I’m crazy about Lamb Chops but I’m not a fan of broccoli. I’ll eat it. It’s green. Looks and tastes better smothered in ranch sauce for sure. I’m sure I’m not alone out there. I’m also pretty sensitive to bitter tastes. I drink coffee only because I have to, I can’t enjoy it. I hate dark chocolate, I seriously hate it. You get the idea. So back to broccoli. When broccoli is cooked, things change for the better. The bitterness becomes more pleasant and when mixed with fat, then it goes from pleasant to delicious. It’s a stupid simple recipe but one that I adore. Probably why I adore milk chocolate too.
But wait, thought it was a pasta recipe, who invited lamb chops to this party? They don’t need no invite. I love them. They looked awesome at the supermarket and I couldn’t resist. I got them 2 days ago. They have been curing in the fridge with some salt so I had to use them. I didn’t have time to figure out a way to incorporate all these ingredients in a clever way (a composed dish?… maybe another time) so I threw them together. I did drizzle almond oil all over the dish and that kinda helped me feel better about the final result. The thing is, taste-wise? This dish was one to remember.
Now, a question arises. To deep fry or not to deep fry these chops? the correct answer is yes, specially if you’re time pressed and not hoping to earn a michelin star anytime soon. But the truth is, if you want acceptable results in a matter of 2 minutes which includes a golden brown crust from heaven then this is probably the way to go. Sure, there are fancy ways to ensure a perfect outcome but I have zero access to that fanciness so I proceeded with my rudimentary approach and hoped for the best. And great it was. Could be better? Sure. In less than 2 minutes. Nope.
Ingredients (makes 2 servings. Time: 15mins)
4 beautiful fresh lamb chops
300g spaghettini
1 broccoli head
1 garlic clove (optional)
Almond oil
Salt.
The broccoli pesto. I’m being pretty liberal with the use of the word Pesto here but I just can’t think of a better one, anyways. Remove and trim everything but the florets. Steam in a closed pot with a bit of water, about 1/2 Cup is probably ok. Steam for about 5 mins. Broccoli will steam fast. Don’t overcook it. The flavour and the colour will go dull. Should be brightly green and not be falling apart. Discard the water except for about a couple of Tbsp. Cut the broccoli into chunks. Add to a blender. Add the 2 Tbsp of water into the blender. Add about 1/4 Cup of almond oil into the blender. Add the garlic clove. Blend for a good 5 mins. Add salt and adjust it to your liking. Strain the sauce to discard any brittle solids. Reserve until the pasta is ready.
The pasta. In a pot of salty boiling water, add the pasta until al dente. How salty? salty like the ocean more or less? 🙂 Strain the pasta, discarding the water (maybe save some of it in case you need to adjust the creaminess of the pesto), return to the pot. Add the broccoli pesto to the pot and incorporate well.
The chops. Sprinkle generous salt on both sides of the chops and let them cure in the fridge for no more than 2 nights. If you wanna get this dish done right away you can salt the chops last second. I won’t be seasoned as well but it’ll do. Take them out of the fridge just before you are ready. Pat dry with paper towels. In a pot half way full of vegetable oil heat until the oil is about 425F If you don’t have a thermometer that allows you to measure that kind of head, simply sear the chops in a regular heavy skillet and be done with it otherwise, have fun deep frying! Add 1 chop at a time for about 2 mins each. Remove each chop and place over paper towels. Remove any excess oil. They will be medium rare. Let them rest to ensure they cook throughly and don’t bleed out all that awesome juiciness.
Plate it all together drizzle some almond oil over your dish and off you go!
