Magazines and Martha

I love the time of the month when all the new monthly issues of my magazine subscriptions arrive in the mail. For about a week or so everyday I come home to a new little surprise in the mailbox (ok well not really in the mailbox but on the kitchen counter since Forrest is the mail fetcher in this household - but you get the point). As you can imagine, the majority of my magazine subscriptions are cooking related with the occasional Shape and InStyle thrown in to keep me grounded. But my Cooking magazines are my true joy. If you read this blog often you know that I absolutely adore Cooking Light and all of their recipes. My other favorite is Martha Stewart Living. Something about her magazine makes me so happy. I love the beautiful photos, the unique craft ideas, the overly complicated decorating techniques and the pure and classic yet sophisticated recipes.

I adore her magazine and the ideas inside it and I draw a great amount of inspiration from it every month. This month's issue had some amazing recipes which included a Flag Cheesecake (rest assured that you will be seeing this recipe on my blog come the Fourth of July), a Panini Bar and this blog entry's feature - Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Herb Aioli. Forrest and I both love Lamb and this recipe seemed so simple and the perfect solution to a weeknight meal that I could quickly throw together after a long day at work.

Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Herb Aioli
Martha Stewart Living - July 2008

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 large egg
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 lamb shoulder chops (I used boneless lamb loin b/c I couldn't find shoulders)
  
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, combine egg, garlic, and herbs.
   
2. With the machine running, pour in oils in a slow, steady stream, blending until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a dish, press plastic wrap on surface, and refrigerate while lamb is cooking.
   
3. Preheat grill to medium-high. Season lamb with salt and pepper,
4. and grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
5. Serve with aioli and lemon wedges.

This meal was really good. I thought the lemon sounded like a strange addition but it really rounded out the aioli and was an essential component of the recipe. Make sure you squeeze a litttle lemon juice over your aioli to finish it.