Recipes

Charred chops over mustardy lentils — the bistro order, made at home

Walk into any honest bistro in France and there'll be lamb with lentils somewhere on the board. It works because the two halves trade favours — earthy lentils soak up the lamb's resting juices, and a sharp Dijon dressing cuts the richness of a properly charred chop. The lentils simmer away on their own for twenty-five minutes while you see to the chops, so the timing looks after itself. Hearty without being heavy, smart enough for guests, and most of it comes from the pantry.

Sicily's sweet-and-sour eggplant beside a seared chop — make it ahead, sear on the night

Caponata is one of those dishes that makes you look better than the effort deserves. Eggplant fried golden, then simmered with tomato, olives, capers and a sweet-sour hit of vinegar and sugar — Sicilians have made it for centuries, and it only improves as it sits. Which is the trick here: make the caponata a day or two ahead, and dinner becomes a ten-minute sear on the chops. Rich lamb against that sharp, silky relish — that's the whole dish, and it's a very good one.

The French farmhouse move — leeks gone silky in white wine, chops braised on top

Chump chops sit in an interesting spot — too thick to rush, too tender to need all day. This braise is built for exactly that. You brown them hard, then let them sit in a pan of leeks that have melted down with butter, white wine and stock for three-quarters of an hour. Somewhere in that time the leeks stop being a vegetable and become the sauce. It's quiet, old-fashioned French country cooking — the sort of dish that asks for mash, a low fire and no plans for the evening.