My version of David Tanis’ parmesan encrusted lamb chops.

Today is Food Day here in NYC. Still devoting most of this week’s posts to the topic. Of food, that is. Still cooking all of this week’s dinners from the New York Times’ Cooking website. Still enjoying it very much. And still learning all sorts of things, not the least of which is that it really does pay off to plan ahead for meals.

I also learned, this week, that lamb chops are tiny. I am certain that I have been aware of this fact in the past, but I think it finally sunk in when I opened my box from Fresh Direct and discovered three tiny pieces of meat (for like, a million dollars, by the way). Luckily, my husband had a work dinner, so my daughter and I had a bit more to split between us.

Enter David Tanis’ Parmesan Lamb Chops. It’s a super easy recipe… you just dip the chops in cheese, egg, and bread crumbs (I’d forgotten to buy bread crumbs so I just crumbled up a piece of bread and had the brilliant realization that making one’s own bread crumbs is WAY easier than going out to the store to buy some) and then fry them up in some oil. Done.

We ate them with purple long beans sauteed in butter, and the traditional, almost daily romaine salad.

Delicious.

Here’s the recipe, or go to the site for a more multi-media type experience…

Ingredients

1 small rack of lamb, Frenched by a butcher, about 11/2 pounds, or 8 3-ounce rib chops
Salt and pepper
½ cup bread crumbs, preferably homemade
½ ounce grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
½ teaspoon powdered fennel seed (use an electric spice mill or mortar and pestle)
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
½ cup flour seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and a pinch cayenne
2 small eggs, lightly beaten
Olive oil for frying (or substitute clarified butter or vegetable oil)
Parsley sprigs for serving
Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation

With a sharp knife, cut between bones to divide the rack of lamb into 8 chops. Trim chops of any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, fennel seed and rosemary.
Dip each chop into the seasoned flour, then into the beaten eggs. Lay the chops on a baking sheet and sprinkle both sides of each liberally with the crumb mixture. Press any remaining mixture evenly over the chops to coat well.
In a wide skillet, pour the olive oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over a medium-high burner until the oil looks wavy. Add the chops without crowding. They should begin to sizzle, but not brown too quickly. Adjust the heat so they fry gently for about 21/2 minutes, until crisp and golden. Turn with tongs and fry on the other side for about 2 minutes. (The interiors should be pink and juicy, but not rare.) Blot on paper towels. Serve with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.

Yum.

A lovely photograph of Emily Weinstein’s corn risotto by Melina Hammer for the New York Times.

This fall, I am planning on conquering my fear of cooking dinner. Sure, I consider myself a good cook, though I always need some kind of recipe, at least to start out with. I actually didn’t see this as a sign of my obvious inadequacy until I met my make-everything-up-from-scratch-and-it-is-always-delicious cook of a husband. I am still mildly jealous of his abilities, though I have learned to use them to my advantage by cajoling him into cooking as often as I can.

Which these days, what with his late hours and frequent travel, is not all that much. Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and I am determined to reinstate my kitchen confidence by hook or by crook. Especially as I find my problems to be more with organization and time management than with the actual food preparation.

(To be honest, I think the vast majority of my problems are rooted in time management and organizational issues, but I digress…)

So I’ve decided to try and narrow things down a bit, and to make a meal plan… at least till Friday. For starters, this week, all of our meals are coming from the new Cooking site from the NY Times. Which I do love, though at times it feels a bit overwhelming. So many choices (over 16,000!) where does one begin?

I started off the adventure with a celebration of corn, as this is probably the last week we’ll be able to get our hands on any fresh ears. Enter Emily Weinstein’s corn risotto which I prepared last night to rave reviews.

I made a few changes… my daughter hates pepper, so out it went (sob!) and I didn’t have time to make the corn stock, though I did scrape the juice from the corn cobs into the chicken stock I already had and then simmered the cobs with the broth to give it a bit of that flavor. I didn’t use wine, only because I forgot about buying some and was too lazy to go back outside, and I skipped the whipped cream part (also out of laziness). Next time I might do that last step as it does sound amazing.

But even with all of those simplifications and alterations, the dish was lovely. Light, sweet and a bit like a memory of a 9 pm sunset on a summer evening. A perfect way to say goodbye to one of my favorite foods. Today’s lunch will be a salad that includes the leftover kernels of corn (I bought one too many ears– I couldn’t help myself) and then it’s so long till next July.

I guess I’ll just have to drown my sorrows in fresh apples…