Lamb and Shrimp with Lentils Du Puy

by Erica Cooksey

Obtaining "Mediterranean" with "earth" gave me the idea to do a surf and turf. I tend not to like duo-type entrees with very disparate

pieces, so I wanted to combine the two into one solid dish. Pretty much the only livestock that thrives around the Mediterranean are goats and lambs, so I stuffed a butterflied leg of lamb with a mixture of goat's milk feta, shrimp, and other Mediterranean flavors. I wanted it to be evocative of earthy flavors while still maintaining current seasonality. So I combined lentils du puy (which grow very well in that region) with white asparagus (made white by covering them with mulch), fresh morels, and bulbs such as leeks, fennel, and garlic.

Half of a boned, butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed of all surface fat and pounded to even thickness

About 2 ounces goat's milk feta, crumbled

Zest of one lemon, finely chopped

4 mint leaves, cut into chiffonade

A few Greek olives, pitted and chopped

About 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped roughly (I used quartered

canned ones that I rinsed and dried thoroughly)

2 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Herbes de Provence

1 cup lentils du puy (French green lentils), rinsed

1/2 cup vermouth

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 large fresh morels, diced

1 small bulb fennel (organic fennel is usually the right size), diced

Enough white asparagus to equal the fennel, woody ends snapped, cut into chunks

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium leek, white and light green part only, chopped

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1) Salt the raw shrimp to taste. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, then immediately drain and refresh in ice water. Chop roughly and combine with feta, artichokes, lemon zest, mint, olives, and pepper. Stuff the lamb with this mixture and tie with butcher's twine. Coat the lamb in herbes de Provence and sear over high heat until a crust forms. Bake at 350 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

2) Meanwhile, saute the leeks in a bit of butter or oil until softened. Stir in the lentils, then add 1/4 cup vermouth, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until cooked, about 30-35 minutes.

3) In a separate pan, saute the garlic, asparagus, morels, and fennel on medium high heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup vermouth and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and cook until it reduces to a syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the lentils when they are done, remove the bay leaves, and combine them with the vegetables

4) Serve slices of the lamb over a bed of the lentils and vegetables.