Lamb has been on my mind for a while. That is, I’ve been wanting to buy some lamb and prepare some kind of lamb dish. At least where I live, though, lamb is one of the more expensive kinds of meat to buy, so I was holding off.
A few days ago I found a pretty good price on some lamb chops and I jumped for them.
At home I also had cucumbers (as my daughter adores them, and we pretty much always have them in the fridge), and some plain yogurt. Yogurt cucumber sauce just really lent itself to the meal, as well as some healthy brown rice.
Here’s a description of how I put this dinner together, in case you’d like to try it for yourself:
Ingredients
- lamb chops
- brown rice
- olive oil
- salt
- white and black pepper
- nutmeg
- almonds (to garnish)
- plain yogurt
- garlic clove
- tomatoes, parsley, lemon (to garnish)
Recipe
Rub both sides of the lamb chops with sea salt, grind on white and black pepper, and allow the meat to sit at least 40 minutes. (Allowing the meat to sit after salting permits it to let out juices and then reabsorb them before cooking, making for a more tender dish.)
Prepare the rice. Sautee the rice slightly in oil, then add water, salt, and – if desired – a little sprinkle of nutmeg for flavor. (For one cup of rice, you’ll need 2 cups of water.) Let the rice come to a boil, stir, cover the pot and allow it to cook on low until all water is absorbed.
Peel the cucumber and cut it into small pieces. I did this by cutting it into quarters and then thinly slicing each of those. Combine the yogurt, cucumber, black and white pepper, diced garlic and salt in a dish.
Toast the almonds, according to desired method. I have done this on the stove or in a toaster oven.
Cook your meat according to desired method. I do not have a grill, so I broiled the lamb in the oven.
Assemble your plate and enjoy!
Susy's Home and Hearth 