Missing Ingredient

I was in Fresh Market the other day (our regional version of Whole Foods) and they had some gorgeous lamb chops on sale. It had been a while since I last had a piece of meat as meat instead of an ingredient in something else so I broke down and bought a pair.

With some degree of success, I’ve been working at reducing the amount of meat I eat, focusing on dishes largely founded on ingredients such as pasta, beans, or grains with just some meat in the mix. Partially this is an effort to cut down on my meat intake in general because, like most Americans, I eat far more meat than I need. And partially because I’m avoiding buying supermarket meat in favor of meat (more expensive meat, albeit better tasting) from local producers. So far I’m not 100 percent successful, but this is more a matter of altering habits and presumptions rather than a binary succeed/fail issue.

It took me a while to figure out what I was expecting but missing — ground sumac.

The truth is, I have been seriously hungering for bone-in rib roast. But that’s completely out of the question. Way too expensive. So lamb chops instead. But what to do with them? I’ve been on a bit of a Greek kick lately so I decided to go down that road. The result was good, but not quite what I had in mind, and it took me a while to figure out what I was expecting but missing – ground sumac.

To the best of my knowledge, sumac is not a typical ingredient in Greek food. And, in fact, my introduction to the ingredient is recent — so, for me, it’s not a common element of my repertoire. But sumac is common in many middle-eastern dishes and so there’s no reason it shouldn’t fit into Greek cuisine as well. So here’s what I made, but with the addition of sumac to the mix.

Grilled Lamb Chops a la Grecque
Serves 4.

8 1-inch thick lamb loin chops
1 c olive oil
2 lg lemons — zested and juiced
4 cloves garlic — crushed
2 tbsp minced, chopped oregano
2 tsp ground sumac (look in the Middle-eastern section of your grocery)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
Yogurt sauce:
2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp minced fresh mint
2 clove garlic — crushed

Yogurt sauce:
Drain yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth for 1 hour, or use Greek yogurt if you can find it (Greek yogurt is quite thick).

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Chops:
Combine all ingredients except tzatziki sauce in a large zippered bag. Shake thoroughly, and marinate on the counter for a couple of hours – shaking and turning over occasionally to keep marinade mixed and distributed.

Heat grill or a grill pan to medium-high. Pat chops dry with a paper towel and grill 3 minutes per side.

Serve topped with yogurt sauce.

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Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | main dish | lamb | greek

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