Apicius 8.6.8: Coriander Lamb

I got some lamb shoulder chops the other day, figuring I could try something Roman with them, though I wasn't sure what. But browsing through Apicius tonight I found I was missing ingredients for most of the lamb recipes. So I opted for the simplest one, though I know others have done it. It's a quite modern-looking recipe, no elaborate sauces or boiling involved, just lamb rubbed with oil and spices and roasted in the oven. I'll admit it actually felt like kind of a cop-out as it was so simple. But, holy moly, am I glad I tried it.

[8.6.8] hedus siue agnus crudus: oleo piper fricabis et asparges fores salem purum multo cum coriandri semen. in furnum mittis, assatum inferes.

8.6.8. Rare kid or lamb: rub with oil and pepper, and sprinkle plenty of pure salt and coriander seed all over the outside. Put in the oven. Serve roasted.

I assume the original recipe is for a whole lamb, or a roast or somesuch, but like I said I had chops. This is what I did:

2 lamb shoulder chops 3/4 inch thick (together they came to a little under a pound)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seed
olive oil
salt

Grind the peppercorns and remove to a small bowl, then grind the coriander seed separately. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the chops, sprinkle about half the pepper over them and rub in; repeat with more oil and the remaining pepper on the other side. Then sprinkle each chop with a generous amount of salt and the ground coriander seeds, getting both sides as well.

Broil 3 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes; turn and broil for another 6 to 7 minutes.

Oh. My. God. Now, maybe, I just hadn't had a lamb chop broiled to perfection for a good long while, and maybe I hadn't had much to eat earlier in the day so was hungrier than usual, but there was no maybe about how unbelievably delicious these were. This was pure Roman hedonism at its most decadent, and I found myself inspired (nay, driven) to eat as the ancients:

Was I compelled to abandon my knife and fork? Did I need to get my face in there to get every last morsel of lamb? Did I then gnaw on the bones? Did I make little whimpering noises while doing so? Did I then go and eat the second chop (the one I'd planned to save for tomorrow) like the slavering sybarite I was? When that was gone, did I then use my fingers on the pan, picking up the littlest crumbs of the spice mix? Did I then lick every last molecule of the stuff off my fingers? Did I, at last, sit down in the chair with a contented sigh, close my eyes and say (out loud) That was a religious experience?

Yes, yes, and HELL YES to all of the above. These were crispy on the outside, and just pink enough on the inside, and the spices were absolutely wonderful. I'd been (as usual) wary about getting too much pepper in there but let myself go for once; once it's cooked it's a lot less spicy, so it was fine (in fact feel free to use more). And the coriander gave it a lovely lemony sort of taste, that, wow. The key, though, and the original recipe is quite clear, is to make sure to be generous with the salt. The salt is really what makes it.

OH MY GOD it was REALLY freakin' good. Honestly, that photo up there (which came out kinda nice for once) is making me all misty-eyed with longing and regret that it's All Gone. I simply must have more.