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GRILLED LAMB WITH BROWN SUGAR

6 tbsp brown sugar                            2 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 large clove of garlic, minced            2 1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp cinnamon                                  1 1/2 tsp pepper

6 lamb chops

Combine brown sugar, ginger, tarragon, cinnamon, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Rub mixture on the lamb chops. Cover, and set aside in refrigerator for 2 hrs.

Lightly oil the grill and preheat to high. Cook lamb chops 5-7 minutes on each side.

  GRILLED MUSHROOMS

2 cups soy sauce                               ¾ cup red wine vinegar

½ tsp pepper                                     2 lbs fresh mushrooms, cut in half

Mix soy sauce, vinegar and pepper in a large bowl and place mushrooms in the mixture. Cover and marinade for 1 ½ hours.  

Preheat the grill to high.  Place mushrooms on aluminum foil, uncovered, and cook until brown and tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Comment:

Finally, an easy one to match up.

We had picked the Wine of the Month early this time, and Karen had more or less been thinking in the back of her mind about a recipe to go with it.  The Lambert's Chancellor you'll find listed there was what we had in mind for this dish.

That said, we can spend a paragraph or two on the other possibilities.  I love lamb as a rule, and there are a number of wines that will go well with it.  Generally speaking, white wine won't cut it.  Lamb tends to be too much for the whites, in my opinion, and if you are thinking about a white wine with any kind of lamb, I would urge you to try a lighter red instead: a Beaujolais, a Dolcetto, a Rioja (the Crianza).

But none of those would do for this dish.  The brown sugar rubbing mixture will overpower the wine if you do.

Here I think you need something more.  I would lean towards a Pinot Noir, a Chianti, or a Merlot.  I have the feeling that the really big wines, the bold Cabernet Sauvignon, Super-Tuscans, and red Bordeaux wines would not be right here.  Looking under the stairs, we have a very nice Long Island wine that looks like it would leap to the table with this dish: Schneider Vineyards Merlot.

 Last modified: August 07, 2007