Grilled Lamb Chops with Tomatoes and Olives

Ingredients

• 8 ripe tomatoes
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• half a handful mint (finely chopped)
• half a handful basil (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 eggplants (~700 g)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• 8 lamb chops
• 150 g Kalamata olives (in oil)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 220°C. Wash the eggplants, pierce them several times with a fork, place on a baking sheet, bake in the hot oven for 25-30 minutes until soft.

2. 2.

   Cut open and scrape the flesh from the skins with a spoon, then blend with garlic and parsley. Mix in 4-5 tbsp olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning or add more lemon juice if desired.

3. 3.

   For the tomato salsa, wash the tomatoes, halve them, remove seeds, and dice finely. Combine tomatoes with onion, herbs, 3 tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar; let rest for about 10 minutes.

4. 4.

   Grill the lamb chops (without added fat) on a charcoal or tabletop grill until golden brown on both sides, then season with salt and pepper. Serve with tomato salsa and 1-2 tbsp olive oil on plates. Add eggplant puree as accompaniment. Optionally drizzle grilled meat with 1 tbsp olive oil.