Grilled Lamb Chops with Herbs and Garlic ~ (My favorite way)

Hello! 
Thank you for your emails regarding my absence ~ your concerns really touch my heart.

For the last few weeks I've been away visiting family in the San Francisco Bay Area, which  included a bonus (a trip within a trip) to gorgeous San Diego to attend a very special wedding for one of my nieces ~ (my brother's younger daughter.) It was an absolutely lovely ceremony and celebration. 
I'll be away for a couple more weeks, but wanted to touch bases here.

My brother walking the bride down the aisle. :)All the best to Danica and Paul as they begin their new life together!

So, being away from home I've been totally spoiled with fantastic food, and have not taken the opportunity to do much cooking or baking. But I do miss it; so last night I made one of my favorite meals ~ grilled lamb chops. This is my very favorite way of preparing them; and the wonderful thing is you don't need a recipe, and can use any herb that you like for the marinade.
The oregano plants needed a good trim, so that was the herb of choice. My other favorite herbs to use are thyme, rosemary, mint, or a mixture of any that you like.
For the meatiest and most tender lamb chops I simply buy a rack of lamb . . .



Cut the rack into individual chops like so:


One of the tricks for flavor when grilling meats is to salt (coarse salt) both sides of the meat very generously ~as quite a bit of the salt you apply will drip away as the meat grills so I always add extra.
Add as much freshly ground pepper as you like.


For the marinade:
Your herb/s of choice, coarsely choppedA generous splash of olive oilA couple of large cloves of fresh garlic, mincedA couple of splashes of good red wine. (I used the last of a bottle of Zinfandel we had on hand.)(Hint: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of the wine if you prefer)

Marinate the chops for an hour if possible, or up to four hours (refrigerated.)Use a non-reactive container to marinate ~ I simply use a resealable plastic food storage bag.I like the bag method because you can turn the bag over and massage the marinade into the meat every once in a while so it permeates the meat evenly.
I take the meat from the refrigerator about 15 minutes to half hour before grilling so it cooks more quickly an evenly.
Prepare the grill, either charcoal or gas . . .



Take a moment to sip on your beverage of choice while meat comes to room temperature and the grill heats up.  :D

These chops cook really quickly; if you like rare or medium rare it only takes a couple of minutes on each side to reach medium-rare, less time for rare. Just don't overcook or the chops will be dry and tough. Keep in mind the meat will continue cooking after it has been removed from the grill. 



This time I served the chops with baby eggplants, split lengthwise and brushed with olive oil then grilled until tender.  I also grilled some chunks of red bell pepper with chunks of sweet red onion, and served the chops on a bed of orzo and toasted pine nuts.



And we enjoyed the meal with a lovely wine from one of my favorite California wineries.
Thank you again for your concern, friends ~  I'll be returning home in a couple of weeks; in the meantime I'll try to post now and then as time permits.  Stay well!
xo ~m.