Ben's North African-Spiced Lamb Shoulder Chops

Ben made this for two Shabbat dinner parties in a row. Yum. Let's hope lamb keeps being on sale!

No photo... we were in too much of a rush to eat.

Ben's North African-Spiced Lamb Shoulder Chops

1/2 to 3/4 cup dried Mission figs
1/3 cup hot water
4 shoulder lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 + dashes cayenne (important!)
1 cup canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes and their juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Soak the figs in the hot water, 15-30 minutes. Remove figs from water; reserve water, and quarter the figs.

Salt and pepper the lamb to taste. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven (to prevent splattering). Brown the lamb on both sides, about 4-5 minutes, working in batches if necessary to keep the meat from being crowded. Open your windows and turn on the fan to avoid setting off the smoke detector. Remove the browned lamb from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Pour off the fat from the pan. Return the pan to the heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, and saute the onions until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and all spices except basil, and cook about 1 minute or until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the reserved fig soaking water, and cook until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, honey, and figs. Return the lamb to the pan. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the lamb is cooked through but still tender, 20-30 minutes.

Remove lamb from the pot and place on 4 plates. Stir in the basil, and simmer about 2-3 minutes until the suace has somewhat thickened. Spoon sauce over lamb. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Inspired by: http://www.valleyfig.com/c_recipes/maindishes/braised_lamb_a.htm