Cook's Country

-"Cook's Country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table.

We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.

We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.

And we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.

We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.

This is "Cook's Country."

-Today on "Cook's Country," Julia grills up pomegranate glazed lamb chops.

Jack surveys the world of radishes.

Lawman makes asparagus salad with radishes.

And I talk about the cookbook that inspired our recipe.

That's all right here on "Cook's Country."

-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills, offering innovative technology and design for the grilling enthusiast, with a line up of gas grills, including the Eminence 605 with an LED touch panel and side and rear infrared burners.

Learn more at Monumentgrills.com.

-It's always a good idea to look for ways to up your grilling game, and if you're not grilling lamb chops, then you're really missing something.

-Mm-hmm.

-So Julia is here and she's going to show us a killer lamb chop recipe.

-Yeah, I mean, lamb chops are really easy.

They're hard to screw up and they're easy to flavor.

Perfect for company.

-And you look like a rock star.

-Great.

-Today, we're going to flavor the lamb with some Middle Eastern flavors really inspired by Zahav, the acclaimed restaurant down in Philadelphia.

-Oh, right.

-Yeah, mm-hmm.

They have a lamb on the menu with sort of the same flavor.

Some fresh herbs, some pomegranate seeds, a few spices.

-And lamb can definitely take a little bit more of assertive flavors.

-Yeah.

So to start off, because the cooking goes so quickly, we're going to make the sauce we're going to serve with it first.

-Okay.

-There's a combination of fresh mint and parsley.

It's about two parts mint to one part parsley.

So 1/2 cup of mint to 1/4 cup of chopped parsley.

Just picking off the leaves.

Alright, I'm going to start chopping up this mint.

-Alright, I'm going to keep going.

-Mmm.

-I'm going to leave some of these pieces a little on the bigger side.

I don't want it to be too fine.

-Okay.

-You don't want to make pesto.

-Right.

-Alright.

That looks pretty good.

Now over to the parsley.

Use this bench scraper, which is a great tool for transferring things around the board.

Here I have 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds.

Right into the bowl go the chopped herbs.

Now, to finish off this relish I'm going to add a little bit of garlic.

I'm going to use a rasp style grater to grate the garlic right into the bowl.

I love doing this because it makes the garlic into really fine pieces that melts right into the sauce so you don't get any chunks.

Alright, a little bit of olive oil.

This is 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and some salt.

Just a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Ah, such a good color.

-Beautiful.

-Let's talk about the lamb.

We're going to flavor the lamb itself with a little bit of a spice rub.

Very simple.

-Love it.

-Using, again, some kosher salt.

This is 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt.

1 tablespoon of sugar.

These chops are really small.

They grill really fast.

And if you want to get any color a little sugar really helps that caramelizing on the grill.

A teaspoon of ground allspice, a teaspoon of ground fennel, a teaspoon of granulated garlic, and a teaspoon of ground black pepper.

-Great.

-Yeah.

Just whisk this together.

Again, pretty assertive flavors there.

-Yep.

-But as you mentioned, lamb is pretty strong.

It can handle it.

-It can handle it.

Yeah.

-Alright.

Now for the main course here.

Oh, gorgeous rack of lamb.

-Beautiful lollipops there.

-Yeah.

You know, you can grill the rack as it is, but it's so much easier and faster to cut it into chops.

Not only is the grilling time shorter, but they cook more evenly.

There's more surface area for char.

-Nice.

-So these are two racks of lamb.

They're about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each.

And this is American lamb, which has a milder flavor 'cause it's finished on grain.

Australian lamb, a little bit of stronger flavor.

And it's usually a bit smaller.

-Right.

-So depending on your preference.

-Right.

Same with New Zealand lamb.

Same thing.

-Yes.

So this has a nice thick fat cap on the top.

I'm going to leave a little bit of it.

But too much of it just makes a lot of flare ups on the grill.

So I'm going to trim the bulk of it away.

Now I'm going to cut this rack into chops.

And to do that you want the chops to be evenly sized so they grill at the same rate.

But the bones are always on a curve.

So there's a trick.

You're going to cut down through the meat right between the bone and then right between these two bones.

But then at the end, when you see which way the bones are angled, you're going to angle your knife and cut through.

-And now you can basically gauge from the rest of them based on that first cut.

-That's it.

And a little knife angle.

-It is beautiful.

Just the right amount of marbling.

-Yep.

Here's all the lamb together.

