Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Lebanese-Mexican Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower came from my podcast guest, Fatema Issa. Make sure you listen to her episode "The Vindicated Mother and Her Lebanese Lamb Chops" while you make these delicious lamb chops!
This recipe perfectly blends quintessential Lebanese flavors and ingredients (lemon, oil, and cauliflower) with traditional staples in Mexican cuisine (Achiote and Gaujillo peppers). The citrus cuts through the fatness of the meat and the cauliflower soaks up the earthy, smokey warmth from the peppers, and together they make a cohesive, savory, aromatic dish that is exciting to eat.
Looking for more lamb recipes? Check out this recipe for Safiha: Lebanese Meat Pies or this recipe for Hyderabad Lamb Biryani.
Fatema's Memories of this Recipe
Lamb chops are very common. They're very popular. There's a lot of great restaurants in D.C. that have amazing lamb chops. But people will see the videos and they're like, I need Mama Issa's lamb chops. I'm coming to Vera [Fatema's restaurant]. And then seeing them take that bite, that bite for them is home as well.
-Fatema Issa, guest of The Storied Recipe
Top Tip
There are many things in this recipe that require some preparation before starting on the actual recipe, so be sure to read through everything first before starting.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mama Issa's Marinade: garlic, parsley, cumin, olive oil, salt, pepper
- Lamb Chops: New Zealand lamb chops.
- Substitution: I used lamb shoulder. Cook time is the same
- Lemon Emulsion: lemon juice, saffron, mustard powder, salt, olive oil
- Cauliflower: lemon emulsion, dried Gaujillo chile peppers, achiote red paste, cauliflower
Making Achiote Oil
I used Achiote paste, however, making Achiote oil is really simple and easy. You only need Achiote seeds and oil.
- Pour two cups of oil (any kind will do) into a saucepan, then add in ⅓ cup of achiote seeds.
- Let the oil mixture reach a very low simmer (medium-low heat). Do not bring to a boil.
- Infuse for 10 minutes. The oil will turn a bright red color with some hints of orange and yellow.
- Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
- Strain the seeds and then it is ready to use!
If you are more of a visual person, Villa Cocina has a wonderful video on making Achiote Oil
How to Rehydrate Guajillo Peppers
- Cut off the stems of the peppers.
- Cut open one side of the pepper (with kitchen shears), then remove most of the seeds.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and dry toast (no oil) for 30-60 seconds per side, making sure that they don't burn.
- In a saucepan, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place the chilis in the water and cover the pot for about 10-15 minutes (or until soft and pliable).
- Remove from water and your chilis are ready to use!
If you are more of a visual person, Broke Bank Vegan has a wonderful, short video on how to rehydrate the chilis.
Equipment
- Blender
- Mixing bowls
- Outdoor grill
- Meat thermometer
- Airtight container
- Cooking brush
- Cookie sheet
- Aluminum foil
Storage
Cooked lamb can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Food Safety
To be absolutely sure that the meat is fully cooked, the FDA says that lamb should be cooked to 145°F and rested for at least 3 minutes.
source: FDA
More Lamb Recipes
Connect with Fatema Issa
Eat at Fatema's Restaurant Vera Cucina in Washington D.C.
Listen to Fatema's Episode
PrintRecipe
Lebanese-Mexican Lamb Chops
Description
Lebanese-Mexican lamb chops marinated with lemon, olive oil, achiote, and guajillo peppers, served with smoky roasted cauliflower for a bold, flavor-packed fusion dish.
Ingredients
Mama Issa's Marinade
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ bunch parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Lamb Chops
- 1 lb lamb chops (Fatema suggests New Zealand style; I used shoulder chops)
Lemon Emulsion
- 1 cup lemon juice
- Pinch of saffron
- 1 tablespoon of mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 quart (4 cups) of olive oil
Cauliflower
- Lemon emulsion, leftovers from above
- 2 dried Gaujillo chile peppers
- 1oz Achiote Oil OR Achiote Red Paste
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped
Instructions
Cue Episode
Make sure you listen to Fatema's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, "The Vindicated Mother and Her Lebanese Lamb Chops" while you make her amazing lamb chops.
Make the Recipe
The Night Before: Marinate the Lamb
- Mix together garlic, parsley, cumin, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- In an airtight container, put the marinade in, then place the lamb in the container, cover, and rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Make the Lemon Emulsion
- In a blender, blend together lemon juice, mustard powder, saffron, and salt for 2 minutes.
- While blending, slowly pour in 1 quart (4 cups) of olive oil in to the lemon juice mixture.
- Set aside.
Grill the Lamb
- Take the lamb out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about 30-45 minutes).
- On an outside grill, preheat the grill to 450°F-500°F.
- Brush the lemon emulsion on the both sides of the lamb. You will not use all of it, save the rest for the cauliflower.
- Once hot, place the lamb directly on the grill, and sear for about 2-4 minutes on each side. If you have thicker lamb, add an additional 1-2 minutes per side. Use a meat thermometer to make sure you are cooking the meat to the correct temperature.
- For medium rare lamb: 130°F-135°F
- For medium lamb: 135°F-140°F
- Take the lamb off the grill, transfer to a plate, cover with foil and let rest for 5-7 minutes.
Make the Cauliflower
- Rehydrate the Gaujillo chile peppers *See Note 1
- If using Achiote Oil *See Note 2
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the Guajillo chile peppers, Achiote Oil (or Achiote Red Paste), and the leftover Lemon Emulsion.
- Chop the cauliflower into bite sized pieces, then toss the cauliflower and the sauce together until each piece is covered.
- On a prepared baking sheet, spread out the cauliflower evenly, and roast in the oven for 8 minutes.
Notes
Note 1: How to Rehydrate Guajillo chile peppers 1) Cut off the stems of the peppers. 2) Cut open one side of the pepper (with kitchen shears), then remove most of the seeds. 3) Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and dry toast (no oil) for 30-60 seconds per side, making sure that they don't burn. 4) In a saucepan, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place the chilis in the water and cover the pot for about 10-15 minutes (or until soft and pliable). 5) Remove from water and your chilis are ready to use! Also see Broke Bank Vegan's video on how to rehydrate the chilis.
Note 2: How to Make Achiote Oil 1) Pour two cups of oil (any kind will do) into a saucepan, then add in ⅓ cup of achiote seeds. 2) Let the oil mixture reach a very low simmer (medium-low heat). Do not bring to a boil. 3) Infuse for 10 minutes. The oil will turn a bright red color with some hints of orange and yellow. 4) Remove from the stove and allow to cool. 5) Strain the seeds and then it is ready to use! If you are more of a visual person, Villa Cocina has a wonderful video on making Achiote Oil.
Would love to hear from you!