I often let my creative side go wild on lamb - my favorite meat. Luckily, it can take strong spicing. I love this combination of tender lamb chops from the Dutch island of Texel with a spice rub containing ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend) and pul biber (Turkish red chilli pepper flakes), sea salt and caraway seeds. Its intense hit of smoky chilli is soothed by sweet cinnamon and a refreshing hint of caraway for an aromatic 'New Dutch' marriage made in heaven. Serve these souk-scented lamb chops with a simple mixed leaves salad or my bulghur wheat salad for a fine example of culinary integration.

Ingredients

• 6 lamb chops (preferably Texel lamb chops)
• 2 1/2 tbsp spice rub from the New Dutch kitchen
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes

• Total Time: 4 minutes
• Yield: 6 spiced lamb chops

Preparation

Take the lamb chops out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (30 mins to 1 hr).
Rub the lamb chops with the spice mix, applying liberally.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the lamb chops for about 2-3 minutes a side, depending on the thickness, until burnished bronze on the outside and rosy on the inside. Allow to rest for a minute before serving.

Tips:

There's no need to use extra virgin olive oil - regular olive oil is fine for frying (and cheaper).

The spice rub can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container.

Lamb chops freeze very well for up to two months. Rub the spice mix on (extra) lamb chops and freeze them raw. Defrost and cook as per the above recipe.