Lamb Cutlet Curry

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2 to 3)
Olive Oil Spray 
12 Frenched Lamb Cutlets
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Onion, finely sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Mild Curry Powder (for a hotter version, use madras curry powder)
1 Tbsp Ginger, grated 
400g Can Diced Tomatoes
200ml Water
80g Baby Spinach

To Serve:
2 Cups Cooked Basmati Rice
Pappadums
Raita or Tzatziki

METHOD
Heat a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Spray with oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Cook the lamb in batches, for 1 minute each side or until golden. Set aside.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden.

Add the turmeric, cumin, curry powder and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until aromatic.

Return the lamb to the pan along with the tomatoes and water.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes or until lamb is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the spinach into the curry. Simmer for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with rice, pappadums and raita.

My Navarin of Lamb

Navarin is the French term for lamb stew which has been 

cooked with root vegetables, usually including onions.

I like to top my Navarin with dumplings.

But this stew is also very tasty served with warm crusty bread.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1kg Boned Rolled Lamb Shoulders, fat trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
1 Tbsp Butter 
2 Tbsps Plain Flour
2 Tbsps Tomato Paste
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
750ml (3 cups) Vegie Stock
250ml (1 cup) Dry White Wine
1 Sachet of Bouquet Garni
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tsps Dijon Mustard
1 Onion, cut into small wedges
2 Carrots, peeled, cut into 2 cm slices
1 Swedes, peeled, cut into 2 cm pieces
1 Sweet Potato, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
2 Tbsps Flat Leaf Parsley, coarsely chopped.




Navarin can either be served with dumplings, or Crusty Bread.

For Dumplings
1 Cup Self Raising Flour, plus a little extra
2 Cups Suet Mix (available in the baking aisle at supermarket)
1 Tsp Table Salt
2/3 Cup Cold Water

METHOD
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add a third of the lamb and cook, turning, for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a plate. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with the remaining lamb, reheating the pan between batches.

Reduce heat to medium. Add butter and garlic to the stockpot. When melted, add flour. Cook stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles.

Remove stockpot from heat. Slowly add stock and wine, stirring constantly until all combined.

Return stockpot to heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce comes to the boil.

Reduce, heat to low. Add tomato paste, dijon mustard, carrot, onion, swede, sweet potato, bay leaves and bouquet garni. Stir to combine.

Return lamb to stockpot. Cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for  90 minutes, or until lamb is tender.

Once the lamb is cooked, remove bouquet garni sachet and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

If including dumplings, add the next steps:
Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, stir in suet ix and combine. 

Make a well in the centre, then pour in the water and mix gently by hand; add extra cold water if needed form a firm dough.

Form 2 cm balls from the dough, and just place them onto the surface of the bubbling navarin stew.

Place the lid back onto the stockpot and simmer for 8 minutes. Dumplings should be light and fluffy.

Turn off the heat and leave the stockpot covered for a further 2 minutes.

To Serve:
Sprinkle parsley over the stew, and serve at once with the dumplings or crusty bread.

Marinated Beef Skewers - Can be served as part of a Great Platter

My husband just loves Greek and Turkish Food.

So I came up with this platter to have at home, beef skewers, warmed turkish bread,

grilled haloumi, pilav rice and tzatziki dip.

I also thank the English Nigella Lawson, for her influence with the beef skewer marinade.

At our house we call this the European Platter!

INGREDIENTS

1 kg Beef Rump or Fillet, cut the beef into 2.5cm cubes.
1 Capsicum, cut into 3cm cubes
1 Red Onion, quartered
2 Tbps Red Wine Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
3 Garlic Coves, minced
2 Tbsps Rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
60ml Olive Oil
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsps Port or Sherry
Short Skewers

Alternative: Use lamb instead of beef.
Alternative 2: Substitue garlic with cumin and coriander, turkish or greek spice.

METHOD

Soak skewers in water for 20 minutes or more, then pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.

Thread 3 or 4 pieces of beef, 2 pieces of onion and 1 piece of capsicum onto a skewer.
The quantities above should make 20 skewers.

Place skewers in a marinating dish. Any oven proof lasagne dish is ideal.

In a large bowl combine, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, worcestershire sauce and port. Pour marinade over skewers, and leave overnight, in the fridge. If your time frame does not allow 24 to 36 hours, marinade for at least an hour.

When you are close to cooking, remove the meat skewers from the fridge, and allow them to come down to room temperature. Approx 20 minutes.

Heat a grill on high, place the skewers on the heat, cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turn, cook for another 4 to 5 minutes on the other side.

Serve on a platter with warmed turkish bread, grilled haloumi, turkish pilav and tzatziki.

