Lamb Chops in the Olive Tree's Shade

La storia di questo piatto

Lamb chops, lemon, oregano and a cold spoonful of cucumber-yogurt: the vocabulary of the Greek table, gathered here into a home-style interpretation rather than a codified tradition. The olive tree is the name's shade and the dish's quiet compass, pointing toward the Aegean light without claiming a pedigree it hasn't earned.

Ingredienti

• 12 piece lamb chops (about 100 g each)
• 12 g fine salt (8 g for the chops, 2 g for the cucumber, 2 g reserve for final seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano (1 teaspoon in the ladolemono, 1 teaspoon for serving)
• 135 ml extra virgin olive oil (15 ml tzatziki, 60 ml ladolemono, 40 ml cooking, 20 ml raw)
• 4 piece lemons (2 for the ladolemono, 1 for tzatziki and deglazing, 1 cut into wedges for serving and the final squeeze)
• 2 clove garlic (1 clove for the tzatziki, 1 for the ladolemono)
• 250 g whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 1 piece cucumber
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

Preparazione

1. Take the chops out of the fridge, pat them dry well with kitchen paper and season both sides with 8 g of fine salt and the pepper. Let them rest at room temperature for 45 minutes: the salt penetrates deeply and the meat stays juicy, whereas starting with fridge-cold meat would leave the centre still raw once the crust is already formed. During these 45 minutes prepare the tzatziki and the ladolemono (steps 2 and 3) and, when 5 minutes of the rest remain, start step 4.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the tzatziki. Grate the cucumber with its skin, mix it with 2 g of salt and let it drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Then squeeze it firmly with your hands until not a single drop comes out, otherwise the sauce will be watery. Mix the cucumber with the yogurt, 1 clove of finely grated garlic, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil, 1 tablespoon of chopped dill and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of lemon juice from the third lemon. Refrigerate until serving: it should reach the table cold, contrasting with the warm meat.
3. Prepare the ladolemono. In a bowl, with a hand whisk, emulsify 60 ml of juice from 2 lemons (about 30 ml per lemon) with 60 ml of oil and 1 teaspoon of oregano (the first of the 2 teaspoons on the list) until creamy and slightly opaque. Add 1 crushed garlic clove in its skin, which will perfume without burning, and leave it in the bowl. The third lemon is for the tzatziki (5 ml) and for deglazing the pan (15 ml, 1 tablespoon): the leftover juice is not needed. Cut the fourth lemon, whole, into wedges to bring to the table; they will also serve for the final squeeze. Just before dressing, whisk again, since oil and lemon tend to separate.
4. When 5 minutes of the 45-minute rest remain, place the cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, empty and without oil: it must become scorching hot, and if you hold your hand a palm's width above it you should feel the heat rising strongly. Meanwhile, pat the chops dry again, since the salt has drawn out some moisture and surface water prevents a crust from forming: do this right before cooking. Open the window and turn on the extractor fan: at this temperature the cast iron smokes, a sign it is working well. Keep the oregano out of the pan, since it turns bitter when burnt.
5. Cook the 12 chops in 4 batches of 3. For each batch pour 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of oil into the cast iron and spread it with a sheet of kitchen paper held with tongs: a veil, not a bath. Place 3 chops, well spaced, and do not touch them for 2 minutes: you will hear them sizzle, and when they release on their own they have a brown, fragrant crust. Turn them only once and cook 2 more minutes on the other side. Then hold each chop upright with tongs, resting on the bone, for 1 minute, so the fat melts and becomes crisp. If the thickness requires it, lower the heat to medium and continue for 1-2 minutes. Each batch takes about 6 minutes, so 24 minutes in total, with 40 ml of oil overall (4 x 10 ml). The meat is ready when the thermometer at the centre reads 56-58°C for a pink finish, or a few degrees more for a firmer cook, as in the Greek tradition. Move the cooked chops to a warm plate and repeat with the others, returning the pan to temperature: if it is overcrowded the temperature drops and the meat boils instead of searing.
6. Once cooking is finished, take the pan off the heat and let it settle for 30 seconds. Deglaze with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon juice from the third lemon and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to dissolve the brown juices: this is the flavour of crust and meat that the pan gives you. Pour the pan juices over the chops, add half of the ladolemono (first removing the crushed garlic) and 20 ml of raw oil, and toss to coat them well on every side. Let them rest for 5 minutes: the juices redistribute and the lemon blends with the fat. Keep the other half of the ladolemono for serving, whisking it again before bringing it to the table.
7. Taste a chop and the remaining ladolemono, then adjust: if it lacks flavour, add a pinch of fine salt over the chops (the 2 g reserve on the list); if the meat seems heavy, a squeeze of juice from a wedge of the fourth lemon will brighten it. Plate the chops with the cold tzatziki and the wedges of the fourth lemon, bringing the remaining ladolemono to the table separately, with 1 teaspoon of oregano (the second on the list) to sprinkle over the meat as desired. They are eaten with the hands, holding the bone, since it is the most flavourful part.