Parmesan Crumbed Lamb Chops.

I happened to be hurtling home through the Karoo after a recent wine roadtrip, but made sure to stop and pick up some Karoo lamb rib chops on the way. Lamb chops are arguably best cooked on the braai, but in winter you can still whip them up in your kitchen while its pouring outside. They work well in this recipe, though you could use pork chops or even chicken fillets instead. The recipe also combines some of my favourite ingredients: lemons, parmesan and olives. In fact, anything with parmesan is a winner in my book. If you can’t get your hands on a bottle of Italian Primitivo or Barbera, serve it with a quality bottle of chalky, earthy shiraz (Lammershoek Syrah would be my first choice).

Parmesan Crumbed Lamb Chops

Ingredients

For the sauce

1 cup green olives, pitted

1 handful flat leaf parsley

zest of 1 lemon, very finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper

For the lamb chops

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup grated parmesan

6 lamb rib chops

½ cup flour

1 egg

salt

freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp butter

Preparing the sauce

Roughly chop the olives, parsley and lemon zest. Mix together in a bowl and add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  (You can blend the ingredients in a mixer, but I like it roughly chopped for texture)

Preparing the lamb

Beat the egg in a bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan in another bowl, along with some salt & pepper. Coat the chops with flour, shaking off any excess. Dip chops into the egg, then evenly coat with the crumbs & parmesan mixture. Fry in butter in a medium-hot pan approximately 7 minutes a side, so nicely browned (best served medium-rare). Turn them whenever necessary while cooking to prevent burning. Serve over polenta and spoon the green olive & parsley sauce over the top. Steamed fine beans go well as a side dish.

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*this post originally featured on www.eat-in.co.za