Agnello con Salsa Capperi -- Lamb with Caper Sauce

Marinade:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 md. lemon, sliced thin

Sauce:
8 to 10 anchovy fillets, flat, mashed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. capers, not drained
4 tsp. lemon juice

Lamb Chops:
16 lamb chops, loin, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick

Directions:

Marinade:
Mix all ingredients, except the lemon, in a large bowl. Mix well. Once mixed, place all lamb chops into the bowl, and stir to coat all the chops. Add the lemon slices. Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or better, overnight.

Sauce:
Mix all ingredients of sauce in a large bowl. Mix well. Once the lamb chops have marinated, and immediately before cooking, dip each chop into the sauce, making sure each chop gets completely coated.

Final Preparation:
Place the sauce dipped lamb chops on a broiler rack and broil, at 500°F, for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t place rack to close to the heat source.

Remove the rack form the broiler at this time, and dip each chop into the sauce, a second time. Broil the other side of the chop for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Heat the anchovy-Caper Sauce mixture, and serve as a sauce with the chops.

Note: Can be cooked on an outdoor or barbeque grill equally well. Watch for flareups if using an outdoor grill.

Comments from djplam :

This is a very piquant sauce. Especially if the capers are packed in brine, which most are today. The mixture of anchovy and caper is quite common in Italian (Sicilian) cooking. It adds a bit of zip to most any dish . . . salad, fish, meat. I tend to go overboard with using either anchovies or capers, but then I enjoy both very much. Try this dish with pork chops or even chicken breasts. Both are equally good.

From my cookbook: The "Old Country" Italian Cookbook, by Donald J.P. La Marca

User Reviews:

This was a great recipe although I didn't think the sauce was enough (and I only made four lamb chops)! I made about double the sauce recipe, one for dipping the chops in before cooking and the second to drizzle over top. All in all a great recipe!

submitted by jessicapino on December 05, 2004

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