Serves 4
For those of you that have been following this week, I hope you have been enjoying following me on my Culinary Safari into the highlands of Kenya. Everytime I look back at the photographs – it takes me back to that cool breezy morning, I could not of been more blessed. Standing in full view of Mt Kenya showing its full glory, having broken through it’s shroud of whispery clouds – standing tall and magnificent, a brilliant African sun kissing and warming the stony peaks…
This is absolutely my true passion – the great outdoors and cooking in a quick assembly, rustic kitchen. The skies looked like an endless sea of blue, lightly dotted with wispy clouds…against the contrast of the startling sunflower yellow of endless fields of canola flower…it was quite a setting…
My dream weekend – cooking in the wild outdoors – perfect setting, perfect company and delicious scents of fresh lamb chops grilling away….bliss!
And for those of you that just cant get enough of Mt. Kenya – you are my kind of people! I wasn’t exaggerating about cooking on the base slopes of this Magnificent mountain…I know people who wake up to this view. Who would need coffee to embrace the day if you had this kind of start to kickstart you off?
I could not of chosen a more favourite Lamb recipe for this Easter celebration. Some of the best lamb in the country used to be Molo lamb that soon became exceedingly difficult to find, it was in such high demand that most restaurants basically referred to all their lamb chop recipes as ‘Molo lamb chops.’ I discover whilst on my culinary safari, that a new supply of lamb coming out of Timau is even better than the famed Molo version…maybe something to do with the abundant canola grown in the area ?
In this recipe I feature one of my favourite infused oils coming out of Mountain Oil. The Herb Oil is packed to the seams with beautifully scented herbs that are going to work so well with my lamb…thyme..rosemary – you can smell the powerful infusion as you unscrew the lid of the bottle and I can already tell this is a very well preserved and developed oil. I’m excited to cook with this as I know its the real thing and not an oil that has skimped on flavour – simply seen by the quantity of herbs clearly on view in the bottle…
Serves 4
16 lamb chops French trimmed and medallion beaten with a mallet to thin out..
For the Lamb marinade
- 5 tbs of Mountail Oil Herb Infused Oil
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 1 heaped tsp Spanish paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt ( keep it light as the soy sauce will be salty)
- 4 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbs light soy sauce
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 3 stalks of rosemary
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
To serve on the side
- 1/2 red pepper sliced into thick wedges
- 1/2 green pepper slicked into thick wedges
- 1 large zucchini sliced into thick rounds
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- 3 tbs Herb Infused Mountain Oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
The marination is the single most important part of this recipe. Simply mix up all your marinade ingredients, pop in your lamb chops and keep this in the fridge for at least 12 hours or overnight to ensure the flavours develop nicely.
Heat a griddle to hot but not smoking and pop the lamb chops over the grill. Keep turning every few minutes and cook for 5-6 minutes, for medium and up to 10 minutes for well done. I like mine slightly pink – so they stay juicy and flavoursome. Cover and set aside. Let them sit for a few minutes so the meat can reabsorb some of the lovely juices.
Now pop all your vegetables on the same grill and turn them a few times until just beginning to soften. As well as the herb oil, these vegetables will catch the gorgeous flavour of the lamb.
Serve up hot and crispy with your favourite chilli sauce ! ( Mine was a homemade one made from green chillis that was a nice change from the same old hot red sauces!) Use whatever condiments you like with lamb chops – anything from garlic or wasabi mayonnaise to mint sauce or even better – horseradish ! This is a true rustic recipe, so anything will go…
This was such a memorable trip and I can’t wait to get back up there to seek out even more incredible produce….absolutely stunning! Thankyou Mountain Oil and the lovely folks of Timau that looked after us on this once in a lifetime Culinary Safari!
And you can’t keep the boys away from anything being grilled – especially if its in the bush and anything to do with meat!!! Such a treat to get a helping hand whilst I sampled the perfect Red Wine to accompany this mouthwatering dish!
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