Spiced lamb racks

1 Tbs fennel seeds

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/3 cup greek style natural yoghurt

4 x 4 cutlet french trimmed lamb chops

Pound spices in p&m until ground.  Combine with yoghurt.

Season lamb racks with salt and coat with yoghurt mixture.  Chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Prehead oven to 200 C.  Heat oil in a large frypan and seal the lamb for 2 minutes each side.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes for medium.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with a crisp salad.

The BEST Moussaka

Serves 4-6












3 medium eggplants
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g minced lamb
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tb tomato paste
1 cup tomato sugo
4 Tb freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tb lemon thyme
zest of one lemon, grated
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon, pounded
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cheese Sauce
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
1 and 1/4 cup full cream milk
1 cup chicken stock
Pinch grated nutmeg
2 Tb grated parmesan
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Crust
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 Tb chopped lemon thyme
1 Tb preserved lemon, skin only, finely chopped (use zest of one lemon as substitute)

Method
Cut eggplants into thin 1cm slices. Brush slices with oil, season with salt and into the oven at 250 C, or as hot as you can go, for 6-10 minutes or until golden.

Saute onion at moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Put onion and garlic aside.

Salt and brown meat in batches at a high heat. Make sure it is hot and you don't overload the pan - you don't want to "boil" the meat.

Put all the meat back into the pan, add cinnamon, then the onion and garlic, tomato paste, deglaze with wine at a high temperature.

Turn temperature down and add lemon zest, tomato sugo, parsley, lemon thyme, and simmer for 20 minutes for flavour to combine. It should be quite a dry sauce.

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle the flour over it, stirring well to combine. Continue to cook for a little while until the flour colours slightly and loses the raw flavour. Remove from the heat and slowly add the milk, then the stock, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Return the pot to the heat and continue to cook until thickened - stirring hard until the sauce thickly coats the back of the spoon. Add the nutmeg and seasoning and lay some glad wrap over the sauce so it doesn't form a skin.

Layer the moussaka by first spraying a deep oven proof dish with non-stick cooking spray or evoo. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom, then a layer of mince. Continue to layer eggplant and mix, finishing with a layer of eggplant. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggplant, then mix the crumb ingredients together and generously sprinkle this over the bechamel.

Bake in a pre-heated 200 degree C oven for half an hour.

Grublover comment
This recipe is from the Cook and the Chef. It is like a Greek lasagne and is absolutely delicious. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon flavours are very important so don't skip these ingredients. Delicious.

Lamb Fillet

Serves 2

200g (one fillet) lamb fillet

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 small tub low fat yoghurt

1 x 400g can chick peas, drained

1/2 red onion, sliced finely

2 tomatoes (or 10-15 cherry tomatoes), chopped into cubes

1/2 large cucumber, chopped into cubes

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

handful fresh mint

Mix the coriander and cumin with half of the yoghurt and rub into the meat. Leave to marinate for 1 hour and go for a walk or a swim!

To make the salad combine the chick peas, onion, tomato and cucumber. It is good to chop all of these ingredients around the same size or a little larger than the chick peas (except the onion which should be sliced finely). Squeeze a lemon over the top of the salad and rip the mint up into it. Season and toss to combine.

Crush the garlic clove into the yoghurt, add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cumin for flavour.

Take the fillet and cook on a very hot grill pan (you can use the flat or the grill side, but the pan must be really hot. you don't want it to stew). Cook for around 3-4 minutes each side.

Take the meat off and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat and serve with a dollop of yoghurt and some salad. The meat should be tender and pink in the centre.

Grublover comment

This is such an easy, cheap, low-fat and delicious meal. Winner all round. Last night I got home, raced to the butcher and bought the lamb for just $12 and then whipped this up using things in the cupboard. It tasted delicious. Make sure you have a nice hot grill pan to cook it on, and the bbq would be even better.

Gordon Ramsay's Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint and Goats Cheese

Another delicious and simple meal Gordon Ramsay made was this beautiful roast leg of lamb.




