Everyday Cooking

Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Rhurbarb Agrodolce with Raisins, Parsley + Walnuts

May 14, 2013

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: Rhurbarb takes a walk on the savory side, and pairs off with succulent, seared lamb chops. 

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Rhubarb is a signature spring ingredient with, unfortunately, a limited reputation. Often paired with strawberries and packed into pies, rhubarb also has a sophisticated, savory side. Here the tender stalks of rhubarb are quickly sautéed in sugar and vinegar, as in Italian agrodolce dishes, as small lamb chops cook in the oven. The bright, fresh flavor of the rhubarb offers a perfect pair for the fatty, seared meat. If you are looking for a quick and elegant way to add a bit more to the plate, serve the lamb and rhubarb with a spoonful of steamed couscous.

Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Rhurbarb Agrodolce with Raisins, Parsley + Walnuts

Serves 4

4 small lamb loin chops (1 pound)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound rhubarb stalks, sliced into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 medium shallot, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon red-wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crushed walnut pieces
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that’s being published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photos by Caroline Wright

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Before her diagnosis, Caroline wrote a book on cakes called Cake Magic!. She started developing a birthday cake using her gluten-free mix found in that book. Check out other recipes she’s developing for her new life—and the stories behind them—on her blog, The Wright Recipes. Her next book, Soup Club, is a collection of recipes she made for her underground soup club of vegan and grain-free soups she delivers every week to friends throughout Seattle's rainy winter.

6 Comments

wssmom May 15, 2013
This sounds divine, what a great use of rhubarb! Where can you find loin lamb chops for less than $20 a pound?
 
Caroline W. May 15, 2013
I found mine -- small ones -- for about $12 at Central Market here in Dallas. At Fresh Direct (where I might have ordered from if I was in Brooklyn), they are about $12 a pound, too, for Australian lamb loin chops.
 
Alan D. May 14, 2013
I find that I almost prefer rhubarb as a chutney-type condiment to savory dishes. (Though I would never turn down a strawberry rhubarb pie.) A traditional accompaniment to kachapuri, the Georgian cheese pie is tkemali, a sour plum sauce. It works even better with rhubarb. It makes a VERY quick and easy chutney that is also great with grilled meats, esp middle eastern style. Check out my adaptation of Paula Wolfert's kachapuri recipe, and the spicy and garlicky rhubarb chutney at the end: http://alandivack.blogspot.com/2010/11/khachapuri-georgian-cheese-bread.html
 
Kitchen B. May 14, 2013
Thanks for the link to the rhubarb sauce - a musttry!
 
Brilliant idea.
 
This idea reminds me of the Afghani Cherry Lamb dish. One of my favorites.