Lamb loin chops with fennel, tomato & olive ragout

Serve with Maison Bouachon Vacqueyras

For the ragout:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium fennel bulbs – cut into eights, cored and bulb leaves separated
2 medium tomatoes – cored, seeded and cut into quarters
½ cup Nicoise olives
5 garlic cloves – peeled and cut in half
1 tablespoon lemon zest - chopped
3” long rosemary sprig
½ cup chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fennel & garlic. Cook until just tender – about 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Place the fennel and garlic on a large kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the fennel and garlic until golden brown and then add the stock, tomato, olives, lemon zest and rosemary sprig. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the fennel is very tender. Remove the rosemary sprig and season with salt and pepper.

For the lamb chops:

8 lamb loin chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Remove the chops form the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and season with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chops, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 3 minutes or until well browned. Turn the chops and cook for about 5 minutes more for medium rare. Divide the chops and ragout among 4 plates and serve.

Serves 4

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