Braised Lamb Neck Chops with Chickpeas and Harissa
A simple braise of sliced lamb or goat neck with tomato, chickpeas, and harissa paste inspired by the flavors of Morocco.
Serves 4
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Moroccan
Keyword: Bring to the boil, cook lamb neck, lamb chops, Lamb Neck
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 173kcal
Cost: 20
- 4 slices lamb neck
- 2 tablespoons rendered lamb fat or cooking oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 medium 8 oz yellow onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 tablepoons quick harissa paste (see recipe)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 3 cups lamb stock
- 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh mint optional
- Thick Greek yogurt loosened with a splash of cream or milk, for serving (optional)
Browning the meat
Preheat oven to 275 F.
In a dutch oven or large frying pan, heat the fat on medium high heat until lightly smoking, then brown the neck slices well on both sides.
When the neck slices are browned, remove them, add the onion, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes, then add the harissa and tomato paste, cook for a minute more, then add the tomatoes and their juice along with the stock and chickpeas.
Braising
Tuck the slices of lamb neck under the liquid, then cook, uncovered in a 275 F oven for 2 hours or until meat is tender.
From here the neck can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated and will improve in flavor if made the day beforehand.
Chilling and de-fatting
After chilling, scrape the excess fat from the top of the pot and discard, or save for cooking some leafy greens to accompany the dish. Alternately, tilt the pan to the side as I do in the video and spoon off most of the fat.
Serving
Reduce the sauce until the consistency is to your liking, adding a little water if it seems dry, or reducing a bit if it seems loose. Adjust the seasoning for salt until it tastes good to you, then, right before serving, stir in the shredded mint if using.
Put the lamb slices on plates or in a casserole dish, spoon the pan juices and chickpeas over the top of each, garnish with a dollop of yogurt, and serve.
Quick Harissa
- 1 tbsp large red bell pepper
- 3 tbsp large cloves garlic
- ¼ cup rendered lamb fat or substitute flavorless cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
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Roast the bell pepper on a burner until charred all over, then put in a paper bag, cool, then peel, de-seed, and coarsely chop. Combine the pepper with the garlic, oil, cumin, cayenne and the smoked paprika in a blender or food processor and puree.
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Transfer the puree to a small pan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for 15 minutes, or until the mixture is deeply caramelized, it’s orange color will change to a deep red. Alternately, the pepper paste can be baked in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes being stirred occasionally, until deeply colored.
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You should have about 3 tablespoons of paste.
Serving: 2chops | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3mg