Grilled Lamb Chops with Wheatberry Salad

It was a good grillin' day yesterday and what's better on a hot windy desert spring day than a "cool" easy on the cook dinner of lamb chops and salad.

Our lamb loin chops got a significant head start in the flavor department thanks to a bath in a marinade made of olive oil, white wine, lots of lemon juice, garlic, parsley, rosemary and mint. They looked almost like ceviche when they went on the grill but came off looking and smelling rather wonderful.

The flavors were all there - unfortunately neither the prep cook (me) or the butcher cleaned them up enough from the start so quite honestly, other than the little tenderloin the rest of them were quite sinewy. For some reason I'm always a little hesitant to remove fat from extra lean loin chops before they're cooked, but the 8 minutes the chops spent on the grill coupled with their extra thickness meant the fat really didn't have a chance to break down anyway and it was really hard to remove from the chops at the dinner table. My bad - I should have done a better job!

As for the Wheat berry Salad - well it was a first for me cooking these little pellets of winter wheat and it certainly won't be the last. For darn sure if you're looking for a little "movement" in your life, this fiber rich grain is the one to add to your diet. In a salad filled with crunchy pistachios, fresh ginger, raisins and green onions in a lemon honey dressing, it's about as good as it gets. I added some slivered apricots and forgot the goat cheese, but I'm putting it in the recipe so you don't make the same mistake although the salad was plenty good without it.

I figure this chewy flavorful side dish will be lovely with just about anything off the grill this summer, be it chicken, fish, pork or beef, or just fine on it's own as a vegetarian dish but pretend I didn't say that OK. After all,the master of the house is a dyed in the wool carnivore. Hmmm, that was rather appropriate after a big feed of lamb chops wouldn't you say?

Grilled Lamb Chops with Herb Marinade (adapted from Canadian Living Barbecue & Summer Foods Cookbook)

Pour this marinade over a boneless leg of lamb if you prefer, then grill until medium rare and slice very thinly.

4 – 1-1/2 inch thick lamb loin chops

Marinade:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Grated rind of 1 lemon

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped minced onion

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Place olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, lemon rind, garlic and onion in a deep container and whiz with an immersion blender or alternative place in a food processor and pulse until mixture emulsifies. Add salt, pepper, parsley, rosemary and mint.

Trim, wash and dry lamb loin chops and place in zip top bag. Add marinade and refrigerate 4 hours. Remove from marinade and blot slightly with paper towels. Place over hot coals on grill and cook to desired doneness (8 minutes for medium rare). Download Grilled Lamb Chops w Herb Marinade

Wheat Berry Salad with Raisins, Apricots and Pistachios (adapted from Today’s Food and Wine, MSNBC)

1 cup uncooked wheat berries (hard winter wheat)

Water to cover by 2 inches

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup slivered dried apricots

1/2 cup toasted pistachios

3 green onions, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Place wheat berries in a medium sized saucepan and cover with water at least 2 inches above wheat berries. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Drain. Add remaining ingredients except for goat cheese to hot cooked wheat berries and toss well to mix. Sprinkle with goat cheese just before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold. Makes 6 servings. Download Wheatberry Salad with Raisins, Apricots and Pistachios

 

Comments

[pam]

I am putting that salad on my list! I am always looking for good grain salads!

[June]

It's darn healthy and pretty tasty too. Let me know if you like it Pam.

[Mary]

The chops and the salad both sound wonderful. I especially like the salad. I don't do much with wheatberries and should be more adventuresome. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

[June]

Mary - I know what you mean. I thought "winter wheat" was just used for flour, but it's very much like barley when cooked, only chewier.

[Nanan]

Love grains and always look for new flavors for them - thanks!

[June]

Lea - I think the salad would work with couscous too - or even rice, but we'll have to change its name - ha.