It used to be that I only ate lamb once a year--on my birthday. It goes back to the days when I was moving from my "no red meat, to nearly vegetarian, to poultry and red meat on special occasions" eating patterns. Lamb was that special dish that I ordered when a celebration was in order--I never cooked it myself. I can probably count on a one hand the number of times I've cooked lamb--but that's all about to change.
Leave it to Gourmet magazine to inspire me. The recipe for these cider-glazed lamb chops appears in the table of contents section of November's Thanksgiving issue. Sure, the de rigeur cover photo of the turkey caught my attention but so did the photo of scallion flecked lamb chops and the words "Active time: 20 min; Start to Finish: 40 min. On a Tuesday night at 6:00 pm with no other plans for dinner are there any other words so beautiful? So I ran out to get some lamb chops and apple cider and dinner was done in less than an hour of my return. Sliced polenta brushed with olive oil and topped with Parmigianno- Reggiano, some garlicky sauteed spinach, and crusty bread filled out the meal. Lamb chops may not fit the "once a week for dinner" budget but chops this quick, this easy, and this delicious will certainly be in the rotation more than annually.
Cider-Glazed Lamb Chops (adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2007)
- 1 cup unfiltered apple cider
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari sauce)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1 tablespoon mild honey
- 8 lamb chops (3/4" thick)
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
Boil cider, ginger, garlic, soy or tamari sauce, vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan until reduced to about 1/4 - 1/2 cup, about 10-15 minutes. Cool completely--sauce will thicken slightly upon cooling. Reserve 2 tablespoons for drizzling. Preheat broiler. Pat lamb chops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt (total). Place a rack on a jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil. Arrange chops on the rack and brush tops with half of glaze. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat--3 minutes for medium rare; 5 minutes for medium well. Turn over and brush with remaining glaze, then broil for 3-5 more minutes depending on desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with reserved glaze. Let stand 5 minutes, then sprinkle with scallions and serve. Serves four.
Archive Alert: On this date in 2005 I was anticipating dinner at Atlanta's Woodfire Grill and in
2006 I was enjoying a phenomenal dinner at Fork in Philly. Watch for a post on my latest Philly visit coming soon.
Um,... yum!
Those look tasty and the recipe makes them sound even more so. I think I'm going to have to try that sometime soon. I just finished eating risotto and you just made my mouth water.
Posted by: Mark | October 25, 2007 at 02:03 PM
Jennifer, I"m assuming you will be attending the farmers market tomorrow at SU? I was hoping...you might post about it? I have been to the one in Portland and it is awesome. I am so hoping it works in Syracuse too.
Happy marketing tomorrow!
Posted by: Heather McCoy | October 25, 2007 at 10:14 PM