I brought my barbecue for a very short spin the other day. It fits into the boot of my car very nicely. When I got it a few years ago, I was besotted, lighting it up at every opportunity. I used to perch it in the boot to cook. I only stopped when my eldest observed that the proximity of the flame to the petrol tank might not be the best idea.
I cooked lamb chops just with salt, then dipped them in aioli. This week's recipes are all about chops – easy, familiar and delicious. One has a hint of Morocco with the almonds, apricots and cumin. The flavours are sweet and subtle. Try to crisp the fat; it's a crime to waste it. I'm serving two chops per person. I used loin chops, but you can use any lamb chops you fancy.
I stared at the butcher’s counter a long time before I settled on thick, bone-in pork chops. Something cooked on the bone always brings more flavour, but use what you can find. The juices from the pork and the mushrooms are imperative in the dressing. The length of time that they occupy the pan is determined by the thickness of the chops.
I was looking for a large monkfish tail for this recipe to cut across the bone and make chops. I may as well have been looking for Eldorado. I settled on hake steaks. They are more easily found. Fillets would be perfect too.
The wild garlic is out. I’ve just chopped it through a simple butter sauce where normally I would make a purée. This way is lazier but no less delicious. I’ve added tinned chickpeas, which, by the way, seem to have become somewhat elusive. I’m blaming Brexit.
You could add a few halved baby tomatoes through the sauce as well; they would add a little cheer and would get on very well with the hake. Sometimes you don’t realise that a dish needs a little something until it’s done, but that’s the nature of cooking. We can do it a little differently next time.
Recipe: Grilled lamb chops with spinach, cumin, almonds and apricots
Recipe: Warm pork chop, field mushroom and Gorgonzola salad
Recipe: Hake chops with chickpeas and wild garlic butter sauce
