Kabseh Spiced Lamb Chops with a Mediterranean Vegetable salad

Lamb isn’t something that I eat regularly, and I associate it more with Easter than as an everyday food. Not only is it expensive, but its unique flavour means it is only enjoyable in small amounts and on sporadic occasions. But cooked properly, it’s an absolute joy to eat.

 Now, lamb and middle eastern flavours are a match made in heaven, the strong flavour of the lamb able to cope with heavy spicing. I’m fortunate to live near a Lebanese grocery where you can find some amazing spices, fresh produce and the best olive oil! A spice mix I love is kabseh spice, more commonly used for the Saudi Arabian national dish of spiced meat and rice. It has a mellow flavour with some sweetness, rich with cinnamon, which is lovely when used to flavour rice dishes. I’ve discovered a different use for it, however- as a spice rub for lamb chops before being seared and roasted. Served alongside a roasted Mediterranean vegetable and tomato salad, you have yourself a simple yet fragrant summer supper.

Seared and ready for the oven

Coat the lamb chops with the spice and leave to rest at room temperature for an hour before being seared in the pan until crispy and browned. The courgette and aubergine are oven-roasted and tossed with fresh tomato and chopped parsley with a dressing of pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Garnish with some fresh mint and some garlicky yoghurt and you have a light and summery supper.

Kabseh Spiced Lamb Chops with a Mediterranean Vegetable salad

(serves two people)

Ingredients

- 4 small lamb chops (300g or so)
- 2 tbsp kabseh spice
- 1 medium courgette
- 1 medium aubergine
- 2 medium vine tomatoes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for frying and roasting)
- 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 small bunch finely chopped parsley
- Greek yoghurt
- 1 clove of garlic
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 handful of mint leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste

Method

- Place the lamb chops in a bowl and sprinkle with the spice mix. Get your hands dirty and ensure an even coating of spice. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat a fan oven to 220C.
- Slice the tomatoes, courgette and aubergine into half centimetre rounds. Arrange the aubergine and courgette on a lined roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until browned and tender.
-  While the veg is roasting, sear the lamb in a hot pan with olive oil until browned and crispy on each side and set aside.
- Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and transfer to a bowl. Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil and red wine vinegar and drizzle this over the roasted vegetables. Gently toss to coat. Stir in some chopped parsley and some salt and pepper if required.
- Transfer the lamb chops to a roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes in the oven to finish cooking through.
- Make the garlic yoghurt by crushing the garlic clove and stirring into some Greek yoghurt with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Arrange the vegetables on your plates to form a row of courgette, aubergine, and tomato in that order and reserve the vinaigrette at the bottom of the bowl.
-  Remove the lamb chops from the oven and after 10 minutes rest serve on the plates. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the lamb and the vegetables and finish by garnishing with a few mint leaves and some garlic yoghurt.