Eid al Adha lamb chops are a must on your Eid dinner table, or any other table!
This photoshoot was a very special one for me. It was also one of the most difficult ones. For so long I dreamed of an elaborate Eid dinner. Let me backtrack, for those that know me you know my favorite holiday is Christmas. How can it not be. The music, the jingles, the food, the cookies, the lights, the spirit, the love. My radio station is on Christmas music starting in October and every year it inches earlier. Before I know it I’ll be listening to Jingle Bells in July.
Eid al Adha was fun too but it was never as fun in the US. It was just too hard in the US to fully celebrate the way families would in the Middle East. Most people couldn’t take off work, kids weren’t given off from school, and if they were allowed to take off work or school it would set them behind too much so they wouldn’t. A lot of the times after the morning Eid brunch it just felt like another day.
In the Middle East of course it’s a different story.
Speaking about Damascus in particular, days before Eid Al Adha, the entire city is in celebration mode. Everyone starts baking their mamool cookies, everyone is shopping for their new Eid pajamas and clothes (it’s tradition to wear brand new everything so everyone gets an “Eid outfit” and new socks, pajamas, etc) and the men go to get the lamb. The holiday is centered around lamb and the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Lamb is the star of this holiday. So lamb chops, lamb with rice, lamb everything is essential on the Eid Al Adha dinner table. In Libya for example, they make a special lamb sausage. Various lamb dishes are prepared in other parts of the Middle East and other Muslim nations.
Whether you celebrate Eid al Adha or not, below you’ll find a super simple recipe for lamb chops. The great thing about lamb is it is so full of flavor that you really rarely need to do much to it to get a great tasting dinner on the table.
My little Ayla helping set the Eid table
Fancy schmancy flavorful lamb chops on your table within minutes, literally!
- 6-8 lamb chops
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- rub olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper onto the lamb chops
- marinate about 20 minutes at room temperature
- sear lamb chops on high heat for 3 minutes on each side
- cover with foil for at least 5 minutes before serving
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