BLACK CHERRY-BLACK PEPPER LAMB CHOPS WITH SWEET PEA RISOTTO

Black Cherry-Black Pepper Lamb Chops with Sweet Pea Risotto image

This is a great date meal for your Lamb Chop, Sweet Pea, or Honey Pie. No need to worry about dessert-you're it!

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), plus some for drizzling
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup frozen green peas, a couple of overflowing handfuls
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus a few sprigs for garnish
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 loin lamb chops, each 1 1/2 inches thick
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup black cherry all-fruit preserves
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (eyeball it in your palm)
Salt

Steps:

Place the stock in a medium pot and warm it up over medium-low heat.
Place an oven rack 8 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler to high.
In a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of the butter with a tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan. When the pan is hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the Arborio and cook for a minute more. Add the wine and cook it all away, 1 minute. Add a few ladles of warm stock and let the rice absorb it, stirring occasionally. The risotto will take 22 minutes to cook. Add a ladle of broth as each addition is absorbed, until the risotto is starchy, creamy, and cooked to al dente. Add the peas when the risotto is just about al dente, the last minute or two. Add the cheese, mint, and parsley just before serving.
When the risotto is half cooked, 10 minutes from being done, drizzle the lamb chops with EVOO and arrange them on a slotted broiler pan. Place the chops under the hot broiler and cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare. Place a tiny pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO and the shallots to the pan. Cook the shallots for 2 minutes, then add the preserves and whisk them together with the balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Heat them to a bubble, then remove them from the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Whisk the butter into the sauce.
Season the risotto with salt to taste. Place a generous serving of risotto into shallow dinner plates. Arrange 2 chops on each plate alongside the risotto and drizzle the black cherry-black pepper glaze over the chops. Garnish the plates with extra sprigs of mint.