Grilled Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille

FOR LAMB: Place the lamb in a shallow nonreactive container and rub all over with the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or as long as overnight.

FOR RATATOUILLE: In a large saucepan or heavy frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion slices and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Add the zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until heated through, another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and stir well. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.

Uncover the pan; the mixture should still be quite liquid. Cook until the mixture thickens, another 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool briefly and stir in the parsley. Set aside. (At this point, the ratatouille can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Before the ratatouille is done, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill using hardwood charcoal such as mesquite or hickory.

When the coals have burned down to a gray ash, place the lamb on the grill with the convex side of the rack bones facing down. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turn over, cook for another 6-8 minutes, turn over one more time and cook for a final 2-3 minutes for medium-rare. To check doneness, cut an incision into the underside of the lamb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes in a warm spot.

While the lamb is cooking, if needed, reheat the ratatouille in a saucepan over medium-high heat until heated through, 8-10 minutes.

TO SERVE: Cut the rack into 2-bone portions and serve immediately, accompanied with some of the ratatouille.