Moroccan Lamb Chops

I believe I've blogged about our lamb before - where we get it and how tasty it is. I decided to share some of the chops with Mr. and Mrs. Modern Monkey (our lamb connection) and made a tasty Moroccan Lamb Chop recipe I had saved out of a February 2005 Sunset Magazine. Good thing I'm a saver cuz this was delicious!

This recipe is for 4 people - I had 5 but two were hungry men so I made about 1 and a half times what this called for.

What you'll need:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 lamb chops (smallish ones)
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup dried apricots or pitted prunes (or a mixture) - whole or very coarsely chopped
- 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Rice or couscous (I used Israeli couscous) to put the stew over

What to do:
- Pour oil into a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides - about 4 minutes total. Transfer chops to a plate.
- Add onion and garlic to pan and stir until limp, about 4 minutes. Add cinnamon and cumin and stir for another minute. (Don't let it burn!)
- Stir in broth, tomato paste, apricots/prunes, and garbanzos. Stir together and then bring to a simmer.
- Add the chops back into the stew and simmer, turning chops once, until the fruit is plump and the chops are barely pink in the middle - about 10 to 12 minutes. Cover if you wish, but it's not necessary.
- Meanwhile, make some rice or couscous to have ready when the stew is done.
- Dish up the rice or couscous on a plate or bowl, set 2 chops per person on top, and then spoon the garbanzo mixture around the meat. Top with parsley.

This was a super simple meal to make, and we had it with a salad and a rich red wine. Yum!