Rosemary and Pistachio Crusted Lamb

Who doesn't like a fancy dinner with minimal effort? It all begins with a good cut of meat. Lamb chops aren't the cheapest meat on the block, but they're totally worth it. Up until recpently, my husband has hated lamb. So once he embraced it, I wanted to cook it...

Pistacio and Rosemary Crusted Lamb Chops

served with shaved zuchinni and mushroom Israeli couscous

Ingredients

1 lbs of lamb chop

1 package rosemary

1/2 cup pistachios (diced)

1 package mini portabello mushrooms

1 zuchinni

4 garlic cloves

Crumbled goat cheese

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

For the Crust:

1. Finely dice the pistachios so that they are small enough to adhere to the lamb when pressed on firmly. Measure and put into a mixing bowl.

2. Cut up and measure out 3 tbs of fresh rosemary and add to the bowl of diced pistacios.

3. Mince or press 4 cloves of garlic and add to the mixture.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Keep in mind that the pistacihos are very high in sodium, so you really wont need much salt at all.)

Preparing the Lamb:

1. Using roughly 2/3 of the crusting mixture, coat the lamb chops on both sides; firmly pressing the rosemary/pistachio mixture into the meat of the lamb. Once done, set aside.

Israeli Couscous with shaved zuchinni and baby bellas:

1. Cook off the couscous as directed on the package. (I would reccomend going with the 2-4 serving suggestion suggestion.)

2. Wash and then quarter the baby bellas. Toss them into a sautee pan with olive oil, and cook them down (roughly 5 min).

3. Add salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste.

4. When the mixture is almost done cooking down, stir in the rest of the pistachio/rosemary crust. (You may chose to reserve some for a garnish.)

5. While cooking begin to cut the zuchinni length wise with a mandolin.

6. Heat up another pan (I like to use a pan that leaves grill marks for presentation... if you would like, you could always dice the zuchinni and toss it in with the mushrooms. However, I personally enjoy the difference in both texture and presentation. The shaved zuchinni looks slightly more elegant.) If you chose to use a separate pan, coat it lightly in olive oil and dust the zuchinni in salt/pepper. Cook briefly (1-2 min) per side, and set it aside.

7. Once the couscous is cooked add it to the pan with the mushrooms (and possibly zuchinni).

Cooking the Lamb:

1. I hate to be useless here... but I have very little instruction on this part. Personally, I enjoy my lamb medium rare. If it is a thinner chop cut, this means we grilled it about 4-5 min on each side. (You could also broil it.) Use your judgement regarding how well you like yours cooked...

Putting it all together:

1. Form a base on a plate with with couscous/mushroom mixture.

2. Sprinkle a few tbsp of crumbled goat cheese on top.

3. Fold the shaved zuchinni on top.

4. Arrange the lamb and garnish as desired. (rosemary sprig, goat cheese crumbles, pistachios)

Serve and Enjoy!