Around the corner from my apartment is the cutest, most special and entertaining Italian restaurant, and my favorite place to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. Giuseppe, the chef, is a total ham and eating there is like watching a show unfold; he pays numerous visits to each of the 6 tables, describing the things he can make you that aren’t on the menu. His gnocchi are like pillows, he will tell you – and they are. But my favorite thing to order there are the lamb chops. They’re perfectly cooked, simple but flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth rich. When they arrive at the table Giuseppe will insist that you eat them with your hands, gnawing on the bone until you’ve extracted every last bit of meat.
Perhaps because the bar for lamb chops has been set so high, I’ve always been intimidated to make them at home. I cook a lot of other lamb, but it’s generally the low-and-slow kind (lots of stews and roasts), or ground in Middle Eastern-inspired recipes. Never chops. However, I came across a really simple and unique-looking recipe in my Mexico book a few months ago and felt like it was as good a time as any to give chops a try.
To say it was worth the risk would be an understatement. These were some of the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten! And they were unbelievably simple to make on top of that. The magic starts with procuring a number of dried chiles. I found some of these at the grocery store, some at Kalustyan’s (the amazing world market) and some online. They are rehydrated and then blended up with onions and spices and vinegar to make a marinade. The chops are marinated in the fridge, then the chops are quickly cooked in a hot pan. The rest of the marinade then gets cooked into a sauce.
The chops are served with crumbled cheese and chopped olives. The combination of the chiles – which are not particularly spicy but very smoky and deep – and the cheese and olives is unusual but perfectly stands up to the flavor of lamb. If you’ve been intimidated by chops I suggest you use this entry-level recipe – and definitely eat it with your hands.
Ingredients
- 5 ancho chiles, membranes and seeds removed
- 2 mulato chiles,membranes and seeds removed
- 2 pasilla chiles, membranes and seeds removed
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs parsley
- Pinch of dried oregano
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 clove
- 1/2 cups (4oz./120ml) apple cider vinegar
- 12 (5.5-oz./160-g) lamb chops
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups (16oz./475ml) white wine
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or lard
- Sea salt
- Grated panela or feta cheese
- Finely chopped onion
- Black olives, pitted and chopped
Instructions
- Put the chiles in a bowl, add enough hot water to cover them and soak for 15 minutes. Drain.
- Put the chiles, onions, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, peppercorns, clove and vinegar into a food processor or blender, add a pinch of salt, and process until thoroughly combined.
- Put the lamb chops into a dish and pour the chile mixture over them, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for about 12 hours in the refrigerator. Turn the chops over occasionally while they are marinating.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Pour in the marinade and the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until thickened.
- Melt the vegetable shortening in a frying pan or skillet. add the chops and cook for 4-5 minutes, then turn over, and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
- Transfer the chops to individual serving plates, pour the sauce over them, and sprinkle with the grated cheese, onion and olives. Serve immediately.
Notes
From Mexico: The Cookbook