2.7kg Legs of Lamb (boned and butterflied)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
olive oil (for drizzling)
large handful of mint
firm goat’s cheese, half frozen
6 cloves garlic, grated
few sprigs of rosemary
twine

Preheat oven to 220 C.

Put the lamb on a board and open it out. Season with salt and pepper. Rub with olive oil. Scatter the inside generously with fresh mint leaves, rubbing the leaves into the meat.

Grate the goats cheese and then garlic over the lamb.

Roll the lamb up to form a nice long sausage shape. Secure the joint in place with some kitchen string at 3-4cm intervals. Tuck some rosemary sprigs under the knots of string around the lamb.

Scatter baking tray with some sprigs of rosemary and lay the lamb on top. Season and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 190 C and continue to roast, allowing 20 minutes per 450g, basting every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let to rest.

Cut in thick slices and serve with mint and lemon vinaigrette.

Mint and lemon vinaigrette
6 Tb olive oil
handful of mint, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Pour oil into a small mixing bowl. Add the mint and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the lemon juice, until emulsified.

Lamb backstrap

Last night I wanted something quick and easy to go with some simple roast veges.

Lamb backstrap was the perfect solution. I bought enough for two (one long strip) for about $14, rubbed it with some salt, rosemary, garlic and olive oil, heated up the pan and fried it for about 5 minutes each side.

I then sliced the lamb and served it with the veges and a salsa made from apple, red onion, garlic and lemon juice.

Delicious.

The meat itself is really tender and delicious - and can be cooked in so many different ways.

Roasted lamb rack with mash

Serves 4

1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, crushed
12 small lean lamb loin chop or cutlet, (2 x 6 cutlet racks of lamb)
1/2 whole stock cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup (125ml) hot water
400 g parsnip, peeled, cut into chunks
400 g potato, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp cumin seed
400 g fresh green beans, ends trimmed, steamed

Combine oil, lemon rind, thyme and garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place lamb racks in a non-stick baking tray and spoon over marinade. Massage marinade into meat using clean hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 210°C. Place lamb in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place parsnips and potatoes in a medium saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain well and return to same saucepan. Use a potato masher or hand-held wand blender to mash or process vegetables until smooth. Add milk and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Continue to mash for a further minute or until well combined.

Transfer lamb to a chopping board and set aside. Meanwhile, add stock to baking tray and place over high heat. Bring liquid to the boil, scraping pan as you are doing it. Cook for 5 minutes or until you have a sauce consistency. Carve lamb racks into 3 cutlets per person and serve with mash and beans.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and easy weeknight meal that is low in fat and high in flavour.

WW Points
7 points per serve.

Lamb Shank Stifado…recipe by Jessica Anderson

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 can whole tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
3 large cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 lamb shanks
1 pound sml onions
2 pounds sml red potatoes
1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 175 C. Melt sugar in pot over moderate heat, don’t stir. When melted, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar becomes a deep caramel (5 minutes).
Carefully add the vinegar (it will bubble, so don’t burn yourself) and stir until caramel is dissolved.

Add tomatoes, wine, rosemary, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to the boil.

Add shanks, cover, take to the over.

Braise, turning shanks occassionally, until tender (~2 hours, but i sometimes leave them in for ages as the flavour just develops).

Meanwhile, cook onions in saucepan of water. Cool then peel. Quarter the potatoes, steam in water. Heat oil in skillet over moderate heat, add garlic and cook until golden. Add potatoes with salt and pepper, increase heat and stir til golden. Then add the potatoes and onions to the shanks.

Extra notes: When you take the shanks out of the oven, skim the fat off the top (this is easier if left to cool as will harden). If you make it a day ahead it will be really tasty but you would do the onions and potatoes on the day. I sometimes add 2-3 cans of tomatoes as Aussie shanks are bigger and the sauce mix doesn’t cover them fully. This recipe doubles nicely.

Jamie Oliver's Lamb Cutlets

Serves 1

115g couscous
2 or 3 lamb cutlets, French-trimmed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
evoo
½ red onion, finely sliced
a sprig of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
¼ of a fresh red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 small tub of hummus

Get your frying pan hot.
Place couscous in a bowl and just cover with boiling water.
With the palm of your hand bash cutlets to flatten them.
Dust on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin and add with a little olive oil to the pan.

