Greek Lamb and Rice Dinner
We enjoy many different types of lamb dishes and one of our favorites are lamb chops. Although they are delicious simply grilled with garlic and herbs, this one pot dinner is an excellent alternative. We used a tajine to cook the dish, but it could just as easily be entirely cooked in a skillet. Finishing the lamb chops in the rice and tomatoes keeps it moist and tender. Similar to cooking with wine, when cooking with olives it is always important to use an olive that you would eat on its own without adding it to a dish.
Servings 2 people
Equipment
- Skillet
- Tajine
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lamb Chops
- 1 cup Uncooked Rice
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 14 1/2 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 1/3 tbsp Fresh Rosemary chopped
- 1/3 cup Kalamata Olives pitted and halved
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the rice for about 8 minutes, drain and set aside. The rice will continue to cook in the oven.
- Season the lamb with salt, pepper, and 1/3 tablespoon of rosemary.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the lamb chops for about 2 to 3 minutes per side (including the fat side).
- When you pull the lamb out of the skillet, add the garlic and cook for about a minute just allow it to release some of its flavors.
- Either in the skillet or in a tajine, mix the rice, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary.
- Nestle the lamb into the rice mixture and sprinkle the olives around top of the rice. Cover with a lid.
- In an oven heated to 325 degrees, cook the lamb and rice mixture for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches about 145 degrees for medium-rare.
