Recipe #2: Grilled Lamb Chops

I had some fresh asparagus as well as some of the risotto left over from the previous night's meal.  Since Lauren and I are never wont to waste food -- and since I'd like to show how truly simple and inexpensive some meals can be -- here is a perfect example.  I had gone to the market (Jewel) just to see what was on sale (while there I stumbled upon a really good bargain that I couldn't pass up -- chopped clams @ $1 per can -- and I'll use it in another meal idea).  I found one of my favorite meats -- loin lamb chops -- on sale for $5.99 per pound!  Most of the time they are in the range of $12-13 per pound, so I bought four of them for a total of about $6.  The result was fabulous.. and very inexpensive as well!

shopping list:

• 2  4-oz loin lamb chops per person (at $5.99/pound or ~ $3.00 per person)
• 8 spears asparagus (I paid $3.99/pound for 16 spears; it works out to $0.95 per person)
• Mushroom Risotto (About half remained from the previous night's dinner: $0.75 per person)
• Garden Salad with the last of the spinach and greens from our garden (I estimate the cost at ~ $0.50 per person)
• Fresh Rosemary from the garden (cost is next to nothing)
• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish (also from the garden - cost is next to nothing)
• 1/2 bottle Trellis Chardonnay from Trader Joe's ($4.99 per bottle or ~ $1.25 per person)

Approximate total cost of the meal: ~ $6.45 per person

Once again, the prep is really easy:  This time we did the asparagus a little differently.  Simply use a spray-on olive oil to coats the spears.  Sprinkle a bit of season salt on them and then oven-roast them at 400 degrees for about 5-6 minutes or until tender.  They don't stay quite as green, but this method saves some time and effort and the taste is still great!  I laid the chops on sprigs of fresh rosemary and then seasoned them simply: using salt, pepper, a touch of garlic powder and a dash of soy sauce, and allowing them to marinate for about an hour or so.  I then placed them on a very hot BBQ grill for about three minutes per side to achieve a medium-rare chop.  Place chops on pre-heated plate; arrange asparagus spears; finish plate with a scoop of Risotto and garnish with a sprig of parsley, then sprinkle freshly-chopped parsley over and around plate.  M-m-m-m-m!!  My guess is that this same dish, if ordered in a restaurant, would likely be found on the menu for around $28 and likely more when the "options" are included.  Add a glass of wine (restaurants usually mark up the stuff anywhere from 250-300%) and you've got a hefty number that's going on your credit card.  Make this dinner at home and save some money to use on something nice for your wife -- or husband -- for Christmas or for a birthday!  Bon Appetite!

Ralph Pancetta
reviews@ralphpancetta.com