Lamb cutlets with Olives, Chillies and Garlic

Hmmm... January 1, 2011... The most FAQ being, "So,How did you guys celebrate New year's eve?", and I sense an almost disappointed reaction when I reply saying, 'We stayed home and cooked!". I for one, have never been the kind of person to be hyper-excited about New year's eve parties... OK, may be I was for a few years in my teens, but even then it wasn't as much about 'new year's' as it was, about it being once chance when there was an extended deadline and hanging out with friends...
So we figured, that we'd prefer to relax at home... whip up a feast, and bring the new year in with the best company we know in Singapore, each other :)

I have been proud to acknowledge that I am an absolute fan of Nigella Lawson... I love the way she feels about food. She (like so many of us) is an untrained cook, and I find it so easy to relate to her greedy, and non-chalant ways of getting fab things onto a plate!

So we rang in the new year with her Lamb cutlets with olives, garlic and chillies. To go I made a simple salad with no specific name, and made these mind-blowing (yes I'm tooting my own horn!) Dates-wrapped Bacon....

So here goes the 1st post of the year!! Happy New year everyone!!!

LAMB CUTLETS WITH OLIVES, GARLIC & CHILLIES 
(Serves 02 Greedy people)

Ingredients: 

600 g Rack of lamb 

10-15 Black Olives ( preferably 'kalamata' olives)

1 long Red Chilli - chopped very finely

2 tbsp Garlic - finely chopped

6 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil

2 tbsp Dried Oregano leaves

1 tbsp Dried Red chilli flakes

Salt (as per taste)

Method: 

1. Carve the rack of lamb (ribs) as shown in the picture below.  (Do not stress if you can't find rack of lamb. I'm saying this as I know it might be difficult/expensive to buy in India. So feel free to use a boneless shoulder/ leg. Ask the butcher to slice the piece for you into 1/2" think slices - these will be easy and quick to cook, and also look better on a plate than chunks!)

 2.  In a bowl lay the out the lamb pieces and drizzle about 3-4 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and coat the meat nicely using your fingers. 

3.  Next, add in the chopped (de-seeded) Red chilli, chopped garlic and chopped up black olives (use some of the brine from the olive jar as well for added flavour!). Add the Oregano leaves, dried chilli flakes. Coat the lamb nicely in all the ingredients using your hands, and cover and leave it to marinate for atleast 20 mins.

4. Once marinated, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Shake off the marinade stuck to the the lamb pieces and pan fry the meat in the hot oil till its browned and tender. Retain the marinade in the bowl - this will become the 'dressing'.

5.  Pour the left-over juices from the pan onto the meat and serve the lamb cutlets, garnished with the remaining marinade (garlic,olives,chillies,oregano etc). Eat up! 

We enjoyed this with some Salad... You could use the receipe for the 'Chef's Salad' from the Salad's section of this blog. I especially LOVE this recipe, as it is excessively simple to put together, yet looks delightfully elaborate, and fit for celebration! :)