As the weather cools, few meals get a more enthusiastic response than lamb chops. Chris Black of The Aubergine and Bellevue Café has a popular take on traditional lamb chops with an Italian twist.
Take advantage of our fantastic South African lamb with this simple recipe. Choose rib chops from the Pick n Pay butchery, selecting those with a little marbling – you need some of that fat in the meat – and then scrape the bones clean. Marinate overnight in a mixture of olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar, and classic lamb pairing flavours like garlic, fennel and coriander.
Place the marinated chops on the grill for no longer than five minutes. Lamb really must not be overdone and should be distinctly pink inside while being nicely browned on the grill.
Let them rest for another five minutes before serving. In a warm place alongside the stove, tent them in tin foil to allow the juices to distribute through the meat. This makes a huge difference to the final flavour.
The sauce is just as important and takes the longest to prepare. Use lamb bones (and the meat you scraped off the chop bones) to make a reduction with red wine, stock, rosemary and garlic.
Serve with a baby leaf salad and a smoky eggplant purée – the hummus kind also available at Pick n Pay. An ideal wine pairing is a Cabernet Sauvignon. I love the Springfield Wholeberry Cabernet as a classic foil for the lamb flavours.
**All ingredients available from Pick n Pay Supermarkets and Hypers KZN


2 Comments
Loved the Lamb Chops! Marinating over night makes a big difference to the taste and texture of the meat!
Love love love lamb…. so this was a very easy and tasty meal!!
A must do!
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