Food & Wine — 2015

Right.  I’m now ready to share my favourite lamb chop recipe.  This is a bit of an amalgam of dishes I’ve made over the years, sometimes with added root vegetables, sometimes with pork, and with various herbs and flavours.

Seems to have its roots in the Mediterranean, but what could be more local?  This one is flexible, quick, simple and delicious. Starts on the stove and ends in the oven.  Made perfect with the addition of some crispy fried potatoes, a tomato and onion salad and a nice glass of Yarrh Shiraz or Sangiovese.

• 4-6 chump or loin chops
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Fresh or dried oregano, chopped, or a few rosemary springs
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preheat the oven to 200°C, then rub the chops with salt (rest for an hour or so if you have time).  Heat a small amount of olive oil in an oven ready pan (eg small paella pan or similar) and brown the chops to your liking over medium-high heat.  Turn the chops, sprinkle with pepper, chopped garlic, chopped herbs and the all important lemon juice, then put them in the oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on their thickness and your liking.  Rest for 5-10 minutes then eat with gusto!

NM

Serve accompanied with raw or steamed seasonal vegetables, grilled vegetables, grilled fish, sweet pork or a thai style omelette.

Pound the garlic, salt and shrimp paste in a mortar and pestle.  Slowly add the chillies. The more you pound them the hotter the sauce – suit yourself.  Then pound in the sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.  Adjust the balance between the hot, sour, salt and sweet to your taste, and serve with a nice, cold Yarrh Riesling.