Hurricane Lamb

We stopped by Wegmans to get ready for Hurricane Irene (we needed orange and pineapple juice as well as Coco Lopez … we already had the rum).  Anyway while cruising through the store trying to decide what to have for dinner; we came across some lamb shoulder chops.   Since I was excited to try something new, we picked up a package of the chops and brought them home.

            After some internet research, I discovered a recipe for Pan-Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops.   It must have been destiny … we had all of the ingredients so this looked like a perfect change of menu for the Trattoria.  We paired the lamb with fresh corn on the cob and roasted brussel sprouts; both also available at Wegmans.  The lamb marinade was a relatively easy recipe to make.  I really liked the use of fresh rosemary and lemon juice; although I added some lemon zest to the marinade to “kick it up a notch”.  My only complaint with the lamb was the instructions included recommended cooking time on each side … this was essentially 6 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second side.  Although I actually cooked the chops for about 8 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second they were still very rare.  We are not fans of rare meat and so this presented a problem.  However, I think I could have solved the entire issue by turning off the lights since the lamb tasted excellent and was very tender (just awfully red inside).

            We paired the dinner with a 2004 Brunello Di Montalcino which we purchased for $70 from Kybecca (hey the earthquake and hurricane have convinced me that life is too short for bad wine).  This Sangiovese wine from Tuscany was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator and includes plum notes and very soft, juicy tannins.  It pairs well with lightly grilled meats and it was an excellent pairing with the lamb!  Of course it also paired well with the chocolate.