Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Mango Chutney

It was once said, “The Americans are just learning what the French have always known. Dinner isn’t something you do before you do something  else in the evening – Dinner Is The Evening!”   If you desire an amazing main course for that special evening, this one is just for you.

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

8 T-bone loin lamb chops (each about 1 inch thick)

1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled pitted mango

2 1/2 tablespoons ginger preserves

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons minced serrano chiles with seeds

Preparation:

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons chopped mint, and garam masala in medium bowl to blend. Add lamb chops and turn to coat with yogurt mixture. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine mango cubes, ginger preserves, lime juice, serrano chiles, and remaining 2 tablespoons mint in small bowl. Season mango chutney to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove lamb chops from yogurt mixture; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill lamb to desired doneness about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Place 2 lamb chops on each of 4 plates; serve with mango chutney.

Chicken With Mango Chutney

One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken, is simply oven-roasted and served with mango chutney and plain rice or Spanish rice. There’s just something wonderful about the way the sweet and sour chutney balances the savory chicken. If you don’t have mango chutney on hand, you can easily make your own chutney-based sauce with a couple mangos, onions, ginger, spices, and some sugar and vinegar. An easy mid-week meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs skinless-boneless chicken, trimmed of excess fat
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

• 2 ripe but firm mangos, cut and peeled, cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup chopped onion)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp chopped candied ginger (or fresh ginger)
• 2 Tbsp chopped raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Scant pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1 Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the chopped mango, ginger, raisins, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, vinegar, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let cook gently for 30 minutes.

2 While the chutney is cooking, cook the chicken. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle position. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil. Rinse the chicken thighs in water, pat dry. Rub some olive oil all over the chicken pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces in roasting pan. Cook in oven until the juices run clear when poked with a sharp knife, or when the internal temperature of the thighs is 180°F, about 30 minutes. If the chicken pieces are not browned enough for you, you can finish them in the broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking. If your chicken pieces are extra large, after 30 minutes, lower the heat to 350°F and cook until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove chicken and roasting pan from oven.

3 Remove chicken pieces from roasting pan. Pour off rendered chicken fat, save for a teaspoon or so. (Do not pour down the drain or it will solidify and block your drain). Put mango sauce into the roasting pan with remaining chicken drippings. Spread the sauce over the whole bottom of the pan. Let sit for a few minutes to soften the drippings, then scoop up and place into a serving dish. Adjust seasonings. If too acidic, add more sugar. Add salt to taste.

Serve chicken with mango chutney sauce and steamed rice or Spanish rice.