Cooking, Speedy Supper

Harissa Lamb Chops with Wild Garlic Crumb

Cooking from scratch is my thing. This site is a celebration of food and cooking, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love it. I love the work, I love the flavours, I love seeing what is possible and most of all I love eating it and sharing it. I am also a big fan of doing the best you can when there is limited time available. Speedy suppers and brisk brunches. (My cookbook Comfort and Spice has a whole chapter on Speedy Suppers).

The Anatomy of a Speedy Supper

Often this means that I cook something simple, other times it means that I use one of my cupboard helpers. Flavour bombs that dress up an otherwise simple dish and give it the gift of time borrowed from earlier, when it was first made, often more time from when it was allowed to age and ferment. I love to use miso, chilli oil, gojuchang, fermented black beans, black garlic, and this evening wild garlic oil and a tube of harissa paste from a local middle eastern shop. Yes, I do often make harissa, I love its vibrancy when fresh, but the tube is ace too and well worth having on standby. (I use a Tunisian harissa paste, Hariisa du Cap Bon, available in a tube or tins).

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Wild Garlic Oil

Wild garlic oil is a great way of preserving wild garlic which otherwise doesn’t last very long. 1 part wild garlic to 1 parts oil, I like to use extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil. I made the wild garlic crumb to have on top of a potato and nettle soup with ‘nduja, with an egg poached in and the wild garlic crumb on top. That was ridiculously good, but I figure that the last recipe was a potato based soup, and maybe it is too soon for another one (advise in the comments if you think otherwise!). The wild garlic crumb is addictive. I have made 3 batches since last night. And I am the only one eating it. I have put it on every meal. 

Cous cous is always perfect for a speedy meal. I have yet to make it from scratch, I aspire to. Maybe when I finally make it to North Africa. I like to put cucumber, tomato, herbs and red onion in there. Today, wild garlic oil on top, and wild garlic flowers too. 

Enjoy! What do you like to eat for your speedy supper? 

Other favourite suppers on Eat Like a Girl

Clams with Chorizo, Cider and Cavolo Nero

Huevos Rancheros with Fresh Cheese, Courgette & Tomato

The 9 Minute One Pot Pasta Dish from Puglia that is Taking the Internet by Storm

Recipe: Fuchsia Dunlop’s Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles (with Prawns)

Five Spice Duck Breast

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Harissa Lamb Chops with Wild Garlic Crumb and Cous Cous
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Harissa Lamb Chops with Wild Garlic Crumb and Cous Cous

Ingredients

    per person
    harissa lamb chops
  • 3 lamb chops
  • 3 tbsp harissa paste
  • oil for frying
    wild garlic crumbs
  • 50g bread crumbs (fresh not panko)
  • 2 tbsp wild garlic oil (1 part cleaned and dried wild garlic leaves, blitzed with 2 parts good oil, store in the fridge between uses)
    cous cous
  • 75g cous cous
  • half a cucumber, deseeded and chopped
  • half a small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
  • the juice of half a lemon or 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or light vinegar of your choice, make sure it is tasty!)
  • extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine the red onion and lemon juice or vinegar to take the sharp edge off the onion.
  • Put 1 tbsp harissa paste on each lamb chop, rubbing it in well on both sides. Leave to rest if you can (even just for half an hour). As with all marinades, the longer the better, but we are being speedy here!
  • Make your wild garlic crumbs by combining the wild garlic oil and breadcrumbs and spreading them out on a thin layer on a flat tray. Bake at 180 deg C until crisp, about 6 - 8 minutes, depending on your oven.
  • Prepare your cous cous. Add 1 tbsp oil to your cous cous with some salt and pepper, and mix it through well with a fork.
  • Cover with boiling water in a bowl (not too much just enough to cover and a little more), and cover this with cling film or a plate. Leave for 10 minutes.
  • Put a little oil on each lamb chop, on each side, patting it in gently. Fry the lamb chops, I like to use a cast iron pan which has been heated for a few minutes over a very high heat. I like mine medium rare so I cook them for 3 minutes each side, allowing them to rest before eating. This does depend on how thick your lamb chops are.
  • Combine the tomato, cucumber, coriander and red onion with the cous cous and stir through. Season to taste. Add wild garlic oil if you want at this point, I drizzle a little on top as I love it. Wild garlic flowers make a lovely garnish too if you have any.
  • The cous cous is intended to be served cold, serve the lamb chops hot.
  • Enjoy!
    • https://eatlikeagirl.com/harissa-lamb-chops-with-wild-garlic-crumb/

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    Written by Niamh
    Cooking and travelling, and sharing it all with you.