Chiffonade To The Rescue

Sometimes, things just work out for the best. Last Sunday, it was fully noon before I remembered that I had not taken anything out of the freezer for dinner. Nothing edible in the fridge; there weren't even eggs in the house.

I could have faked it by announcing brightly to My Beloved that salad with canned tuna on top is the latest foodie rage. I could have batted my eyelashes and asked to be taken out for dinner. I could have had a shower and gone to the store for provisions. Instead, I rummaged once more through the freezer drawer and ¡hallelujah! I found a lovely, local rack of lamb hiding underneath the soup stock containers.

Rack of lamb, in addition to being on My Beloved's All-Time Hit Parade of Favorite Dinners, thaws in just a few hours. *Whew!* I browned it in a wide frying pan before roasting it for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Perfectly pink and juicy after letting it stand for the five minutes it took to warm the last of the leftover beans and to cook the peas.

Diving into the fridge for a snack before dinner, I found a rib of celery and happened across some fresh mint, too, so I made a quick chiffonade of celery and mint leaves together to complement the lamb (worked with the peas, too). There it is, nestled at the top between the two chops.

As I said, sometimes, things just have a way of working out for the best.