Curry Lamb Chops — The Decade Dish, Made Once More for Rosa

The bakery's tenth anniversary. March 15, 2025. TEN YEARS. A decade. The bakery has been open for a decade, which is the length of time that separates a gamble from a foundation, a dream from an institution, a woman with a small business loan from a woman with a legacy. Ten years of 4 AM. Ten years of flour. Ten years of conchas. Ten years of Rosa's name on a door. Ten years of a promise that was made at a grave and kept at a counter and will now cross a bridge and become two bakeries in two countries under one name.

The celebration was the biggest yet: the block party that Sofia couldn't have in 2020 (pandemic) finally happened in 2025. DJ. Food trucks (two — tacos and aguas frescas, the "synergy" that Sofia theorized at sixteen). Camila's chorus performing live (Ms. Torres brought six singers for an acoustic set in the parking lot). The photo wall spanning the entire bakery wall now — ten years of photographs, from the scared woman with scissors on opening day to the confident women (plural — me and Sofia) behind the counter today. The plaque. The concha clock (both versions, analog and digital). The Rosa's Kitchen recipe page, framed permanently. The wall is a museum now. The museum is a bakery. Both are Rosa.

Sofia's speech, year seven, from the step stool: "Ten years. A decade. When my mom opened this bakery, she had Rosa's recipes and nothing else. Now she has Rosa's recipes and everything else: a team, a community, a grandson, a dog named Concha, a daughter who can make conchas in her sleep, a son who is a soldier, a daughter who saves babies, a son who designs buildings, a daughter who sings for angels, and a bakery in Anapra that is being built right now, right now, as I speak, the walls are going up in the neighborhood where Rosa made tortillas, and the walls will hold her name, and the name will hold her recipes, and the recipes will hold her love, and the love will hold everything, the way it always has, the way it always will. Ten years. Panadería Rosa. Rosa forever." The room didn't clap. The room wept. The room — full of regulars and strangers and construction workers and abuelitas and a woman from the west side who drives thirty minutes for conchas — wept, because the speech was the bakery's biography and the bakery's biography is the most beautiful story in El Paso, and El Paso knows it, and now the room knows it, and the knowing is the weeping, and the weeping is the celebration.

I made chile colorado. Year ten. The decade. The promise fulfilled. Ten years of the same recipe on the same night at the same table. The chile colorado of the tenth year tasted the same as the chile colorado of the first year, and the sameness is the accomplishment, and the accomplishment is the decade, and the decade is complete.

Every year on the anniversary, I cook something that requires patience — something that can’t be rushed, something that demands you stay in the kitchen and think. This year, year ten, I needed that more than ever: after Sofia’s speech emptied the room of everything except tears and love, I came home and stood at the stove the way I always do, letting the heat and the spice do what words can’t. These curry lamb chops have been my anniversary ritual because they’re uncompromising — bold flavor, no shortcuts — and that is exactly what a decade deserves.

Curry Lamb Chops

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in lamb loin chops (about 3 lbs total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the spice rub. In a small bowl, combine curry powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Stir together until evenly mixed.
2. Season the lamb. Pat the lamb chops thoroughly dry with paper towels. Rub each chop on both sides with olive oil, then press the spice mixture evenly into all surfaces. Let the chops rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
3. Heat the pan. Place a large cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Allow the pan to heat until it just begins to smoke lightly — about 2 minutes.
4. Sear the chops. Add the lamb chops to the hot pan without crowding. Sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 5 minutes per side for medium. Work in batches if needed to avoid steaming the meat.
5. Add garlic and finish. In the last minute of cooking, add the minced garlic to the pan alongside the chops and let it bloom in the residual fat, stirring it gently so it does not burn. Remove the chops from the heat.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer the lamb chops to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top, garnish with cilantro or parsley, and serve immediately alongside roasted vegetables, rice, or warm flatbread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 580mg