Grecian Formula

This week the weather has been Chamber of Commerce gorgeous---70 degrees in the coastal region, and it has gotten me back to the barbecue.  I bought a boneless leg of lamb to test recipes with, and had about 1 1/2 pounds leftover that I cut up and marinated, and grilled it along with some pita for dinner.  A bit of tzatziki sauce, and a salad rounded out the dinner.  When I preheated the grill, I took a few photos of the garden; the camellias are spectacular, and the paperwhites are up, but we took a huge hit when the frost took out a lot of our tropicals and coleus. 

Marinated Lamb
Serves 4

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 pounds leg or lamb, or lamb chops or rack of lamb

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary.  Pour over the lamb, and marinate for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours.  
Preheat the grill for 10 minutes.  Drain the marinade, and grill the lamb for 3 minutes on each side, until the lamb is cooked to medium (pink in the center)  Remove from the grill, and serve with warm pita, tzatziki sauce and salad.  

Marinating the lamb--look at the golden color of the oil---bellissimo!

Place the pita on the side of the grill that is turned off--the ambient heat will warm them.

OOps!  Dr. C. served himself before I got the camera out!

This is a great dinner, and takes no time to put together!  The marinade will work well with chicken breast halves, as well. 

View from the grill!

Paperwhites, and my poor Ti trees (left and right of the fountain) took a huge hit in the frost. 
I hope you all have a great night, I'm expecting our family here on Saturday, so my posts will be sporadic next week, but look for photos from our wine tastings, and I've ordered some black truffles to make truffle pasta while they are here....until next time, enjoy your night.