We're going to pat it dry and season it up.

-Mm.

Oh, you can smell that fennel.

-Isn't that good?

-That and the allspice together.

-And that's what's fun about lamb.

It can take some of these bigger flavors.

You can have fun trying new things.

And once you have the lamb cut like this it's just so easy to grill, even a beginner griller.

If you're not that comfortable outside on the live fire, this won't let you down.

It's really straightforward.

-Well, so far there's some really good basics here.

You know, cutting down your own lamb chops, making sure they're the right size, using a little bit of sugar in your rub because they're going to cook quickly.

-As I transfer these over to a baking sheet that we'll bring out to the grill, I'm just going to sweep up any of that extra spice rub.

Make sure everything's nicely coated.

-Bones and all, too.

-Bones and all.

-Great.

-Now, these bones are really nicely cleaned.

If they're not clean when you buy them, you're going to want to trim them up.

There's usually a lot of fat up here that causes a lot of flare ups.

-Okay, good to know.

-Plus, nibbling on these bones when they're grilled is kind of one of the best parts.

-One of life's pleasures for sure.

-I'm just going to finish putting these on the baking sheet and we can head out to the grill.

Bridget, the grill is heating up, and it's time to finish off these chops by painting them with a little pomegranate molasses.

-Mmm.

-Yeah, this is just 1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses.

[ Sniffs ] Oh, it has that sweet, slightly tannic, fruity flavor.

And, you know, it also has a little bit of sugar.

So it's going to help them brown.

But it's just going to add a lovely flavor.

-Yeah.

And it kind of picks up on the pomegranate seeds that you used earlier with the mint and the parsley.

-That's it.

All the flavors make sense when you add them all up.

-Mm-hmm.

-Alright.

We're going to flip these over.

I'm going to brush this second side.

You get some.

You get some.

Alright.

Plenty enough left for the last one.

Now, on to the grill.

So I mentioned that it's been heating up.

So what I have here is 6 quarts of charcoal.

That's a full chimney.

-It's huge.

-Yeah, and I dumped it over just half of the grill.

Now, we're not going to use the half of the grill without any charcoal.

What I wanted is a really intense heat.

-Mm.

-These cook through in four minutes.

So you want enough time to actually get some char.

Some of that grill mark.

So you need a really hot fire.

-Gotcha.

-Alright, so before we cook, as always, we like to clean the grill grate.

So using my wire brush just to scrape off any gunk.

Now we're going to rub down the grill grates with a little vegetable oil.

Make them nice and glossy.

Also picks up any soot that might be on the grill grates.

-Right.

-And now time to get all these chops on the fire.

-Here, let me help you.

-Oh, thank you, my darling.

They cook really quickly, so I'm going to work speedily and put them all on the grill.

This last one.

Oh, you're last to the party.

But you're going to sop up a lot of this extra goodness, Mr. -- Mr. Last Chop.

Alright.

On the grill it goes.

-Mmm.

-Now, again, just two minutes a side, flipping halfway through, nice brown on either side, a little bit of char.

But we're looking for an internal temperature of 135 to 140.

-Okay.

-Alright.

Oh, look at that.

I-I...It's picture perfect, right?

-That looks like it's straight from an ad magazine.

-And if they get a little stuck, you can just wiggle it back and forth.

You don't want to wait for them to release on their own because they'll overcook at that point.

So a little wiggle.

Oh, gorgeous.

Perfection.

You can see some over here are browning really well.

Others aren't.

So just move it around.

Especially the little guys.

He's not going to cook so quickly.

He needs a little more browning.

-Right.

-Alright.

So just another couple of minutes on this second side.

-Okay.

-Now I like to start with the smaller chops 'cause you really don't want to overcook those.

And again we're looking for 135 to 140.

There.

Ah, 137.

Perfection.

-Nice.

-Alright.

So I'm going to get these right off the grill before they overcook.

-You know, lamb is one of the things that's great to use on your grill because it seasons the grill grate as you cook it.

-It's true.

-Kind of like sausages, too.

-Exactly.

Those are picture perfect.

-They sure are.

-It's so easy.

They do have to rest for ten minutes before we can taste them.

-Okay.

-I'm going to cover this with foil and we can head inside.

-Lovely.

-Bridget, these chops have rested for ten minutes, and they are almost ready for eating.

One last thing I'm going to do is brush just a little bit more pomegranate molasses over them.

-Of course you are.

