It's from New Zealand, and it's good. (But if anyone can find me some good American lamb please get in touch.) (Photo by James Brock)

It’s from New Zealand, and it’s rare. (But if anyone can find me some good American lamb please get in touch.) (Photo by James Brock)

I have taken far too long to settle into my apartment in Houston. In fact, I am still not fully unpacked. Far from it. Most of my books are still in boxes, and though my bookcases are ready and willing to serve their purpose, I have been, shall we say, less than industrious in the area of fully moving in. But that is over. I have set myself a strict deadline. Soon I will be able to put on dinner parties, something I have missed hosting.

However, boxes of books and general clutter have not prevented me from cooking. This past week I was wanting lamb, so I went to a butcher shop/meat market and bought a rack. There was a jar of tapenade in the refrigerator – my parents had sent it to me as a gift  – and I used it, along with some bread crumbs and more capers, as a rub/crust for the rack. A bed of sautéed spinach and shallots finished the dish, which I enjoyed with a bottle of a red from Rioja.

Easy, elegant, delicious. As it was cooking I opened a box that just happened to contain cookbooks. One down, oh so many to go …