In a large sauté pan, toast ¼ cup of uncooked Jasmine rice on medium heat. Move constantly until it takes on a brown color, yet not burned. If browning too quickly, turn down the heat. Blend the toasted rice in a blender, spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle, to crush. Set aside in a separate medium bowl.

In the same sauté pan, over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the ground lamb in an even shallow layer, stirring minimally. Do not stir until you get slight browning - the goal is to cook the American Lamb all the way through and the browning adds flavor from the Maillard effect.

Once cooked through, remove from heat. In the bowl with the toasted rice, add the cooked lamb, green onions, shallots, chili peppers, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, cilantro and mint leaves. Mix gently, taste and adjust flavor by adding additional fish sauce, lime juice, pepper and/or salt.

Serve alongside rice, lettuce and cucumbers. You can also make lettuce cups filled with the larb. Enjoy!

Prepare Lamb

Trim any excess fat and/or gristle off of the butterflied lamb.

Score the lamb being careful not to cut all the way through. This will allow the marinade to cover more of the lamb.

Prepare Lamb Marinade:

Mix olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings in a bowl. Place lamb in a dish large enough to hold the marinade or a large zipper bag. Pour marinade over butterflied lamb being sure to cover all surfaces. Cover and refrigerate for 3-24 hours until ready to cook.

Prepare Farro:

Prepare farro according to package instructions: Note: Different types of farro may have different cook times. Rinse farro well.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Add rinsed farro to boiling water.

Return water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high and boil uncovered until soft. For pearled farro approximately 30 minutes. Drain off cooking water and set aside.

Farro may be made a day ahead of time if desired and stored in the refrigerator until needed.

Prepare Lemon Vinaigrette:

Add lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, shallots, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk vigorously until well combined. Drizzle olive oil into the bowl slowly while continuing to whisk. After well combined, set aside.

Grill Lamb

Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season lightly with salt and pepper. Ideally, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Preheat the grill to 400-425F. Set up the grill with both an indirect and direct cooking area.

Place lamb over direct heat and turn every couple of minutes until desired internal temperature is reached when measured with an instant read thermometer. Pull the lamb 10 degrees under the desired finishing temperature as there will be a rise in temperature once pulled from the grill. Rest lamb while preparing the rest of the ingredients. *see note for temperature recommendations.

 Grill Corn and Asparagus

Place ears of corn on the grill grate over direct heat. Rotate corn occasionally with tongs while lightly charring corn. Remove from the grill when corn is tender or after approximately 8 to 10 minutes. After the corn has cooled, cut the corn off the cob, season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Remove woody ends of asparagus. Lightly toss asparagus in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill asparagus for approximately 4-5 minutes for thin asparagus or 6 to 10 minutes for thick asparagus or until tender. Slice asparagus into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Assemble Salad

In a large bowl, mix farro, grilled asparagus, shallots, corn, tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest and vinaigrette until well combined.

When ready to serve, top with pine nuts and sliced lamb. (Note: do not top salad with nuts until ready to serve so they stay crunchy.

Lamb Shoulder Chops

Season chops with salt, pepper and sumac and rub on both sides, reserving ½ tsp sumac.

On medium high heat (or sear on electric pressure cooker) place chops and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice browning appears.

Electric Pressure Cooker Method

Add your seared chops to the pot and add 4 cups of water, enough to cover.

Add in a cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Seal pressure cooker and set to "high pressure" for 45 minutes.

Allow to naturally release pressure for at least 15 minutes.

Remove lamb from pot, drain excess liquid* and take out to cool.

Stove top Method

Add your seared chops to the pot and add 4 cups of water, enough to cover.

Add in a cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Allow water to come to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, lamb should be tender and falling off the bone.

Remove lamb from pot, drain excess liquid* and remove to cool.

When you're ready to assemble your salad, shred the lamb off the bone and season one more time with salt, garlic powder and remaining ½ tsp  sumac.

Place in non-stick pan on medium heat and allow lamb to cook with spices for 3-4 minutes.

Lamb will darken in color and begin to slightly crisp.

Remove and add to your salad.

Yogurt Dressing

Place all of your dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until fully combined and emulsified.

Dressing can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks when using fresh yogurt.

Salad

Assembling the salad is at your own discretion. Toss lettuce with about 1/3 cup of dressing.

Top with your seared lamb and a little of each of your toppings. Add or omit anything you want.

Drizzle a little extra dressing if you desire.

Serve with lettuce wraps or Jasmine rice or both!

Dice half the onion (1 cup) and thinly slice 1/4 of the onion ( 1/4- 1/2 cup).

Quick Pickle the sliced onions: Place the sliced onions in a bowl, cover with 1/2 cup hot water and 2 tablespoons vinegar, place in the fridge.

Cook Lamb: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cup of diced red onion, sauté 3-4 minutes, add garlic, lemongrass and chili flakes. Sauté until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, breaking it apart with a metal spatula. Season with the salt and pepper and continue cooking until all the liquid releases and evaporates about 10 minutes. Drain the fat from the lamb, using a fine-mesh strainer.

While the lamb is cooking, prep the remaining salad ingredients. Place the cucumber, radish, scallions, mint, basil, cilantro, fresh chili (optional) in a bowl. Add the lamb and the strained onions. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Taste, adjust salt, lime and heat.

Serve with lettuce wraps and/or cooked rice.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place baguette cubes on the baking sheet; drizzle tops with oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 275°F for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly golden brown; remove the cubes and set aside.  Increase oven temperature to 400°F. 

Season each side of lamb steaks with 1/2 teaspoon Za’atar seasoning, salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat a little oil; sear steaks 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until a nice crust has appeared. Remove skillet from heat; place in 400°F oven and continue to cook about 7 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°F for medium. Remove skillet from oven; place steaks on a cutting board to cool. 

In a large bowl, combine baguette cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, peas, onion, basil and mint. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad; toss. Place the salad on a serving tray.  Cut cooled lamb steaks into 1-inch cubes; place atop salad and garnish with feta.

For the Marinade: In a large plastic zip-top bag, combine pomegranate juice, oil, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper. Add lamb to marinade in bag; refrigerate 8 hours to overnight. 

Remove lamb from marinade; pat dry. 

Heat gas grill to high; scrape grates clean and brush with oil. Grill lamb, fat side down, over medium-high heat 25 to 35 minutes total, turning halfway through cooking. Cook to desired doneness, about 145°F for medium-rare and 160°F for medium. Remove lamb from grill and loosely cover with foil; let rest about 15 minutes and thinly slice. 

For the Kale and Pomegranate Salad: In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add kale, fennel and pomegranate seeds or grapes; toss to coat. 

To serve, arrange dressed salad on a platter; top with sliced lamb, Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts.