Lamb T-Bone with Cannellini Beans Cacio e Pepe
A thick-cut lamb T-bone - also called a double loin chop - rested over creamy cannellini beans finished with pecorino and plenty of black pepper. Ask your butcher to cut the T-bones for you, or follow the prep notes below.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20–25 minutes, plus 5 minutes resting
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
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4 double-cut lamb loin chops (T-bones), about 300–350g each
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2 garlic cloves, bruised
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1 rosemary sprig
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Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
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Salt
Cannellini Beans
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400g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
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200ml chicken stock
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100g unsalted butter
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60g pecorino, finely grated
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Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Method:
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Season the lamb generously with salt. Place fat-side down in a cold, heavy-based frying pan, then set over medium-high heat. Allow the fat and pan to come to temperature together, cooking until the fat is deeply golden and well rendered, about 6–8 minutes.
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Flip the lamb onto the meat side and cook until evenly caramelised, about 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary to the pan.
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Stand the lamb upright on the bone and transfer to a 150°C (130°C fan-forced) oven. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the centre of the backstrap reads 50–52°C, about 8–10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and rest on a tray for 5 minutes.
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While the lamb rests, combine the drained cannellini beans and chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently until the beans are warmed through, about 3–4 minutes.
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Remove from the heat and stir through the butter and pecorino until a sauce forms that coats the beans. Season with salt and black pepper.
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Slice the backstrap and fillet from the bone and arrange on plates with a generous spoonful of beans. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
Notes:
The T-bone cut is two vertebrae wide, giving you both the backstrap and the fillet in one chop. If you'd like to cut them yourself: place the loin fat-side down on a sturdy board with the vertebrae facing you. Locate the joint between each vertebrae and cut down through the tenderloin between the joint - a firm press of the palm on the spine of the knife should get you through. One loin will occasionally yield an uneven number, meaning one chop will be slightly larger than the rest.
