Sundried Tomato Pesto Grilled Lamb

I’ve done a few recipes in the past highlighting the versatility of pesto. Here I made the not so familiar version with sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Yep, you heard me right!

Pesto is one of those sauces/marinades that works well with a lot of different foods including seafood and of course meat. It’s also delicious on vegetables and makes a perfect accompaniment to any and all vegetarian dishes (skip the cheese and it becomes vegan). Sometimes I like to grill up some seasonal veggies or since winter’s here, just saute or roast some and when they’re cooked simply toss them in a little pesto and you’re sorted. Because the veggies are still warm they’ll absorb all the pesto flavour. Try it, it’s goooood.

TIP: I’d say plan your meal using pesto on one (not all) of the components. If you use the pesto on both your protein and veg in the same sitting it might be overkill for the ol’ palate.

RECIPE:

Serves 4

12 grass fed lamb chops

PESTO RECIPE:

1/4 cup olive oil marinated sun-dried tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil from marinade

1 cup spinach

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

1/2 lemon – juiced

3/4 cup olive oil

S&P to taste

Serve with seasonal grilled veg

DIRECTIONS:

Put all the above ingredients in a food processor except the 2/4 cup olive oil. With the machine going gradually add the 3/4 cup olive oil to form pesto. Taste and season with S&P.

Place the lamb chops in a mixing bowl and toss with enough pesto to coat completely. You’ll have extra for a rainy day.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 6. Before ready to cook remove chops from the fridge and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat grill pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until hot. Sear the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on them so they won’t burn. Remove and let stand for 1 minute before serving to let the juiced redistribute back into the meat.

NOTE: If cooking the chops in the oven, preheat oven to 420°F and place chops on a foiled oven tray and pop in the oven for 7-8 minutes for medium. Let stand for 1 minute before serving.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.