Lamb Chops Provençal with Olive Tapenade and Ratatouille
Provence has a temperate Mediterranean climate, plenty of sunshine, and well-suited soil for crops such as grapes and olives. Below is a recipe from Moulin de Calanquet for lamb chops Provençal with olive tapenade and ratatouille, which combines local ingredients and traditional flavours into a delicious main course.
The Moulin du Calanquet is an olive mill four kilometres from Saint Remy de Provence in the Alpilles. It is a family story with Anne and Gilles Brun, sister and brother, at the helm. The Calanquet oil mill was inaugurated on February 8, 2001, and named after the lovely site on which it was built. Calanquet originates from the word “calan,” meaning a rock that provides shelter from the Mistral wind.
Olives have grown on the flanks of the Alpilles since the Greeks and Romans occupied Glanum. At the historic site, you can see an ancient olive-grinding stone. Although olive trees are hearty, they suffered from frosts in 1889 and 1956. The 1956 weather event forced the closure of the last operational olive mill in Saint Remy.
Guide for the Alpilles Olive Producers
More on Olives and the Alpilles
The Jean Martin Company in the Heart of the Olives of Les Baux de Provence
Capturing Provencal Beauty in Photos Lumières des Alpilles
Discover the Olive Oil Producers of the Alpilles a Driving Tour by Village
Visitor’s Guide to the Alpilles Villages

Alpilles Lamb Chops with Tapenade Petals and Provençal Ratatouille
Equipment
- indoor grill or barbeque
Ingredients
- 6 lamb chops preferably from the Alpilles
- 1 jar ratatouille Provençale
- 1 packet black tapenade "petals" see note below
- 1 pinch thyme
- 1 pinch piment d’Espelette optional
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Grill the chops on the barbecue or on your grill; they should remain 'pink.'
- Meanwhile, heat the ready-to-use ratatouille in a saucepan, adding a pinch of Espelette pepper if you wish.
- Arrange the meat on a plate, crumbling a few petals of black tapenade over the lamb.
- Serve the ratatouille as a side dish and garnish with a few petals of black tapenade.
Notes
More Lamb Recipes



No Comment