Baked lamb chops with Metaxa sauce and tomato and olive kritharaki

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 8 lamb chops
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 m.-large tomato(s)
• 1 handful of black olives
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper(s)
• 125 ml white wine
• 4 cl Metaxa
• 150 g noodles (kritharaki)
• 250 ml vegetable broth, strong
• 70 g tomato paste
• 200 ml cream
• 2 pinches of cumin
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• 50 g feta cheese, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• e.g. salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Finely chop the tomatoes and bell peppers. Chop the olives. Sauté 1 onion and 1 garlic clove in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bell peppers and fry over medium heat. Now add the tomato paste and fry briefly. Deglaze with white wine and Metaxa. Stir in the cream and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add vegetable stock a tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with pepper, salt, and cumin. Strain the sauce through a sieve and keep warm. Now sauté the second onion and garlic clove in a suitable-sized pot with the second tablespoon of oil, add the tomatoes and olives, and fry briefly. Add the kritharaki to the pot, pour in the vegetable stock in slices like a risotto, and let it swell with the lid closed and over low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Season to taste with pepper, salt, and cumin. While the sauce is reducing and the kritharaki are simmering, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and briefly fry the chops. Season with pepper and a little salt (the feta is actually salty enough). Transfer to a baking dish and crumble the feta over the top. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary leaves. Bake in the oven at 220°C (fan oven) for 10 minutes. Then serve. Serve with a full-bodied red wine.