Lamb chops with Marsala

I am an unashamed, unqualified Nigel Slater fan. I love his weekly columns in the Observer Magazine; I own all of his books and read the Kitchen Diaries in particular like a friend's diary. He has a reputation for food that is laden with fat and calories, for self-indulgent food - but if you actually read his Kitchen Diaries you will know that sometimes he eats like an ascetic monk rather than an artery-hardening foodie. What I like about him most is the way his writing conveys a love of food, of all sorts of food, without pretension. His books never fail to make me hungry, even without accompanying soft-porn style food pics. Oh, and his autobiography was incredibly moving and evocative, where most celebrity autobiographies are glib, artificial, and uninviting (for me, anyway).

I've tried to rank Nigel's books in my head before (OK I'm sad. I occasionally do rank cookbooks in my head, mainly when I can't sleep. I rarely manage it) and I never quite manage, because I'm attached to all of them in quite different ways. Real Cooking is perhaps the least aesthetically pleasing, the least outwardly appealing, but its recipes are simple and hit the spot. The fish recipes (like grilled fish with lime leaves, Greek baked fish, roast fish with Indian spices and coconut) are fabulously easy and delicious; I recommend all of them. Nigel is always good with pork and sausages, so no surprises that that section is particularly satisfying (although the recipe for pork chops with chicory inevitably makes me think of Julian Barnes's unpicking of it in The Pedant in the Kitchen). The Moroccan lamb shanks with aubergine are delicious, ditto the unglamourous slow-cooked Italian style aromatic lamb. One of the easiest lamb dishes, though, is Lamb Chops with Marsala. I love Marsala, having first been introduced to it by Nigella and then Delia, and subsequently I keep a bottle to hand for deglazing pans in which stuffed chicken breasts have been cooked. I hadn't paired Marsala with lamb until Nigel's easy-as-can-be recipe caught my eye.

I am not going to type out the recipe because it barely warrants the effort; basically, saute lamb chops briefly in olive oil until browned but still pink inside, remove from pan and pour away most of the oil, add Marsala, scrape at the crusty goo on the bottom of the pan and let bubble. Pour the sauce over the chops. Mmm.


This is really easy but very good, nonetheless; a good weeknight dinner. This time I altered it and used lamb leg steaks, which worked just as well. I served it with garlicky Italian-style roast potatoes, mashed carrot and spinach. Sometimes it's worth going back to the old favourite books, discovering what you may have missed or forgotten, particularly when, like me, you own far too many cookbooks and risk neglecting some. Nigel, at least, should not be forgotten.