No Sense Wasting Perfectly Good Rosemary

It was just a little sprig of green poking through the snow in the herb garden. That rosemary was begging to be picked. Grilled lamb chops suddenly sounded irresistible. Then I found the broccolini and surprisingly sweet smelling strawberries from California in the produce aisle. To hell with the snow.

In between shoveling the driveway out front, I managed to fire up the grill on the patio out back in a shake of my fist at old Mother Nature. But my defiance didn't go so far as to throw on a summer sundress -- I dressed seasonally. Flannel lined jeans, a turtle neck, several layers of clothing, but not so many that movement was restricted.

Too bad I didn't have a pair of those fingerless gloves and maybe a nose warmer. My hands and cheeks got a little cold but it was worth it. The chops were great and well, broccolini is high in Vitamin C. And the strawberries? Pure sunshine.

SIMPLE GRILLED LAMB CHOPS
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of cayenne pepper
8 loin or rib lamb chops, one inch thick


In a small bowl mix all ingredients except chops. Place the chops in a large zip lock storage bag and pour marinade over the meat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but not longer than twelve hours, turning several times to fully coat meat with marinade.

Fifteen minutes before cooking, preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Cook the chops for 7 minutes per side or until firm and resilient to the touch for medium, about 5 minutes per side for rare-pink. Make a slit into one of the chops to check for doneness. Remove chops from the grill while still pink. The meat will continue to cook as they rest. Serves four.

Comments

  1. i am working a double shift today and you have no idea how excited i am to see this post !!! life, home, real food ..... just the idea is settling. when .... things are just hard at work today. (which is just how life is sometimes.)

    thank you for having your nose tip and cheeks out in that cold weather tonight.

    i can smell it !!!

    i need to organize myself just a little better on these wierd days, in the area of food.

    bw, marie

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  2. I'm so impressed that your rosemary lasts through the winter. Mine lives in its pot and comes inside in the fall. Of course, sometimes it dies anyway (it's looking a little sad about now). But I agree that there's nothing better with lamb. And I admire you more than I can say or getting out there with that grill!

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  3. thanks for the comment. i took a peek at this again with fresh eyes, and i do not remember seeing the picture. i was a wreck.

    you prob already know, but i have seen several articles recently, with recipes where you use the rosmary stem for a kobob stick. that might be more for a time when your rosemary plant is in full production.

    i love the idea of adding a little cayenne. it is a nice twist, instead of the obligatory mint we sometimes feel we have to use.

    bw, marie

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