Serves 4

• 1 lamb loin (8 ounces), cleaned
• 12 oil-cured black olives (no pits)
• Salt
• Butter Poaching Liquid
• Minted fennel purée (see recipe below)

1. Cut each olive vertically into quarters then, using a paring knife, slice a small opening into the lamb loin. Using your knife to keep the slice open, slide the piece of olive into the hole. Repeat the same procedure all over the lamb loin. To cook, heat 1 recipe of the Butter Poaching Liquid in a medium saucepan and warm to 125°F. Add lamb loin and gently poach for 18 minutes. This will give you perfectly medium rare lamb. Let rest for 6 minutes.
2. To serve, spoon a large line of the minted fennel purée down the center of the plate. Slice lamb loin into 5 pieces and spoon a little of the fennel liquid over the lamb. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Minted Fennel Purée

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 large head of fennel, sliced into pieces (reserve tops for later)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pernod
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 cup mint, cleaned leaves only
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Sweat shallots until soft and sweet. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then add pernod and flambé until flame dies. Add the fennel slices and just cover with chicken stock. Cook until fennel is soft. Remove fennel from liquid, place in blender, add 1 cup of cooking liquid and blend on low speed. Add fennel tops and mint and purée until smooth. Save some liquid for garnish.

>>This recipe appears in Episode #310.

>> For additional recipes and more, visit www.ming.com