-Not a lot.

This is just a tablespoon.

Just a little hint of that fruity flavor.

Just a veneer.

Just on one side.

-Yeah.

That pomegranate molasses is very, very potent.

-Mm-hmm.

-It doesn't take a lot.

And if you can't find pomegranate molasses at your supermarket, we've got a great recipe on our website for a homemade version.

-I...You know me, I like to gussy up the platter just a little bit.

And the colors of this relish.

-[ Exhales satisfactorily ] -I know.

I mean, this is really easy.

-This is gorgeous.

-This is rock star status grilling.

I'm going to give you -- -Oh.

Oh, my goodness.

-I know you, and I know you love lamb.

Just a little more relish.

-Mm-hmm.

Beautiful.

-Yeah.

-They're like little jewels.

-Mm-hmm.

Now, there are forks and knives here.

-Mm-hmm.

-I will not be offended if you pick them up and eat them like lollipops.

I start with the fork and knife.

-Okay.

-And then by the time I get to the bone I'm using my hands.

-Of course.

-I mean, it already comes with a utensil.

-[ Laughs ] Exactly.

-Check that out.

Oh, look at that color.

-Perfectly medium rare.

-Beautiful.

-And just that ten minute resting time means that the pinkness is evened out.

-Mm-hmm.

-Mmm.

-Mmm.

-The combination of flavors is surprising and lovely with the lamb.

It doesn't overtake the lamb, but it gives it a little something.

-And there's just a little bit of that fat on the edge of the lamb chops that crisped on the grill.

-Mm-hmm.

-Mmm.

Gorgeous.

-And, you know, you can't really pick out any one flavor in that spice rub.

Together, it really just marries well.

-That's -- That's exactly right.

Because allspice, fennel, very distinct flavors.

-Mm-hmm.

-It just tastes really warm.

That's what it tastes like.

And then the pomegranate molasses right at the end.

Yeah.

No, that's just the whipped cream on top.

-And the little pops of pomegranate seeds.

I love that.

-And it was so fast.

-And so easy.

-You're a winner.

That's a winner.

Thanks, Julia.

Well, if you want to up your grilling game at home, why not try these lamb chops?

And it starts by cutting your own chops from a rack of lamb.

Grill them quickly, and then finish with pomegranate molasses and a fresh herb relish.

So from "Cook's Country," the easy, elegant, pomegranate glazed grilled lamb chops.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

What am I doing here?

I'm going to go for the big ol' one.

There we go.

-I'm so happy because I love radishes.

And look what the kitchen team here at "Cook's Country" has done.

This shopping is amazing.

Now, I love radishes because they're really -- I like to think of them as two vegetables in one.

Raw radishes are crisp and peppery and spicy and just are wonderful on an appetizer plate, hors d'oeuvres with hummus, with cheese, with a little bit of butter on a baguette.

And I cook them.

So if you're somebody who doesn't like that pepperiness, you need to be braising your radishes, maybe with some broth and some garlic, or roasting them with shallots.

Or you can saut them and then add a little bit of lime or chili.

Radishes, they're delicious.

And look at the bounty here.

So let's start down here at the end.

First thing is there's a reason why these all have the greens attached to them.

When you're shopping for radishes, buy them with the greens.

That's a sign that they're relatively fresh.

And those sad little radishes in the plastic bag with no greens, don't buy those.

So these are your red radishes.

The most common variety.

Crisp, juicy, and wonderful.

Purple, similar.

Just a slightly different color on the exterior.

No real difference in terms of flavor.

You see packages of Easter egg with pink and white and purple.

They're perfectly round and they look like a celebration of spring.

Very similar flavors on all of these.

Up front, these really delicate French Breakfasts.

Kind of two-toned -- white at the bottom, red at the top.

I love them cut in half lengthwise and then sort of sauted.

They get a little browning on them, and, ah, they're just delicious.

These probably are the prettiest.

I mean, I know we don't want to say anybody's the prettiest, but I think the watermelon radish might be the prettiest.

That pink starburst is such a surprise, if you've never served this.

These are great shaved.

Use a vegetable peeler to get thin slices to cover the top of your salad bowl.

It is stunning and delicious.

These are Spanish radishes, also known as black radishes 'cause of the exterior.

And then the interior is this crisp white color.

These are used a lot in Eastern European cooking.

Down at this end of the table we have all the daikon radishes used throughout Asian cuisines.

This is the classic white daikon.

