Grilled Lamb Chops

Winter weekends are the best when spent outdoors, enjoying the snow and the sunshine, if you can find some!  You do need to get your day organized so that you can actually get a full day in-- whether it be spent on a ski hill, or with your children at the hockey rink . Here is where your barbecue can become your greatest asset for meal preparation. Our strategy is to plan a meal that involves a few dishes that require some advance preparation. These  can then be quickly finished when you come in from the cold. After all, you will be tired from being outside all day and ready for a nice relaxing meal and glass of wine or two.  Lamb chops fit the bill perfectly----- marinate them while you are out, then grill them in less than 15 minutes--- the added bonus is that there are no pans to clean up.  We served them with simple steamed broccoli and a delicious vegetable stew that we had prepared the day before.

Grilled and Glazed Lamb Chops

8 meaty lamb chops

for the marinade:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

½ teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lime

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, stir together all the marinade ingredients.  Continue stirring until the honey has dissolved.  Place the lamb chops in a re-sealable plastic bag or shallow glass dish and pour the marinade over top.  Let stand at room temperature for ½ hour, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH.  Clean grids thoroughly and grease the grids with vegetable oil.  Reduce heat to MEDIUM and place chops on the grill, reserving the marinade. Cook for a total of 12 minutes, turning three times for perfect grill marks.  At the same time, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. 

Serve the chops on heated dinner plates, and pour some of the glaze over top. 

On another note, we are thrilled when we hear that we have inspired people to try some of our recipes and tips. Last week, in response to our Fish Taco blog, Ben sent us a photo of the Tacos that he and Elaine prepared . They look so fresh and flavourful-yummy!

 We are also delighted when we are sent ideas of dishes that inspire us to develop recipes,  for grilling or otherwise.  Here are 2 things that we will be working on in the next couple of weeks, thanks to Ben, Elaine and Charlie!!

Charlie was looking for a quick and easy (and dare we say, Frugal?) Friday night dinner idea for a last-minute pre-pub gathering.  We suggested a recipe for Chicken Dijonnaise, from the Silver Palate, and this was the delicious result.  Charlie and his friend John are the authors of their own food blog, Austerilicious.




Elaine developed a recipe for chicken, crusted with Dukkah!  Well, we had never heard of it before, but after a bit of research, we learned that Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts, usually hazelnut, and spices. It is often served with bread, or as a dip. Elaine used it to create a crunchy coating on roasted chicken. We will try it on salmon too. Thanks
for the inspiration!