This Grilled Lamb is a recipe from our cookbook, The Mediterranean diet Made Easy. It’s such a great meal for dinner parties, a special weeknight dinner or holiday meal. The Pistachio Olive Tapenade comes together quickly and can be enjoyed on everything from eggs to chicken.
The Mediterranean Diet Made Easy Cookbook
In December 2020, I published my very first cookbook – The Mediterranean Diet Made Easy. It’s full of information about the Mediterranean diet, helpful tips for starting and 75 new and delicious recipes. It covers breakfasts, lunches, dinners, soups and salads, sauces and dressings and even sweet treats.
This Grilled Lamb recipe is one of the my very favorites from the cookbook.
For more information on the cookbook or where you can order, check out this Mediterranean Diet Cookbook page.
Cooking with Lamb
It can seem intimidating to cook lamb, but it’s actually quite similar to cooking steak. This dinner is also a show stopper and I love making it when friends come over because people always think it’s so fancy but it’s quick to grill.
The beauty of lamb is that the flavor is so concentrated that you don’t need a big serving to feel full and satisfied. It is considered a red meat, so I recommend enjoying in moderation and being sure to savor each and every bite.
Pistachio Olive Tapenade
This is one of my favorite sauces. It’s burning with fresh herbs, garlic, olives and citrus. You can adjust the heat level by increasing the red pepper flakes if you like a bit more spice. It makes a pretty good amount, which is perfect for putting on scrambled eggs, roasted veggies or baked chicken.
Grilled Lamb with Pistachio Olive Tapenade
We hope you enjoy this recipe from The Mediterranean Diet Made Easy cookbook and let us know if you try it.
Grilled Lamb with Pistachio-Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 1 lb lamb loin chops
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped mint
- 1/2 cup pistachios, shells removed
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olives, pitted
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Allow the lamb loin chops to come to room temperature, then evenly sprinkle them with the salt and pepper.
- Heat a grill pan or heavy duty skillet over medium-high heat
- While the lamb is coming to temperature and the pan is heating up, make the tapenade. In a food processor, combine the shallot, garlic, parsley, mint, pistachios, lemon juice, olives, capers and red pepper flakes. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. With the food processor running, slowly add in the olive oil. Puree until the tapenade is well combined the similar to the consistency of a thick pesto. Set asdie.
- Grill your lamb for 4-5 minutes on each. You can tell your lamb is done by lighting pressing on the surface. If it gives easily but is still firm to the touch, it is done and cooked to medium-rare. If you prefer your lamb more well done, cook until the texture when pressed is more first with little to no give. Remove from the heat and allow o rest for 5-8 minutes.
- Serve with the prepared tapenade.