Lamb Burgers

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Grounded Cumin
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 Zucchini, grated
1 Red Onion, grated
600g lamb mince
100g Haloumi, grated
1/2 Cup Mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup Tzakiki, to serve
Olive Oil
Bread Rolls, to serve
Lemon Wedges, to serve
Baby Spinach, to serve
Roma Tomatoes, thinly sliced, to serve

METHOD
Coarsely grate the Zucchini.
Place grated zucchini in a clean tea towel and squeeze to remove moisture.
Combine grated zucchini with onion, lamb mince, haloumi, mint, cumin and salt.
Season with black pepper.
Form into eight small patties.
Put patties in fridge for about 15 minutes to firm.
Heat a barbecue or chargrill over medium heat.
Brush burgers with olive oil and cook for 4 minutes each side, then set aside in a warm spot.

Split rolls and grill, cut-side down, for about one minute. (your choice)

To serve: Top bread with a dollop of tzakiki, baby spinach, tomatoes, and a lamb pattie and scatter with seed salt.

Garnish with some mint leaves and leftover yoghurt and serve with lemon wedges.

NOTE: The longer the patties sit in the fridge for, the better the flavour.

Moroccan Lamb Pizza

INGREDIENTS

Pizza Base
1/4 Cup of Napoli or Passata Sauce
90g Mozzarella Cheese, grated
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
35g Feta or Haloumi cheese, diced
1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and halved
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g Lamb Backstrap
2 Tbsps Greek Yoghurt or Tzatziki

METHOD
Preheat a pizza stone in your oven to 250C for 30 minutes

Combine Cumin and Coriander with Napoli Sauce. Spread Napoli sauce over the pizza base

Cover with mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with crushed garlic over the top

Sprinkle the olives, pine nuts and crumble the feta or haloumi cheese over the pizza

Seal both sides of your lamb backstrap on a hot fry pan, then place in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes (ideally the meat should be medium-rare, but it’s up to you how much you like it cooked).

When your lamb is cooked to your liking, take out of the oven and allow to rest for 2 minutes. Then slice thinly.

Cook pizza base in the oven at 250C for 7 to 10 minutes. Top the pizza base with the warm sliced lamb.

Cut the pizza into slices, and drizzle the yoghurt or tzatziki over the top.

Guinness Lamb Shanks in the Slow Cooker

This is a great slow cooker recipe.

Especially on a cold winter's night.
Serve with pasta, mashed potato or my potato and celeriac bake.





INGREDIENTS
4 Large frenched lamb shanks
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Plain flour
1 can of Guinness
2 Onions, quartered
3 Carrots, 1cm cubed
3 Parsnips, 1 cm cubed
2 tbsps Tomato paste
2 cups Beef stock
Sea salt
Ground pepper

METHOD
Place flour, salt & pepper in large zip-lock bag. Add the shanks and toss to coat.

Heat oil in fry pan over high heat.

Shake off excess flour from shanks, and add 2 at a time to the fry pan. Brown all over.

Transfer to slow cooker. Repeat with all shanks.

Now add onions, carrots, parsnips and can of Guinness to the slow cooker. Stir to distribute evenly.

Stir tomato paste into the broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until meat is tender.

Skim any fat from the top of the sauce.

Serve the lamb directly from the cooker, with your choice of side dish.

Tandoori Lamb Cutlets with Sweet Potato Mash

My girlfriend, Alana Taylor, first cooked this for me several years ago, and it has become a regular dinner in our house since.

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Cutlets, 4 or 5 per person
3 Tbsps Natural Yoghurt
6 Tbsps Tandoori Paste

50g Baby Spinach
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
3cm piece of Ginger, grated
2 Tbsps of Butter

Tomato & Onion Chutney
Cheat's Note: Use an already made Tomato Chutney
1 1/2 cups of Onion, thinly sliced
1 Tsp mustard seeds or dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsps of butter
250g Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp of wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp of raw sugar
A pinch of all spice
A pinch of chopped parsley

METHOD
1. Mix Tandoori Paste and Natural Yoghurt until combined

2. Using a pastry brush, coat each cutlet in paste, and place on a lined oven tray, and marinate in oven for 2 to 6 hours

3. Place cutlets in a preheated oven of 175 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes (for medium to well) Ensure to turn cutlets at the 15 minute mark.

4. Steam the sweet potato until very soft and ready to mash.

5. Place the cooked sweet potato in a large bowl and retain a little of the water from the steaming saucepan (about 1 cup)

6. Add the ginger and butter to the sweet potato along with a little of the retained cooking water (just a little at a time). Mash all the ingredients together until smooth adding a little more of the cooking liquid as necessary.

7. Set aside, covered. Can be reheated in saucepan on stove top or in covered dish in microwave.

CHUTNEY METHOD - can be made in advance
1. In a heavy skillet cook the onion and the mustard seeds in the butter over moderate heat until the onion begins to turn golden

2.Add the tomatoes, the vinegar, the sugar, and the allspice, cook the mixture, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the chutney is very thick, and add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste

TO PLATE UP
1. Place the sweet potato mash in the centre of the plate

2. Position a handful of baby spinach leaves on top of the mash

3. Then take the lamb cutlets, and stack them on top of the baby spinach, with the cutlet tails facing towards the rim of the plate

4. Now top with a tbsp of chutney, and ENJOY!!