Searching for new barbecue recipe inspiration, I thought I’d firstly kick off with an old favourite, marinated new season’s lamb chops with salsa verde – simple but delicious! There are few foods which can beat a good barbecued lamb chop, all pink and succulent in the middle with crispy, melt-in-the-mouth skin.
(Serves 4)
Marinade
- Handful of rosemary
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- I tbs olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 4 lamb chops
Place the chops in a bowl and add a handful of rosemary which has been stripped into needles and rubbed in your hands to release the oils. Next, simply add a few garlic cloves which have been crushed with the flat blade of a knife. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and massage the marinade all over the chops. Place the bowl in the fridge and leave to marinate, the longer the better. I normally leave them for at least 6 hours.
(Serves 4)
Salsa Verde
- 1 small garlic clove
- Bunch of flat leaf parsley
- 20 basil leaves
- Leaves form 4 sprigs or tarragon
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 1 tsp capers
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- A pinch of sugar
- A few drops of lemon juice
- 2 – 3 tbs of olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper
The salsa verde recipe is taken from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ”The River Cottage Meat Book.” Finely chop the garlic then add the herbs, anchovies, capers and chop all together until finely chopped and mixed. Place in a bowl and add the mustard, sugar, lemon juice and black pepper. Now add the olive oil little-by-little to ensure you have a glossy consistency. The key to salsa verde is to make it to your own taste by tweaking the various ingredients until you arrive at perfection! Try and make just before you eat to retain the fresh impact of the herbs.
Take the chops out of the fridge and let them reach room temperature before cooking. Before barbecuing, wipe off any excess oil as this will cause flames and burnt chops. Depending on the size of lamb chops, I would normally barbecue for between 2-3 minutes per side if you like your lamb pink. Ideally then leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. I normally simply serve with new new potatoes and sprouting broccoli.
Let me know what your favourite BBQ recipes are?
