Lamb With Black Olives Agnello Con Olive Nere Food

LAMB CHOPS WITH BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• Spread chops between two layers of plastic wrap. Using rolling pin or kitchen mallet, pound them until they are all an even thickness. Place the chops in a single layer in a large glass dish.
• In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, oregano, zest, juice and olives. Pour mixture over chops. Season to taste with salt. Turn chops in the marinade to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
• Place large skillet over high heat, and add vegetable oil. Remove chops from marinade, scraping off excess, and place them in skillet; reserve marinade. Sear until browned, about 2 minutes a side. Reduce heat to medium, and add reserved marinade and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer until cooked to taste, about 5 minutes for rare chops.
• To serve, transfer chops to a platter. Top with pan juices and serve immediately.

LAMB CUTLETS/RIB CHOPS WITH CHILI AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• Layer the rib chops between clingfilm/cling-wrap (plastic wrap) and flatten them gently with a rolling pin or mallet. Place the chops in a large dish so that they all fit in a single layer.
• Pour over the 4 tablespoons/1/4 cup of oil and add the garlic, chili, oregano, lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle over the salt and the olives and then turn the rib chops in the marinade so that both sides are coated.
• Cover and leave the lamb to marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
• Heat a large frying pan with the 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the chops scraping off the marinade before you put them in the pan. Fry them for a couple of minutes a side on quite a high heat so that they take on some color.
• Turn the heat back down to medium and pour the marinade into the pan over the colored chops. Add 2 tablespoons or so of water so that they cook in a little liquid.
• Cook for about 5 minutes for rare cutlets or a little longer if you like your lamb well cooked, (this will also depend on the thickness of the chops).
• Transfer the lamb to a serving plate, pour over the juices from the pan and sprinkle with the chopped red chile should you feel like enhancing the dried chili with the pep of fresh.

LAMB WITH BLACK OLIVES (AGNELLO CON OLIVE NERE)

Steps:

• Pat the pieces of lamb dry with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• In a heavy saucepan or casserole, gently sauté the garlic and rosemary in the oil over medium-low heat until the garlic is soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the seasoned lamb, raise the heat to medium, and turn the lamb pieces, stirring constantly, until they have browned thoroughly on all sides. Add the wine, let come to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half.
• Stir in the olives and the dissolved tomato paste, mixing everything together, then cover the pan and continue cooking on very low heat for about 1 hour, or until the sauce is very thick and the lamb is cooked through. Check the sauce periodically and add more wine or water if it seems necessary.
• When the lamb is done, serve it immediately, accompanied by polenta, if you wish.