Grilling Through the Seasons

by Gena Knox, Posted Sep 4th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Grilled lamb chops with olive tapenade. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography

It is hard to believe that summer is officially coming to an end and football season is here. We always enjoy grilling in the fall -- cooler temperatures set in and you can bring the party outside once again.

Fall temperatures generally mean heartier meals, but that is all the more reason to keep your grill out until winter sets. Take advantage of fall's ingredients and keep the grill going.

Richer meats like lamb chops become some of our favorite weekend meals and are surprisingly easy to grill.

Letting your butcher do most of the work makes grilling lamb chops exceptionally easy and always delicious. I purchase racks of lamb that have been "frenched," meaning most of the fat has been trimmed between the bones. You may need to trim a little excess fat that the butcher missed, but other than that you only job is to marinate and grill!

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Olive Tapenade

This delicious tapenade not only pairs nicely with lamb, but also compliments pork, chicken and salmon.

PREP TIME 15 minutes + marinade
COOK TIME 10-12 minutes
YIELDS 4 servings

Marinade
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Tapenade
25 large Spanish green olives with pimiento
1/3 cup coarsely chopped and packed cilantro
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Lamb
2 racks of lamb (about 1 1/2 pounds each), frenched

FIRST In a zipper-top bag combine marinade ingredients. Add racks of lamb and toss to coat. Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes and then at room temperature for an additional 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to coat chops.

NEXT While the lamb is marinating, preheat grill to medium-high heat and prepare tapenade. To prepare tapenade, combine olives, cilantro, zest, garlic, chipotle and pepper in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Place olive mixture in a small bowl and stir in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and additional pepper and set aside.

LAST Remove lamb from marinade, discarding marinade. Oil grill grates and grill lamb for 3-4 minutes on all sides until well browned and internal temperature registers 130 degrees F for medium-rare. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Place chops on a platter and spoon tapenade on top.

Also try these classic Red Wine & Rosemary Lamb Chops and these easy Planked Lamb Chops with Mint Gremolata.

Gena Knox is the founder of Fire & Flavor and the author of "Gourmet Made Simple." She's blogging about grilling this summer for Slashfood. For more information on Gena, visit her Web site, GenaKnox.com. For more grilling tips, visit the AOL Food Grilling page.

Filed Under: Recipes
Tags: fall, fall grilling, FallGrilling, fire and flavor, FireAndFlavor, gena knox, GenaKnox, grill, grilling tips, GrillingTips, lamb, lamb chops, LambChops, olives, tailgate