Grilled lamb and pesto rice

Cooked a month ago, I postponed posting the recipe thinking I should wait for a special occasion to do so. It’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday, if you’re thinking of cooking something really memorable for someone special, here’s something to rock his or her world. Lamb chops seared on a grill then baked with rice drizzled with home made pesto and julienned sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.

This dish was really an experiment and even I was amazed at how well it turned out. The juices of the lamb seeped into the rice and combined with the flavors of the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Amazing interplay. And the aroma? Oh, herby and meaty and totally outrageous!

Despite the appearance of being dressy, it’s actually very easy to make. I recommend long-grain rice; if you’re not comfortable making your own pesto, you can substitute store bought.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 lamb (or pork) chops
salt
pepper
2 c. of rice, washed and soaked in cold water for at least five hours
2 tbsps. of olive oil
about 1/2 c. of pesto
a handful of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350^oF.

Over very high heat, sear the lamp chops on a grill (a broiler will also work). You’re not cooking the meat through at this point, you just want to brown the surface. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Drain the rice. Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish with the olive oil. Pour in the rice; level off with the back of a spoon. Pour in enough lightly salted water so that the level of water is about a quarter of an inch above the rice.

Spoon the pesto over the rice. Scatter the sun-dried tomatoes in spots not covered with pesto.

Arrange the lamb chops on top of the rice. If meat juices have seeped out of the chops, pour them over the rice as well.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil.

Bake at 350^oF for 50 minutes to an hour or until the chops and rice are done.