Baby Lamb Chops with Sweet Peppers (Apulia)

Meat

Ingredients

Baby lamb chops - 12

Sweet peppers - 3

Olive oil - 5/8 cup

Salt and pepper

Anchovy fillets - 3-4 large

Garlic, finely chopped - 1/2 clove

Parsley, finely chopped - 3 sprigs

Wash the sweet peppers and char them under a hot broiler or in a very hot oven until their skins begin to blacken and blister. Rub off the thin outer skin and cut each pepper into 4 pieces, discarding the hot white seeds and the core. Arrange the peppers lying flat in s shallow baking dish, add half the oil and a pinch of salt, and bake in a slow oven (325F) for about 10 minutes, just long enough to soften them.

Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the chops briskly on both sides until brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange a chop on each piece of pepper and return them to the oven to kepp hot. Add 2-3 tbsps water to the frying pan, stir well, then add the anchovy fillets, garlic and parsley. Simmer over a low heat, stirring gently, until the sauce is hot and the anchovy fillets reduced to a paste. Spoon over the chops and serve immediately.

Serves 6