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![Another one of those recipes that almost got left behind. I took the photos weeks ago and I even uploaded them to my site but never got around to write about it which is weird.. guess was distracted by trying not to destroy my blog while making changes to it. It's happened. I love pork chops but they can go wrong pretty easily. They overcook really quick. And you know what that's like.. yeah... rubber soles. Totally unattractive. If you have the time and the equipment go sous vide. No doubt about that. If you don't then sear them in a really hot pan a couple of minutes per side. Obviously we're dealing with pork and we need to make sure it is safe to eat. Trichinosis is a concern and pork should be cooked throughly. Cooking meat throughly doesn't mean overcooking it though. The parasite in question actually dies at fairly low temperatures which is great news. This excerpt from a USDA document is interesting: Cooking - Commercial preparation of pork products by cooking requires that meat be heated to internal temperatures which have been shown to inactivate trichinae. For example, Trichinella spiralis is killed in 47 minutes at 52° C (125.6° F), in 6 minutes at 55° C (131° F), and in < 1 minute at 60° C (140° F). It should be noted that these times and temperatures apply only when the product reaches and maintains temperatures evenly distributed throughout the meat. Alternative methods of heating, particularly the use of microwaves, have been shown to give different results, with parasites not completely inactivated when product was heated to reach a prescribed end-point temperature. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations for processed pork products reflects experimental data, and requires pork to be cooked for 2 hours at 52.2° C (126° F), for 15 minutes at 55.6° C (132° F), and for 1 minute at 60° C (140° F). But how can one translate this into a recipe? If you're cooking the meat sous vide... it's a no brainer. Set the water bath to 125.6F and cook the meat until the core has spent 47 minutes at this temperature for example. Of course. bare in mind that depending on the thickness of the chop, the total cooking time will need to be calculated. It's usually a few hours for individual chops just like the paragraph above suggests. Now, if you're cooking the chops in a skillet... things get a bit trickier and experience plays a big role in getting the meat cooked through but not overcooked. The thicker the chop, the trickier it gets. The leaner the chop, the quicker it cooks... all these catches. I personally observe a few things while pan searing pork chops at home: Thickness... I stay at about a inch or less other wise, sous vide, grill or roast. I bring the meat to room temperature. I salt the meat way ahead of time. If I have time I brine the chops instead I use a thermometer. I sear the chops in a really hot skillet a couple of minutes per side. I check internal temperature at various points. I finish in the oven if needed otherwise... I cover the pan with a lid and remove from the heat until cooked through. This might take several minutes so I check with a thermometer periodically. Sounds like a pain in the ass and it is but some repetition helps. Done a few times it becomes second nature. To my advantage it's really hard not to kill this parasite. If I work above 130F for the internal temperature it's pretty safe and the chop should be pretty juicy still. Anyways, don't take my word for it. I'm not an expert in the field that's the sort of thing I keep in mind when I'm cooking pork. Same with game meats. So moving on! Here is the recipe: [yumprint-recipe id='9'] enjoy!](https://thatothercookingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_6621-1200x1200.jpg)
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This looks amazing, I wonder whether the broccoli pesto would go well with spiralised courgettes too?
thank you! I bet it would work really well as well. I’d eat it straight 🙂
I get you with regard to the bitterness. I love even strongly bitter flavors – i could almost love unsweetened chocolate – and i realize that I’m a bit rare in that regard. Many people don’t realize that extent to which broccoli – and similar veggies, like Brussels Sprouts – undergo when cooked. Especially when roasted. Your pesto sounds delicious.
Yeah, I’ve always been very sensitive to bitter flavours. I can’t help it. It’s just not my thing. I don’t like tea, I don’t like coffee, I don’t like dark chocolate. Add sugar and that all changes. Thanks for your compliment, really appreciate it!
Our tastes seem to be totally opposite as I like all the things you mentioned that you didn’t like. 😀 One thing is do know is that your dinner sounds terrific!
Ahahaha, thanks Karen! I can’t even stand tea. Too bitter!!! I have to add so much sugar to it. I do love beer. It’s a different kind of bitter though. Maybe I should add alcohol to my bitter ingredients and everything should be ok.
Beautiful! I just made lamb chops recently because I had company, otherwise my husband won’t eat them! It was part of a huge Indian spread I served – marinated for a few days with a curry paste. Love them! I love broccoli, too, but this is a great way to use it!
Mimi! thank you! I’m giving indian a second change… but my way. I have curried lentils to go with ox tail for hopefully my next post. My biggest issue with indian food is that the spices take over the main ingredient, but maybe that’s because I’ve only had indian food like twice in my life at some whatever places. hahaha. Thanks for stopping by! I can’t get enough lamb chops, they are so delicious!
Maybe you have to eat Indian food WITH Indian food! For the main portion of the spread, I prepared the curried grilled lamb chops, curried chicken in a tomato-based sauce, curried chick peas with green chiles, sag – a curried spinach and broccoli puree, naan, raita, and coriander chutney. Oh, and a saffron rice. It’s a fabulously sexy smorgasbord of Indian food! They all went with each other. Just a thought…
hahahah! that sounds super intense!!! And delicious 🙂
Maybe if you season the oxtail with cumin, then the curried lentils wouldn’t outshine the meat. And somehow get ginger and garlic in there somehow.
i can probably think of a way to get that in there, thank you so much Mimi!!!