I don’t have a good story for Lamb Chops other than I love them and now can easily justify them as healthy and nutritional. Plus, anything that goes well with garlic and wine has to be good for you.
There has been plenty of talk about the Paleo diet, which has morphed into a few variations. Evidently, the idea is to eat a similar diet to what our primitive ancestors ate, basically whatever could be foraged or speared. Although most of us aren’t running around with spears any more, some of my friends do have them eerily close to hand. Gun control indeed.
In any case, I am not a man and this is as primitive as I get, but it is a lean, high-protein – and, let’s face it, delicious – main course for the carnivores among us. The chops are bathed in red wine and herbs for a respectable hour or two before grilling quickly. The times given are for medium rare, but I encourage more rare if you want to get, um, primitive.
4 thick loin lamb chops, 6 oz. ea.
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 lemons cut in half, for garnish
Trim, rinse and pat dry the lamb chops. Using a spice grinder or mortar, pulverize the garlic and herbs. The mixture should be a paste. Rub the chops with the paste all over. Place in a single layer in a shallow bowl and pour in the wine and olive oil. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours, then let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat the grill to hot, season with salt and pepper and grill the chops 7-9 minutes. Serve with lemon halves. Alternatively you can broil 5 inches from heat 4-5 minutes per side.