I’ve said before that we never used to eat lamb much because in the States it can be expensive for the chops. Here inBahrain, however, because lamb is such a large part of local cuisine, it’s very affordable. We have lamb chops now at least once a week, but we usually order them for delivery. The place that makes them does such a good job that I’m rarely inspired to make them myself. Yet, the other day when my husband pulled out the 2kg bag of shrimp, he also pulled lamb chops out of the freezer so I had to do something with them.
I would have liked to try to make the same lamb chops we have delivered, but I have no idea how they are seasoned. I do know that they must cook them in over very high heat because they always have a nice crust on the outside, the same way a good steak from a nice steak house would. So I decided to pull out one of my cookbooks for inspiration for a marinade and try to cook my chops the same way as our favorite ones here. My husband thought they were too acidic, but I thought the flavor was nice.
Rose-Balsamic Lamb Chops
*adapted from Lavender Balsamic Marinade from The Complete Guide to Making Sauces by Christine France
Ingredients:
8 lamb chops
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons dried rose petals
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Place the lamb chops in a bowl and sprinkle on the shallot and rose petals. Mix the vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the chops. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the chops and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Garnish with extra rose petals.
Back in the States, lamb is so expensive, so it was usually reserved for a special, kid-free occasion. However, lamb is widely available here, and is much more wallet-friendly. So now lamb no longer has to be reserved for special occasions, just for an ordinary Tuesday.
Cider Glazed Lamb Chops (courtesy epicurious.com)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unfiltered apple cider
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1 tablespoon mild honey
- 8 rib lamb chops (3/4 inch thick), cut from 1 rack
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
Preparation:
- Boil cider, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely. Reserve 2 tablespoons glaze for drizzling.
- Preheat broiler.
- Pat lamb chops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt (total). Arrange on rack of a broiler pan and brush top of chops with half of glaze. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat 3 minutes. Turn over and brush with remaining glaze, then broil 3 to 4 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer chops to a plate and drizzle with reserved glaze. Let stand 5 minutes, then sprinkle with scallion.
Mom de Cuisine 