There’s nothing easier than enjoying some amazing flavored lamb chops with middles eastern aromas on a warm Sunday evening. And of course, with a cold Bavarian beer, which will definitely sooth your soul.
A friend of mine pointed out the other day, that my recipes are rather freestyle, than following some strict rules, and this is something that I’ve really been doing without realizing in the past few months: playing with ingredients, chasing new flavors.
And this was the case for these lamb chops, the marinade and the roasted peppers salad. I tried not to buy specific ingredients just for this dish, but more to play around and use what was at hand and in my fridge, and I kind of avoided this way wasting fresh vegetables and greens.
The best way to obtain good and tender lamb chops, which are falling off the bone is to marinade the meat overnight, and the longer it stays with the flavors on, the tastier it will be too. Prepare everything one day before, or even 2 days in advance, and forget about it until it’s time to roast the lamb chops.
Remember though to take the meat out of the fridge 30 min before transferring it into the oven, so it gets back to room temperature. Preheat your oven and slowly roast the lamb chops for 1 hour at 160C-170C.
This is definitely a type of meal in a pure Mediterranean way with a Romanian twist, as the red roasted peppers are a staple ingredient of my childhood. My mom is always roasting them end of August, beginning of September, and sometimes, endless bags or red peppers are going straight from the grill directly into the freezer, to be consumed over the winter months in delicious salads or in zacusca 🙂
For this middle eastern lamb chops I gave myself permission to play a bit with the roasted red pepper salad by adding fresh young garlic and a mix of finely chopped coriander and mint. Well, that’s a twist which will make you want more, so be prepared and roast some more red peppers than you intended in the first place 🙂
Roasting the meat in a lower temperature and for a longer time, will definitely offer you the texture you are after, juicy and tender lamb chops well infused with middle eastern flavors.
Serve the lamb chops on top of the roasted red pepper salad and sprinkle on top a mix of coriander and mint leaves.
Love,
Cori
Middle Eastern Lamb Chops & Roasted Red Pepper Salad
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Loading...Easy Sunday evening feast with middle eastern flavors
Ingredients
- 8-10 lamb chops
- 10-12 red peppers (the long ones)
- 1 handful coriander + extra for serving
- 1 handful mint leaves + extra for serving
- 5 fresh garlic spears + extra for red pepper salad
- 2 medium scallions
- 1/2 tsp ras el hanout
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 orange peels (without the white part)
- 3-4 tsp orange juice
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice + zest
- s&p
Instructions
Prepare the marinade: in a blender, mix together the mint, coriander, 4 fresh garlic spears, scallions, orange juice and peel, 4 tbsp olive oil, s&p, sumac, ras el hanout. Adjust the taste to your preferences and add it over the lamb chops. Set the meat aside in the fridge to marinade overnight.
Preheat the oven at 170C. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a cast iron pan and transfer the lamb chops into the oven, leaving the marinade on. Add a bit more s&p over the meat. Roast them for 1 hr, or until you can easily pierce them with the fork.
Roast the red peppers on the grill, until the skin gets all charred. Transfer them in a bowl with cold water and discard the peel, when it cools down. With a fork rip apart the peppers' flesh and set them aside in a bowl. Add the dressing on top made from the remaining olive oil, lime juice, 1 garlic spear finely chopped, s&p. Adjust everything to your taste. Leave aside.
Finely chop some coriander and mint leaves and mix with 1 tsp of lime zest. Set aside.
Serve the lamb chops on top of the roasted red pepper salad with mint and coriander fresh mix.
Open your favourite beer and enjoy dinner!
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