Braised Lamb Chops in Malbec

Ingredients

• 2 thick lamb loin or shoulder chops
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• Fresh thyme + rosemary
• ~200 ml Argentinian Malbec
• 200 ml chicken or lamb stock
• Salt, pepper, baharat
• EVOO
• Knob of butter + squeeze of lemon to finish

Method

1. Salt chops generously, rub with garlic + herbs + baharat + EVOO. Rest uncovered in fridge 2+ hours.
2. Screaming hot Le Creuset. Fat side first 3 mins, then 2–3 mins each flat side until deeply crusted. Remove.
3. Same pot: onion 5 mins until soft. Garlic 2 mins. Celery + carrots in, stir. Add fresh thyme + rosemary.
4. Pour in Malbec, scrape up all brown bits from the bottom. Bubble and reduce by half (3–4 mins).
5. Add stock. Nestle chops back in, half submerged. Lid on, 160°C for 1.5–2 hours.
6. Remove chops, rest covered in foil. Strain juices, reduce hard 10 mins. Finish with butter + lemon = Malbec gravy.

Key Details

• Malbec’s dark fruit and tannins complement lamb perfectly, the wine is not incidental
• The soffritto in the rendered meat fat (not fresh oil) is the Italian foundation of the flavour
• The braising vegetables become extraordinarily sweet after 2 hours, press them through the strainer, don’t discard
• The butter finish on the gravy (monter au beurre) adds gloss and rounds the acidity of the wine

Variations

• Any good full-bodied red works, Chianti, Côtes du Rhône, Shiraz, good Rioja
• For a North African profile: add ½ tsp baharat + a preserved lemon half to the braise
• Can be made with lamb shoulder cut into large pieces, longer cook time (2.5–3 hrs)

Pairs well with

• Caramelised onion bulgur, the best companion for this
• Creamy polenta or mashed potato for the Italian version
• Crusty bread to mop up the Malbec gravy
• The same Malbec in the glass

Notes & learnings