Meal No. 185: Lamb Chops & Bok Choy

Two friends were invited to this evening's dinner, and it's my intention to show them that they made a grave mistake and missed out on something quite good by not being able to come. Not sure these pics will elevate to the level of "food porn," as was a suggestion not so long ago, but this meal was freakin' awesome.

What we have here is lamb loin chops, marinated in a mix of garlic, white wine, lemon, cayenne pepper, and fennel and then pan-seared on the cooktop.


One of the side dishes was bok choy, and this is the first time I've ever bought and prepared it. It was pan-seared also, and then a ginger-soy-garlic sauce was reduced and the boy choy was added back into it. I overcooked 'em, but these bok choy stalks were still delicious.


By the time the dinner was plated, at nearly 10 pm tonight, I had added to it a side of stuffing and a bright and delightful pan sauce using some of the marinade and also adding in some additional spice and flavor. It retained the heat of the cayenne pepper and also picked up the lemon zest and juice that had been added.


The lamb chops rested on a bed of lemon-splashed fennel bulb, sliced thin and functioning almost like a small salad underneath.

It felt like a lot of work this evening, but what an incredible result.

• Wine-Marinated Lamb Chops with Fennel Salad: clipping either from Gourmet or Bon Appetit (personal recipe collection)
• Sesame-Soy-Glazed Bok Choy: Cook's Illustrated, May 2001.