Cumin & paprika mutton chops with chickpeas
Using mutton instead of lamb means the meat has a deeper flavour. You should be able to buy it from your local butcher.
SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins plus at least 1 hr marinating COOK 40 mins EASY
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, inely grated 8 mutton chops
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 lemon, quartered handful of parsley, chopped For the chickpeas
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed 200g roasted red peppers,
thinly sliced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika 100ml white wine
400g can chickpeas, drained
and rinsed
300ml vegetable or chicken stock
1 Mix the paprika, cumin and garlic together in a small bowl. Rub the mutton with 1 tbsp of the oil, then massage the spice mix into the meat. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hr. Will keep chilled overnight.
2 For the chickpeas, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until translucent but not coloured. Add the garlic, red peppers, cumin and paprika, and cook for 5 mins more. Pour in the wine and simmer until almost all the liquid has reduced, about
5 mins. Stir in the chickpeas and stock, and cook for another 10 mins.
3 If the chops have been in the fridge, bring them up to room temperature for up to an hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Scrape any excess marinade from the chops, then fry fat-side down, holding the chops with tongs, to render the fat. Once the fat has started to colour and crisp at the edges, fry the chops on one side for 2 mins. Turn over and repeat, then transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 8-10 mins, or until the mutton has browned and the fat has rendered, but the inside is still a little pink. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 mins.
4 Stir three-quarters of the parsley into the chickpeas, then spoon onto a serving platter. Arrange the chops on top and garnish with the remaining parsley and the quartered lemon.
GOOD TO KNOW ibre • vit c • iron • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 774 kcals • fat 52g • saturates 19g • carbs 20g • sugars 8g • ibre 8g • protein 49g • salt 1.4g
tip
Mutton tends to be cheaper than lamb and it’s a cut often used by chefs, because it has great depth of lavour and lots of fat as the animal has had time to mature.