One of my favorite meals is lamb chops. Thus I’m always looking for unique ways to prepare it. Well, it so happens that I still have  some fresh rosemary left from my summer garden. So, I came up with this recipe. It’s really simple: lamb cooked with the aforementioned rosemary,  some parsley, wine and butter. I also coupled it with one of my favorite grains, farro, that high-protein, high-fiber ancient grain that is similar to barley and is very prominent in the Mediterranean diet. I particularly like its nutty flavor and chewy texture. Farro is relatively easy to cook. Just rinse 1 cup farro in cold water before cooking. Add 2 cups water to a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Add farro, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 25 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. As you can see, it cooks just like rice. And like rice, I like to add a chicken bouillon cube to the water or cook it in  chicken broth. Let me add, it goes great with lamp chops cooked with rosemary.

LAMB CHOPS WITH ROSEEMARY

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops about 1½-inches thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup red wine
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or skillet and brown chops over medium-high heat. Turn heat to low and cook to desired doneness, about 7 minutes per side for medium. Remove  to a warm platter.
  2. Add rosemary, parsley and wine to original pan. Heat to boiling and reduce slightly. Stir in butter. Return lamb to pan, and coat with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
    Yield: 4 servings.