Ingredients

  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), plus some for drizzling
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup frozen green peas, a couple of overflowing handfuls
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus a few sprigs for garnish
  • A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 4 loin lamb chops, each 1 1/2 inches thick
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup black cherry all-fruit preserves
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (eyeball it in your palm)
  • Salt

Method

  • Place the stock in a medium pot and warm it up over medium-low heat.
  • Place an oven rack 8 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler to high.
  • In a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of the butter with a tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan.
  • When the pan is hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the Arborio and cook for a minute more.
  • Add the wine and cook it all away, 1 minute.
  • Add a few ladles of warm stock and let the rice absorb it, stirring occasionally.
  • The risotto will take 22 minutes to cook.
  • Add a ladle of broth as each addition is absorbed, until the risotto is starchy, creamy, and cooked to al dente.
  • Add the peas when the risotto is just about al dente, the last minute or two.
  • Add the cheese, mint, and parsley just before serving.
  • When the risotto is half cooked, 10 minutes from being done, drizzle the lamb chops with EVOO and arrange them on a slotted broiler pan.
  • Place the chops under the hot broiler and cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare.
  • Place a tiny pan on the stove over medium heat.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO and the shallots to the pan.
  • Cook the shallots for 2 minutes, then add the preserves and whisk them together with the balsamic vinegar and black pepper.
  • Heat them to a bubble, then remove them from the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
  • Whisk the butter into the sauce.
  • Season the risotto with salt to taste.
  • Place a generous serving of risotto into shallow dinner plates.
  • Arrange 2 chops on each plate alongside the risotto and drizzle the black cherryblack pepper glaze over the chops.
  • Garnish the plates with extra sprigs of mint.