When cutlets have browned on one side, turn them, adding the onion, thyme and chilli and moving the ingredients around so they cook evenly for the next couple of minutes.
Finely chop the tomatoes and parsley and mix into the couscous with a good lug of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Season carefully to taste.

Serve the couscous with lamb and onions on top, followed by a big spoon of hummus.

Jamie's Best Lamb Cutlets

Serves 4







12 lamb cutlets
a small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g mushrooms, brushed clean and torn
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon
2 handfuls of pinenuts
2 large handfuls of fresh basil
3-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Slap the cutlets with the heel of your hand to flatten them slightly. Then bash up your thyme in a pestle and mortar and add a little olive oil. Mix together, then rub the oil over the cutlets and season both sides of them. Put to one side.

Cook the mushrooms dry on the bars of your hot griddle pan. This is quite an unusual way to do it, but it gives you a nutty flavour that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Just grill them on both sides to mark them and put them into a large bowl.

Once the mushrooms are done you can put the lamb on the barbecue or griddle pan. If the cutlets are about 1.5cm/¾ inch thick, just give them 3 or 4 minutes on each side until they’re really golden. This should cook them medium. (To be honest, I’m really into rare lamb cutlets, so I cook for a little less time.)

When cooked, put the lamb cutlets into the bowl with the mushrooms and drizzle with a little olive oil. Tear over the parsley, in quite large pieces, and add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season lightly and toss around. Place to one side to rest, to allow all the lovely juices to get sucked up by the mushrooms.

Meanwhile you can make a really quick sauce. It looks a bit like pesto, but although it contains basil and pine nuts it has no similarity in flavour. In a pestle and mortar pound up the pine nuts until you have a mushy pulp – this will give the sauce a creamy flavour and texture. Remove the mixture to a bowl, then use the pestle and mortar to bash the basil up into a pulp. Add this to the pine nuts and loosen with extra virgin olive oil so that the sauce easily drops off the end of a spoon. Now you need to balance it with quite a lot of balsamic vinegar to give it a good zing, almost like a mint sauce, but add it to taste. Give the lamb and mushrooms a final toss. I like to serve this up on a big platter and let everyone help themselves. Have the sauce and a simple watercress salad on the side.

Grublover comment
This dish is fantastic and you can literally have it ready in just over 5 minutes. Use either wild mushrooms that are in season, like girolles, trompettes de la mort and pieds de mouton, or more readily available farmed mushrooms like field, chestnut or oyster, as these are really tasty when cooked properly. These lamb cutlets are best cooked on a hot barbecue with wood or charcoal, to give you a wonderful smoky flavour. Otherwise use a preheated ridged griddle pan.

Lamb cutlets with garlic mash

Serves 4

8 double lamb cutlets, trimmed
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3 Tb chopped mint
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tb seeded mustard
1/4 tsp ground cumin
garlic mash
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
6 mashing potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tb butter
1-1.25 cups hot milk
pinch sea salt

Place lamb cutlets in a shallow dish. Combine pepper, mint, wine, mustard and cumin, and pour over lam. Allow cutlets to marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2 hours.

To make mash, place unpeeled garlic in dry frypan over medium heat. Allow to cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes or until garlic skins are golden brown, then cool. Squeeze garlic from skins and mash with a fork.

Place potatoes in saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 6 minutes or until tender.

While potatoes are cooking, drain marinade from lamb and place marinade in a small saucepan. Allow marinade to simmer over low heat until it is syrupy.
Heat a frypan over high heat. Add lamb to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until it is cooked to your liking.

To finish mash, drain potatoes, return them to warm pan with butter, and mash with a whisk while slowly adding milk until potatoes are thick and creamy. Stir through salt and mashed garlic.

To serve, place a pile of mash on plates with lamb and spoon over the sauce. Serve with a salad of rocket and balsamic vinegar or baby spinach leaves.