When a single dish makes a restaurant famous, it's worth a visit to find out what all the hoopla is about. If , inconveniently, there's an ocean between you and Kailua-Kona, make it yourself. This dish of barbecued lamb chops served atop a creamy Parmesan-veg pasta is reportedly Sam Choy's signature dish. It will serve 4 people, assuming most will easily devour 2-3 little lamb chops.
In quite a large bowl, combine 2 c. brown sugar or brown Splenda, 3/4 cup minced or shredded fresh garlic, 1/2 c. fresh minced cilantro leaves, 1/2 c. soy sauce, 1 TB fresh ginger, peeled & minced, 1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice, 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes, and salt to taste.
Add 8-12 rib lamb chops* and turn over and over in the mixture, then massage each one well, to be sure the sticky rub penetrates the lamb. Submerge the chops in the thick sauce and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.
Ready to finish? Cook 16 oz. cooked, drained trottole, cavatappi or fusilli - or any fat, spiral-y pasta with nooks and crannies that allow sauce to linger. Drain. Preheat the broiler for at least 15 minutes, and start the prep for the pasta sauce: In a large pan, heat 4 TB olive oil and 2 TB butter. Add 1 1/2 Tb minced or shredded garlic for 2-3 minutes, don't let it brown. Add 2 medium zucchini, julienned, and a peeled and julienned or shredded carrot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring now and then. Add Stir, then add 4 cups heavy cream and bring to a boil- immediately lower to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Just before serving add 1 c. Parmesan cheese, 1/2 c. chopped cilantro leaves, salt and pepper. If your cream doesn't thicken enough, (mine sometimes doesn't)n stir in some diced softened cream cheese - maybe 4 ounces.
Broil the chops close to the flame 2-3 minutes per side for rare, about 5-7 for well. You may want to cut into one to check for doneness - because the almost-candied outside is already dark, it's hard to tell what's really going on inside. If you have really good ventilation over the stove, you could also use a very large cast-iron skillet or stovetop grill, heated to smoking-hot. Watch the chops, they'll cook quickly and will tend to burn in a skillet because of the sugar content. Place the cooked chops on top of the pasta, and eat them (they're tiny, after all!) with your fingers, like a lollipop. Licking your fingers and sucking every last bit of that flavor from the bone afterward is socially acceptable. Really.
* a rack of lamb is 8 rib chops - cut them apart, and holding each by the bone, scrape the bone with a knife, to expose it, and resemble a lollipop. Most of the time the rack you'll purchase has already been frenched. If not, ask the butcher to do it. It only takes a minute.