Now, these are much larger than the smaller round radishes.

These are typically either pickled or cooked.

Purple radishes, similar flavor, beautiful exterior.

Red radishes.

And then I love these green radishes that have this sort of starburst on the interior.

These are all daikons in different colors.

So there you have it.

These stunningly beautiful radishes.

They're also incredibly delicious.

Cook with a radish today.

-Cookbooks are an endless source of inspiration.

Within their pages, we discover new techniques, novel perspectives, and surprising flavor combinations.

Our version of raw asparagus salad was inspired by a recipe we came across in "A Boat, a Whale, & a Walrus," a cookbook by chef Renee Erickson.

The book's curious title comes from three of Erickson's restaurants in Seattle.

Boat Street Caf was her first restaurant, which she bought when she was only 25.

She later opened The Walrus and the Carpenter, inspired by a Paris oyster bar.

And The Whale Wins is a seasonal and produce-focused restaurant with a wood fired oven.

Erickson is not a formally trained chef, but she became interested in food while studying art in Italy.

In "A Boat, a Whale & a Walrus," she lays out her approach to cooking, an approach that is informed by aesthetics, seasonality, and a deep respect for ingredients.

She recommends fishing for your own seafood and serving your food at room temperature, which she believes is the best way to taste nuanced flavors.

It's an aspirational book, and some readers may find her lifestyle out of reach, but at "Cook's Country," our elegant version of asparagus salad is approachable for any home cook.

-I love eating raw asparagus, and in fact, I prefer it over cooked asparagus because it has a good crunchy texture and doesn't have any of those sulfuric compounds that come out during cooking.

And today, Lawman's going to show us how to make a raw asparagus salad.

-That's right, Julia.

I also love raw asparagus.

It has some nuttiness, mild flavors, and when you pair it with the pesto, it's delicious.

-Awesome.

-So let's get started.

First we're going to make a pesto.

I have some Pecorino Romano cheese.

It's an assertive sheep's milk cheese.

I'm going to grate 1/4 cup.

If you don't like this type of cheese, you can use parmesan, which is milder and sweeter.

-Yeah, pecorino just has a sharper flavor than parmesan.

Wow, that was fast.

-We just need 1/4 cup.

[ Both laugh ] Now, it's not going to hurt that it's a little bit overflowing.

-[ Laughs ] -Next, we're going to make the pesto.

So I have 2 cups of mint.

-Ooh.

A mint pesto.

That's different.

-And a 1/4 cup of basil.

So you're right.

This is a different pesto.

You can use any kind of herbs that you'd like.

The basil and the mint help accentuate the flavors in the asparagus.

I have a teaspoon of grated lemon zest, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 grated garlic clove... ...and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.

-Pretty straightforward.

-And then we're going to add our cheese.

We're going to process this for about 20 seconds until it's finely chopped.

-[ Sniffs ] That smells incredible.

-It does, doesn't it?

-Now I'm going to add it to this bowl.

Now we're going to add 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and just stir it right in there.

-I love that you're adding the olive oil by hand and not in the food processor, because sometimes I think with a pesto, especially one with these flavors, that oil can taste a little bitter.

-Yes.

I'm just going to taste it for seasoning.

I'm going to add a little bit of salt and pepper to it.

Now we're going to make our croutons.

So here I have 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

We're going to melt that over a medium heat.

It might seem weird that I'm using two different fats here.

-Mm-hmm.

-The combination of butter and extra virgin olive oil is going to give the croutons a floral, nutty flavor, which is going to pair great with the pesto and the asparagus.

-My grandmother used to do this.

This is an old school trick.

-I'm an old school kind of guy.

-I like it.

-While that's melting, I'm going to cut the croutons.

So I have two pieces of ordinary sandwich bread.

I'm going to cut the crusts off and then cut it into bite sized pieces about 1/2 inch.

-Perfect croutons.

-And just in time, the butter is melted.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'm just going to add them to the skillet along with 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt.

I'm just going to stir this around.

It should take about 7 to 10 minutes to get nice and golden brown.

-Okay.

Oh you can already see it starting.

-As you can see, the croutons are golden brown.

It's been about eight minutes.

Now I'm going to transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.

And we're doing this so that it absorbs the excess fat.

And while it's cooling you want to make sure you season it because since the oil is still on it, the salt and pepper is going to adhere a lot better.

-Those look delicious.

How many of those really make it to the salad when you make this recipe?

