Spiced lamb shoulder chops with pomegranate and mint

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Ingredients:
2 pounds of lamb shoulder chops
Tablespoon salt
tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon sumac
2 tablespoon turmeric
5 tablespoons cumin
Freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil
½ cup pomegranate seeds
1 bunch mint
Remove lamb from the fridge. Allow the lamb to reach room temperature before cooking, about 20 minutes, Mix together spices. Drizzle lamb with olive oil. Using tongs, generously coat both sides of the lamb with the spice mix.
Drizzle olive oil, about 3 tablespoons worth, in a large pan. Bring to high heat, hot enough that it sizzles when tested. Using your tongues cook meat for 3 minutes a side – 4 minutes if you prefer your lamb more medium than rare or happen to have a thicker cut of lamb. I prefer rare so three minutes is perfect. Set meat aside and let rest for ten minutes. You can use that time to set up side dishes.
Once the lamb has rested, garnish with pomegranate and fresh mint. Serve with a simple salad and saffron rice or couscous.
Click here to read more about this special Purim dish from the author.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
