The Literate Chef

Posts Tagged ‘Lamb Chops’

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Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Pastis

In Lamb, Meat, Recipes on August 16, 2011 at 10:59 AM

(serves three)

Ingredients:

6 loin lamb chops, about 2 lbs.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, approximately 2 ½ lemons
1 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs ( ½  oregano, ½ rosemary)
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 cup of pastis

Preparation:

1.    Place the chops flat in a glass or other non-reactive dish.
2.    Add the olive oil and turn the chops to coat them well.
3.    Sprinkle the chops with ½ of the salt and pepper, turn them and sprinkle with the remainder.
4.    Add the lemon juice.
5.    Sprinkle the chops with ½ of the garlic and ½ of the mixed herbs, turn them and repeat.
6.    Add the pastis.
7.    Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or more, turn several times while marinating.
8.    About 1 hour before cooking remove the lamb chops from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Just before cooking remove the chops from the marinade and discard.
9.    If grilling, pre-heat the grill to a temperature of around 500 degrees, place the chops on the grate and grill for about 8 minutes, turn and repeat. If broiling, pre-heat broiler on high and place the chops on a rack in a broiling pan, about 5 inches from the heat, broil for 8 minutes, turn and repeat.

Please see: A Nutritionally Balanced and Delicious Mediterranean Meal

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A Nutritionally Balanced and Delicious Mediterranean Meal

In General Articles on August 16, 2011 at 10:57 AM

Marinated Lamb Chops with Minted-Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

We are continually admonished to eat a nutritionally balanced meal consisting of protein, vegetable, grain and dairy. Such meals do not have to be boring. With some imagination and with the aid of spices and herbs you can whip one up that is both balanced and delicious.

The ancient Romans referred to the Mediterranean Sea as Mare Nostrum, our sea; and indeed it was, as for centuries, they controlled all of the land that surrounds it. At the height of the Roman Empire, its colonies stretched east from Spain along the southern coast of Europe to modern day Turkey and south along The Levant and then west again along the north coast of Africa.

Most of the cultures that occupy those lands share a commonality in food. In an Italian home, lamb is usually the main course for Easter dinner. In Greek cuisine, as it is in Middle Eastern and North African cultures, lamb is very much prevalent. Herbs, such as rosemary and oregano, cross cultural lines as well, as do garlic and olive oil.

Grains too are a staple food in these cuisines. Rice is prevalent in most of them, while couscous is more prevalent in Middle Eastern and North African diets, although it also shows up in Sicilian meals, as it does in French cooking, particularly in Provence.

Broccoli, which is very common in Italian cooking, is readily available in practically every market, as are cucumbers, which are the fourth most widely cultivated vegetable in the world. Yogurt, especially the low fat kind, is an excellent nutritional food and can be adapted to many dishes. It is prevalent in several Mediterranean cuisines, particularly that of Greece.

Last night, we put this all together and came up with a meal comprised of Marinated Lamb Chops, accompanied by a yogurt-based sauce consisting of low-fat Greek yogurt, cucumbers and mint. And for side dishes, we prepared broccoli sautéed in garlic and olive oil and packaged couscous, which is quick and easy to prepare.

To round out the meal, we served a chilled lovely Rosé, from the Côtes de Provence.

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