Grilled Lamb Chops with Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Mom and Dad are in town from Kentucky for a little R&R this week as they gear up for my sister's wedding festivities next month. They arrived Friday evening after a long 9 hour drive so I wanted to keep dinner simple and light. John did a Costco run that afternoon so I had him pick up two racks of lamb which we cut into rib chops, seasoned simply with salt and pepper and grilled for just 2 minutes per side until perfectly medium rare. To accompany them I made a quick dipping sauce of 3 T olive oil, juice of one lemon, 1 T red wine vinegar, one clove minced garlic, a pinch of dried thyme and 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped - which added just the right amount of zing without overwhelming the natural flavor of the lamb. (I was out of dried rosemary but I would have definitely added that too.) **I actually did some reading on the Costco lamb that afternoon out of curiosity. It comes from The Australian Lamb Company which is one of the largest distributors internationally of Halal lamb- a Muslim method by which the animals are slaughtered (by a Muslim butcher, quickly and humanely with a very sharp knife, facing Mecca.) Most Muslims will only eat lamb that follows halal or "the law." I found this interesting one: because I grew up in the Middle East and two: because I would not have guessed that the international market would be large enough to warrant these practices being implemented by an Australian producer. Anyways, Mom brought with her BOATLOADS of fresh vegetables from her garden- primarily the most beautiful bounty of tomatoes that you ever did see. We sliced two large "better boy" tomatoes and one yellow one (not sure which variety) and stacked them with fresh mozzarella. They were a mouthwateringly deep red and so delicious! You just don't get the same flavor down here in South Carolina. We drizzled the stacks with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then topped with freshly sliced basil. We put some arugula with them as well as we dished up our plates. Lastly, I made some quick garlic toasts- a must have alongside a great tomato salad in my opinion. I toasted some fresh bread until golden brown, rubbed the slices with a clove of garlic, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt. I learned this method in Italy on our honeymoon and it really is superb. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, catching up, and some red wine on the back porch- it was a refreshingly cool evening around 70 degrees. Before we knew it, it was almost midnight and we rolled to bed with happy, full tummies. (John's was particularly happy having polished off approx 10 lamb chops by himself.) A great start to the weekend!