Scott Peacock, the gifted young chef from Alabama who worked with and cared for the legendary Virginia cook Edna Lewis during her final years, once told me that one of the great lessons he learned from Edna was “the way she slowly coaxed the essence of flavor” from ingredients, be they meat, poultry, vegetables, or a combination. This slow braising of shoulder lamb chops is a good example of the technique that Scott worked out by observing her. Very little liquid is used, and by smothering the meat in a covering of parchment, then foil, and a tight-fitting lid, you make sure the juices that are “leached out” don’t evaporate but fall back into the pan, penetrating the meat and vegetables. As a result, you get an intensity of flavor that is breathtaking. I have adapted their recipe here to make two servings, not only because such chops are invariably vacuum-wrapped two to a package, but because the dish is so good that I always want to use it for a second round. Every time I make it, I want to give thanks to Edna and Scott, who seemed destined to cook together to bring new life to Southern cooking.
For convenience, I will often prepare this dish up to the final stage of adding the beans. It’s easy to skim off the fat if it has been in the refrigerator overnight, and then I’ll reheat and add the beans a 1/2 hour before eating.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the chops and dry them thoroughly. Heat the butter in a medium skillet, and sauté the chops on both sides until well browned. Transfer the chops to a baking dish just big enough to hold them in one layer. Brown the onion slices in the skillet, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, and after about 5 minutes, add the garlic slivers, season with salt and pepper, and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, and remove from the heat. Salt both sides of the chops, and season with about eight turnings of the pepper grinder. Cover the chops with the contents of the skillet, pour on the wine, and toss in the bay leaf. Cover with parchment, cut to fit, then a layer of foil and a tight-fitting cover, and put into a preheated 325° oven. After 2 hours, remove the coverings and skim off some of the fat. Stir in the beans, if using, cover again, and return to the oven for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle some parsley on top of your first serving.
Second Rounds
Step 2
You can make a delicious pasta sauce from the second chop cut into small pieces with all those delicious juices. I like to add a few sautéed mushrooms, too. Another option is to add to the chopped meat and juices a few cooked artichoke hearts along with the mushrooms, and spoon that over a serving of couscous. I like that dish liberally topped with chopped cilantro.
