February 04
Oscar de la Hoya's Birthday
 


Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao


 
Oscar (Golden Boy) de la Hoya is the Mexican-American boxer who won a gold medal for the United States Boxing Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games.  He became Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1995 and Ring Magazine's best "Pound for Pound" fighter in the world in 1997 and was also named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in the same year. His fights throughout his entire career have generated a total of almost half a billion dollars in sales. Oscar defeated over a dozen world champions and has won six world titles.

In early 2007, Oscar signed to defend his title  against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  which took  place on May 5, 2007. Oscar  pressed the fight early, doing his best when he used his lead left jab, but Mayweather's speed gave him the advantage later in the fight. Oscar rallied in the final round, but when the scorecards were announced, Mayweather won by a close split decision.

Oscar subsequently made the headlines again when he was featured on the Los Angeles-based photo agency website in a variety of unusual poses allegedly taken by Milana Dravnel, a Russian-born New York City stripper/model, who contends were snapped in a Philadelphia hotel. In one photo, Oscar is outfitted in fishnet stockings and panties and sporting a pair of boxing gloves.  In another photo, he wears a wig and stiletto pumps. Several days later, Dravnel reportedly signed a legal agreement stating that the images had been "altered" by an unnamed third party who stole the pictures from her camera, and recanted her prior statements vouching for the authenticity of the images.

For his May 5, 2007 fight with Floyd Meriwether, Oscar's conditioning guru/camp chef, Rob Garcia, discussed the champ's strict prefight diet of a combination of protein, organic and high grain carbohydrates, and a variety of vegetables and fruits  Garcia pointed out that Oscar  alternates his daily proteins, selecting from his favorites: lamb, chicken, and fish. Since lamb is a favorite of the powerful boxer, here is a recipe for Oscar's next birthday party which you can enjoy while watching him in The Mexican-American War (2008).
 

Rack of Lamb with Panties

 

When buying a rack of lamb ask the butcher to "french" the chops (scrape the bones and remove the fat) and for lamb panties to decorate bones of the finished racks. This is an elegant touch that also serves to protect the fingers while eating the racks.
 
Ingredients
 
1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
salt and freshly ground-pepper to taste
 
2 TB olive oil
16-18 rib panties
   
Instructions
 
  1. Preheat oven to 450º F. Move oven rack to the center position.
  2. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes.
  3. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste.
  4. Remove the aluminum foil from the exposed ribs and put the panties over the bones. Let the lamb rest for about five minutes and slice rack between the bones.

Serves 4

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes