Grilled Lamb Chops with Morroccan Barbeque Sauce

I remember going to Moroccan restaurants were a thing. You sat on the floor with huge pillows and ate wonderful exotic things with your fingers. And there was Moroccan music and all these dancers... fun! Moroccan flavors are a bit different, they usually put cinnamon in just about everything. Including this BBQ sauce. Did you know cinnamon is really good for you? It cuts down on inflammation.

The longer you marinate the chops the better--I would suggest making the marinade one day and leaving the lamb-chops in it overnight! The next day, make the BBQ sauce and grill the chops. This is from a place called "Willi's" in Santa Rosa, CA via Sunset Magazine circa 2004. Serves 4--fancy enough for a dinner party. And two lamb chops are 414 calories, which ain't bad!

Ingredients:
8 lamb loin chops (each about 1 in. thick and 4 oz. fat trimmed
Mint-Chutney Marinade (recipe follows)
Salt and Pepper

Mint Marinade:

Whirl in blender: 1 C lightly packed rinsed fresh mint leaves, 1/2 C olive oil, 1/2 C chopped green onions (white and pale green parts), 1/2 /c rinsed fresh mint leaves, 1/2 C olive oil, 3 T parsley leaves, 1 T lemon juice, 1 peeled clove garlic, 1 T salt, 1/2 t curry powder, and 1/4 t cayenne until smooth. Makes about 1 cup. If you have any left after marinating, save it and freeze it for another time!

Moroccan Barbecue Sauce:

In a 2-3 qt. pan, combine 3/4 C honey, 1/2 C fresh cilantro sprigs, 1/3 C lemon juice, 1/4 C rice vinegar, 1/4 C ketchup or tomato paste, 1/4 C soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon stick-- 3" long, broken into pieces, 1/4 t each ground ginger, ground cardamom, whole cloves, hot chili flakes and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium -high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/4 Cs. About 15 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Makes about 1 1/4 Cs. Again, freeze whatever you have left over for another time!