PAN-GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH TOMATO SAUCE (ITALIAN-AMERICAN)

This was a quickie, and, I think, a goodie. We found some nice lamb loin chops in the about-to-expire meat department for a good price yesterday, so I brought home enough for two (six little chops), planning to grill 'em.

There were a lot of little t'storms around the area as dinnertime approached, though, so I changed my mind about firing up the grill and went with a pan-grill instead. And, looking at a growing pile of fresh tomatoes on the counter, I decided to make a very quick and simple sauce to serve them on.

It went like this: Mince 3 or 4 garlic cloves and sautee them with a sprinkle of dried red-pepper flakes in a little oil. Chop 1/2 onion and 1/2 green pepper fairly fine and add them, stirring until the vegetables wilt. Add a little water, salt and pepper, and turn the heat down to low, and cook, covered, for 5 or 10 minutes or until the vegetables are well cooked. Skin and seed two or three fresh tomatoes, cut the meat into cubes, and add it to the simmering onions, garlic and peppers. Continue to cook gently over low heat for another 10 minutes or so; you want the tomatoes to cook but not so much so that the sauce loses its texture.

Paint a little olive oil on the bottom of a black-iron skillet and throw in a smashed garlic clove or two. When it's sizzling, add the lamb chops and pan-grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until they're seared on both sides, rare in the middle. Drain the fat; pour in the finished sauce, and turn the chops in it once or twice. Serve, with plenty of crusty bread to sop up the sauce. (We could have eaten it all, but the leftover sauce looked like it'll make a mighty fine pasta topping, so we saved about a cup of it.)

This went just fine with the '89 Chateau Plagnac, an inexpensive but tasty Bordeaux; it would work with just about any dry red wine.