel will play host to crowds of guests, who will be treated to a wide variety of dishes prepared by the hotel's executive chef, Itzik Barak. As most guests will be partaking in two Seder nights and eight days of festive culinary offerings, Chef Barak and his staff will have crafted close to 10,000 prepared meals by the end of the Pesach holiday.
Barak is one of Israel's leading chefs, having worked at some of the country's most famous hotels including Herod's Palace, Eilat; Sheraton City Tower Tel Aviv and the former Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza. He offers JC readers a Passover recipe to try at home.
Serves four
Ingredients
● 16 lamb chops
● 2 uncooked potatoes, grated into strips
● 2 cloves of garlic
● I celeriac root, grated in strips
● 100g ground pistachios
● 2 small carrots, peeled and boiled
● 4 baby courgettes, soaked in hot water
● 125ml of olive oil
● 4 thyme leaves
● 1.5 glasses Merlot wine
● 1 egg
● Pinch of salt
● Pinch of pepper
Method
● Pre-heat the oven to 200° C, gas 6
● Season the lamb.
● Warm a pan and brown the lamb chops on both sides, setting aside the pan without rinsing.
● Brush the lamb chops with egg and coat with the pistachios.
● Bake for 15 minutes or until just pink.
● Heat the wine in the pan used to brown the lamb chops.
● Add the garlic and thyme and boil until the wine is reduced by half and the sauce thickens.
● In the meantime, heat a small pan. In a bowl, mix the potatoes and celeriac and season with salt and pepper.
● Fry mixture in the preheated pan on both sides, until you have a crisp and golden rosti.
● Fry the carrots and courgettes in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
To serve
● Place the rosti in the middle of the plate. On top of this, place the carrots and courgettes.
● Put the lamb chops along the edges of the plate and surround with the wine sauce, garlic and thyme.