[ Both laugh ] They look like kitchen snacks.

-Just enough make it.

So now we're going to trim and prep our asparagus.

-That's a lot of asparagus.

-So I have 2 pounds of asparagus.

So this is a hearty salad.

I'm going to cut 1 inch off the bottom.

This is the woody end of the asparagus that is not pleasant to taste.

And now we're going to cut the tips off the spears.

We want to cut it about 3/4 inch length.

-Well, the thing I like about this asparagus is that it looks good and fresh, which is what you need when you're making a salad.

Those tips are nice and tightly bunched.

-So we're going to add these right to the pesto.

-Those are my favorite bits.

They have the best flavor.

-Now the asparagus, since it's raw, we want to cut it about 1/8 of an inch thick on an extreme bias.

So it's about 2 inches long.

This is going to cut the fibers of the asparagus, make them shorter so that while we're eating it, it's going to be crisp but also tender enough that we can eat it raw.

-This is actually my favorite part of cooking, just zoning out and doing some good knife work.

Nothing else matters.

-So this is going to take a little bit of time.

I need to finish the rest of these.

But as you said, you want to take your time and make sure that the cuts are the right width and length.

Last one.

-[ Laughs ] That actually didn't take very long.

-[ Laughs ] -Nicely done.

-Thank you.

Now we're going to add them to the bowl.

Now we're going to prep some radishes.

I have five radishes.

-Mm.

-So I'm just going to trim off the ends.

Then you want to slice them thin.

This recipe is all about knife work.

-[ Chuckles ] Well, I love it.

I can see the shadow of your knife through the slice as you're cutting it.

-Speaking of good knife work, you do want to make sure you're using a very sharp knife here.

-Mm-hmm.

I always say it's one of the few things any home cook can do to up their cooking game is to sharpen your knives.

-Last one.

-Nicely done.

-Thank you.

We're doubling down on that Pecorino Romano.

I love this cheese.

-You do?

-Yes, I do.

I'm going to shave 2 ounces of it.

It should be about 3/4 cup.

-So this salad has pecorino and radishes.

But there are other flavor variations on our website.

Oh, I can smell it.

It smells delicious.

That pecorino.

Ooh, I love that you're adding these big shreds right to the salad, as though it's not just an accent, it's part of the salad.

-It is.

Now we're going to give it a little stir.

You don't have to be too gentle, but I don't want to break up these pieces too much.

-Mm-hmm.

Ooh.

I just got a whiff of the basil and the mint.

-I'm just gonna add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Now we just need to clean up, and we'll be ready to eat.

Okay, now we're going to put it all together in this beautiful platter.

We're going to add the croutons.

-That looks gorgeous, Lawman.

Nice job.

Can't wait to taste it.

-Soak it all in.

[ Both laugh ] -It smells incredible.

That pesto is so aromatic.

-Let's make sure we get some of your favorite pieces there.

-Oh.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Good looking out.

I can't wait to dive into this.

Mmm.

Mmm.

I really like the mint with the asparagus.

It kind of makes it taste a little spring like.

-Exactly.

-That little spiciness of the radish and that hit of pecorino is the perfect balance to the asparagus 'cause the asparagus almost has a sweet flavor, you know, sweet and crunchy and it's very mild, almost similar to a green pea, I'd say.

And I love that you cut the spears so thinly on the diagonal, because that skin could be really fibrous, but it just has a nice crunch when it's cut like this.

-The extreme bias.

[ Both laugh ] -I think if you had someone over for dinner, they would lose their mind over this a little bit.

It's so unexpected.

Lawman, this is fantastic.

Thank you for showing me how to make it.

-My pleasure.

-If you want to make this terrific asparagus salad, start by making a pesto with mint, basil, and pecorino.

Make croutons by toasting sandwich bread with butter and a little oil, and thinly slice the asparagus.

From "Cook's Country", a delicious recipe for asparagus salad with radishes, Pecorino Romano, and croutons.

You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with our product reviews and select episodes at our website, CooksCountry.com/TV.

-Visit our website where you can sign up for the free "Cook's Country" e-mail newsletter for even more of the recipes and stories you love from the magazine and the TV show, CooksCountry.com/Cooks.

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-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

Monument Grills, offering innovative technology and design for the grilling enthusiast, with a lineup of gas grills, including the Eminence 605 with an LED touch panel and side and rear infrared burners.

Learn more at Monumentgrills.com.