Saturday, November 24, 2007

Orange Glazed Lamb Chop

this is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying meals i've had since i came here. i'm gonna go get more lamb chops. it's much cheaper than beef and sooo easy to cook. this time, i can savely say that the lamb chops are cooked to perfection. definitely beats any lamb chops i've tried in restaurants...

Ingredients:
2 lamb chops
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
or 2 tsp mashed garlic
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:
Season the lamb chops with garlic, salt and pepper. On a large frying pan, heat the oil and lay the lamb chops without overlapping. Fry for 6 minutes on medium-high heat. Turn the lamb chops over and fry for another 5 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a warm plate and keep it warm while we make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and orange juice. Pour it into the pan and turn up the heat to high. Boil uncovered (about 5 minutes) until the sauce is reduced to half and the sauce thickens (it becomes very bubbly, and the bubbles have a brownish coating and doesen't break that easily). Pour the orange glaze over the lamb and serve with potatoes.

Tips & Hints:
* For lamb chops, chose loin, ribs, sirloin or blade chops. Make sure the cut is at least 1 inch thick.
* The garlic gets rid of the strong lamb flavor that many throws many people off of lamb.
* When frying the lamb, once you've laid the lamb on the pan, DO NOT MOVE IT. The heat and oil will caramelize the lamb creating a layer of crust preventing the juices of the lamb from leaking out.
* The 5 minutes sitting time (while you're making the glaze) allows the internal temperature to cook the center of the lamb chop without overcooking the sides.
* To health conscious people, please do not trim off the fat of the lamb chops before cooking. We need the fat there as it gives a smoky flavor. Animal lard, including butter, have a low smoke point, which is the temperature when the heat starts breaking down the fat, releasing smoke in the process. You may discard the fat when u're eating the chops.
* Works great on steak as well.
* Alternatively, one can use Chicken instead of lamb for this recipe. Depending on the thickness of your cut of chicken, reduce the cooking time by about 2-3 minutes.

5 comments:

Serena said...

hallooo woman, your blog (even with no pics, hahaha) makes me hungry whenever i view it! so evil i tell you...how's everything going so far? :)

mishmash said...

elloo woman!!! miss u lots... haha, i'm glad someone actually reads this blog. life, haha, is a roller coaster ride here. at the moment, everything's kinda ok. but i anticipate a certain degree of insanity once the week starts. we're still on thanksgiving break right now. i stayed on campus throughout the break. me and a bunchh of students from china i hardly interact with. so, enjoying the last few moments of peace and quiet now. really glad for this break, kinda allows me to breathe. i get to catch up on doing things that i enjoy like playing the piano, reading a pratchett book and COOKING! haha, drop me a msg at messenger or my campus mail. it's ng@oswego.edu ... i check it pretty often so u'll be sure to get a reply. anyways, take care!!!

mishmash said...

btw, interested in becoming a contributor to this blog? lemme know k...

Anonymous said...

hallo mishmash. lamp chop sounds yummy. cook one for me!

Guess wat! I've convinced Pei to let me cook for Ma's early b'day! wahaha. Pei thinks I'm gonna burn down the kichen. tsk tsk. no faith at all. Anyway I'm gonna make a simple pasta dish, and maybe try out this eggplant salad recipe that i got from nytimes. woohoo.

Anonymous said...

babe..we're cooking this for valentine's!! thanks! lol. muacks! -sheila-