LAMB CHOPS WITH GREEN TOMATOES

Lamb Chops With Green Tomatoes image

Lamb chops cooked with tomatoes is traditional, but less so when the tomatoes are green. Here, unripe, green tomatoes add acidity, which works nicely with the rich gaminess of the shoulder chops. If you can't get green tomatoes, you can make this with the half-green, half-red tomatoes, the kind that haven't fully ripened on the vine before they need to be picked in advance of a frost. In a pinch you can even use tomatillos or bland, out-of-season supermarket tomatoes, which will add the necessary juiciness and vegetable matter to the pan if not the same complexity of flavor (a squeeze of lemon would help). In any case, make sure to taste before stirring in the honey, since the acid content of tomatoes varies widely. And if you aren't a lamb lover but are wondering what to do with a plethora of green tomatoes, you can make this recipe with pork chops; just add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories dinner, steaks and chops, main course

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

4 (1-inch thick) bone-in shoulder lamb chops or boneless sirloin lamb chops
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
2 large shallots, chopped
6 anchovy fillets
3 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes (2 to 3 tomatoes)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons honey, to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Steps:

Season lamb chops with coriander, salt and pepper. If you have time, let meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; once it thins and runs all over the pan, add lamb. Cook meat, without moving, until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes more. It should still be very rare inside. Transfer lamb to a plate.
Return skillet to heat and lower flame to medium. Stir in shallots and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until anchovies dissolve, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook until tomatoes are almost softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in honey. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Push tomatoes to side of skillet. Place lamb back in center of skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook lamb to taste, about 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare (or longer if you like). To serve, spoon tomatoes over chops, garnish generously with basil and drizzle with more olive oil.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 553, UnsaturatedFat 25 grams, Carbohydrate 13 grams, Fat 47 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 18 grams, Sodium 579 milligrams, Sugar 7 grams