Grilled Rack of Lamb with Saffron Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice uncooked
• 1  bay leaf 
• 2 cups less-sodium chicken broth fat-free
• 2  garlic cloves minced
• 0.1 teaspoon ground cardamom 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 0.1 teaspoon ground pepper red
• 0.8 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1.5 pound french-cut lamb rack of (8 ribs)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 cup onion diced
• 0.5 teaspoon paprika 
• 0.3 teaspoon saffron threads crushed

Equipment

• frying pan
• sauce pan
• grill
• kitchen thermometer

Directions

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.
2. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
3. Add rice and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Keep warm.
4. Prepare grill.
5. Combine salt and next 6 ingredients (through pepper).
6. Brush lamb with oil, and rub with salt mixture.
7. Place lamb on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes, turning once or until a thermometer registers 145 (medium-rare) to 160 (medium).
8. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into chops.
9. Serve lamb with rice.
10. Wine note: Lambeven spicy lamb like thisis one of the most flexible meats when it comes to wine. It goes with just about every major red varietal. That said, when spice plays a key role, as it does here, I love to choose a thick, rich, spicy red that will both mirror the spiciness of the dish and act as a soft, thick backdrop. An Australian shiraz is perfect. And since this is a special, fairly expensive cut of meat, I've chosen a wine worthy of it: Penfolds St. Henri 2003 from South Australia, $ Karen MacNeil