Lamb Chops Calabria Style
(Costolette d'Agnello alla Calabrese)
Ingredients:
8 rib lamb chops, each about 1-inch thick
1 large red bell pepper or 2 small ones
2 cups peeled, ripe, fresh plum tomatoes, cut up with their juice (or canned imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes)
1/4 cup green olives in brine, pitted and coarsely cut up
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Fine sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Cut each pepper lengthwise along the creases.
Remove the stem, seeds, and pithy core, and skin with a swivel-blade vegetable peeler.
Cut into approximately 1 and 1/2-inch squares.
Sprinkle the chops on both sides with a little salt.
Put the olive oil into a 12-inch skillet and turn on the heat to high.
When hot, slide in the lamb chops.
Brown them thoroughly on one side, turn them, and brown them thoroughly on other side.
Remove them from the pan to a plate.
Put the chopped onion into the pan and cook it over lively heat, stirring frequently, until it becomes colored a rich gold.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, turning them over in the pan once or twice, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the cut-up peppers, parsley, olives, salt, and generous grindings of black pepper.
Turn the heat down to medium.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, until the peppers are tender but firm.
Sprinkle the chops with pepper and put them into the pan with the sauce.
Turn the chops over several times to coat them well.
Empty the full contents of the skillet onto a warm serving platter and immediately serve. Serves 4.