This recipe is featured on the cover of the latest issue of the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine. It is a simple meal—lamb chops and asparagus—but the tzatziki and pecorino shavings kick it up a notch. It’s also quick to make—30 to 45 minutes. Use a Y-shaped peeler to shave the Pecorino, which is a hard Italian cheese made with ewe’s milk.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Pecorino, sun-dried tomatoes and tzatziki may contain colour, sulfites and other additives. I made my own tzatziki from scratch (see the recipe below). It’s also becoming easier to find sun-dried tomatoes in oil with no additives. I used Allessia brand for this recipe. Tre Stelle brand Pecorino is all-natural.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and dill to tzatziki

The chops are seared, then roasted

Lamb chops with tzatziki and roasted Pecorino asparagus

Ingredients:

Chops

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

2 tsp (10 ml) dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Generous pinches of salt and pepper

8 bone-in lamb chops, about 2 lbs (1 kg) in total

Pecorino asparagus

2 bunches asparagus, tough stalks snapped off

1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) olive oil

Generous pinches of salt and pepper

½ cup (125 ml) shaved Pecorino

Tzatziki

1 clove of garlic, minced

¼ English cucumber, finely diced

½ cup (125 ml) yogurt cheese

¼ cup (60 ml) finely chopped mint or parsley

or use ½ cup (125 ml) store-bought tzatziki

2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Rub 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper all over the chops. Spread asparagus out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shake the pan to evenly coat.

Set a large, ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Coat with remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil for chops. When hot, add chops. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side until browned. Adjust heat if needed, being careful not to burn the garlic. If pan is not ovenproof, remove chops to a rack on a baking sheet.

Roast chops in top and asparagus in bottom of oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until chops are done as you like and asparagus is tender. Remove each when done. Loosely cover chops and let rest for five minutes before serving. Scatter Pecorino over asparagus.

Meanwhile, stir tomatoes and dill into tzatziki. Serve chops with asparagus and tzatziki. Serves 4.

From the Early Summer 2013 issue of Food & Drink