Grilled lamb chops: Served unadorned—the Istanbul way

With grilled lamb chops, there’s no need for a fancy sauce, said Cindy Pawlcyn in Cindy’s Supper Club (Ten Speed Press). Lightly marinated and cooked over a fire, they’re “wonderfully flavorful” as is.

The value of simplicity was reinforced for me when I encountered the cuisine of Istanbul—“one of the best places in the world to eat.” Turkish cooking is “an intriguing amalgam of different influences,” including the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Balkan Peninsula. But Turkish cooks rarely hide the flavors of their core ingredients; they enhance them.

Recipe of the week

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Lamb chops with bulgur pilaf

• 12 to 18 single-bone lamb rib chops, frenched
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, very thinly sliced or minced
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
• ²⁄3 cup olive oil
• ½ tsp ground sumac
• Leaves from a rosemary sprig, minced
• Leaves from 5 or 6 oregano sprigs, minced

Season lamb chops with salt and pepper and reserve. In a small bowl, stir together all other ingredients, mixing well. Smear mixture over lamb chops, pressing into meat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Prepare a fire for grilling while pilaf is cooking.

For pilaf:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 3 fresh chiles (such as jalapeño or poblano),stemmed, seeded if desired, and minced
• 1 oz capellini or thin vermicelli, broken into short, uneven pieces
• Scant 2 cups bulgur, rinsed and drained
• 1¼ cups stock or water
• 2 to 3 tbsp golden raisins
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¹⁄8 tsp ground cloves
• ½ to ¾ tsp sea salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp chiffonade-cut fresh mint

In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. When butter is hot, add onion and sauté for several minutes, until golden. Add chiles and cook, stirring, for several minutes more, until softened. Add noodles and cook, stirring to coat with butter, for 1 minute. Add bulgur and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in stock, raisins, allspice, cloves, and salt. Bring to boil, decrease heat to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and check for doneness. If done, remove from heat, cover with tea towel, and let rest until serving. If grains are too firm, cook until tender.

Once bulgur grains are tender, place lamb chops on grill directly over fire and cook, turning once, for 1 to 1½ minutes on each side for rare.

To finish pilaf, melt remaining 2 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until nut brown. Toss in mint, swirl, and pour over bulgur. Toss and taste for seasoning.

Arrange the lamb chops on a large platter to serve, with bulgur on the side. Serves 6.