just some lamb chops

Grilled lamb with tzasiki

 

Serves 4

 

A cool cucumber and yoghurt dip is a refreshing accompaniment for grilled chops. Sometimes I add a clove of garlic to it, sometimes not. Sometimes nothing at all is needed but juicy fatty meat. Chips with chops, that might be the ticket.

 

4 lamb steaks or large chops

2 tblsp olive oil

1 tblsp fresh oregano

 

For the tzasiki

Half a cucumber

250ml thick, natural yogurt

2 spring onions

1 handful mint leaves

 

Grate the cucumber into a sieve or colander, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and sit it in the sink for half an hour. This will rid the cucumber of much of its water.

 

Tip the yoghurt into a mixing bowl. Finely chop the spring onions and stir them into the yoghurt along with the mint leaves, roughly chopped. Squeeze any excess moisture out of the cucumber with your hands then stir it into the yoghurt.

 

Don't be tempted to season the yoghurt; it should be just fine as it is.

 

Keep the tzasiki cool until you need it. Get the grill hot. In a small bowl mix the olive oil with the oregano and a seasoning of salt and black pepper then rub or brush it over the meat. Cook the lamb over a hot grill or in a griddle pan. Ideally the outside should be dark brown and sizzling, the fat crisp and the inside of the meat a deep, juicy rose pink.

 

Serve the lamb with the tzasiki. Or chips.

 

Lamb grilled with mustard and lemon

At the time of year where spring lamb is once again all the rage, you can do nothing better than take a couple of flavour agents to accompany the meat, and little else is needed. Basically a mild enough seasoning that does not overpower the flavour of the lamb is the name of the game here. Steaks cut from the leg usually come nearly 2.5cm thick - for anything thinner or thicker alter the cooking time accordingly, but really any cut here will do, I've actually used the whole loin here for this version. And a wee bit of wonderfully fresh tuna sashimi while waiting for the lamb to cook didn't do any harm either. 

Serves 2

2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled
a good pinch of sea salt
1 tblsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 tblsp grain mustard
2 tblsp lemon juice
4 tblsp olive oil
4 lamb steaks, ribs or chops, weighing about 100g each

Crush the garlic with the salt in a pestle and mortar or in a small bowl with the end of the rolling pin. Add the herbs, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk in the oil with a fork, or small whisk, until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Pour one-third over the lamb, turn over the meat and anoint that side too with another third.

Heat the grill to very hot. Grill the lamb for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on how thick the meat is.

Brush with the remaining mixture as you turn the meat. The lamb should be a little singed outside, and rare within. 

Spicy meatballs

Serves 4

These have the distinct taste of Morocco with one of those gentle spice kicks which make them all the more moreish. I have them with either couscous or pilaf rice with a blob of yoghurt and some sharp feta cheese. But there is absolutely no shame in serving them atop pasta or with a salad. The perfect midweek supper that can be prepared in minutes and left to cook with very little attention required.

2 tblsp mild paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne

2 big handfuls of chopped flat-leaf parsley and 3 of chopped coriander leaves

4 big cloves of garlic, crushed

450g lamb mince

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

2 tblsp olive oil

2 x 400g tins chopped plum tomatoes

2 tsp sugar


Mix together the spices, garlic, parsley and 2 handfuls of coriander. Thoroughly mix half into the lamb with the lemon zest, season generously and squidge together with your hands.

Shape into 20 equal-sized balls. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the meatballs in 2 batches until just brown on all sides — about 5 minutes for each batch. Remove and keep to one side.

Put the remaining spice, herb and garlic mix in the same pan, stir over the heat for 15-20 seconds, then add the tomatoes and sugar and season well. Simmer for 25 minutes, until thick, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes.


Add the meatballs, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Scatter with the remaining coriander leaves

Lamb shanks with broad beans

Serves 4

If it's not a pie, it's got to be a braised dish, and lamb shanks don't often fail to hit the mark. This was last night's number, cooked the day before and reheated gently to devour - better depth of flavour and maturity on the 2nd day for sure. The juice, as much as the meat, is where this dish really is, rich and heady, mopped up with anything and everything that comes to hand, one of those nights where someone to offer a belly rub at the end of it all perfects the ultimate dining experience, for me anyway...

1 tblsp olive oil
4 lamb shanks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fresh bouquet garni (sprig each of parsley and thyme, and a bay leaf)
400ml white wine
400g new potatoes
400g shelled broad beans, individually skinned (see below)
2 tblsp chopped fresh mint
3 tblsp crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly oil a roasting tin, add the lamb shanks and season, then place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

Add the onions, garlic and bouquet garni to the roasting tin and roast for a further 20 minutes.

Add the wine and new potatoes to the lamb, mix well with the juices and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes. Add the prepared beans and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

When the lamb is cooked through, remove from the roasting tin and keep warm. Place the tin directly on the stove top and bring the juices to a simmer. Stir in the chopped mint and crème fraîche.

Serve the lamb shanks in wide bowls and ladle in the vegetables and juice.

Note: to skin fresh broad beans, plunge them into a pan of boiling water for 4 minutes, then drain and peel off the skins. If using frozen beans they can be peeled once defrosted.

Lamb grilled with mustard and lemon

Serves 2

A mild enough seasoning that does not overpower the flavour of the lamb. Steaks cut from the leg usually come nearly 2.5cm thick - for anything thinner or thicker alter the cooking time accordingly. For ribs, pop them through a hot oven for a few minutes once you've got a bit of colour on them from the grill.

2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled

a good pinch of sea salt

1 tblsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme

2 tblsp grain mustard

2 tblsp lemon juice

4 tblsp olive oil

4 lamb steaks, ribs or chops, weighing about 100g each

Crush the garlic with the salt in a pestle and mortar or in a small bowl with the end of the rolling pin. Add the herbs, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk in the oil with a fork, or small whisk, until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Pour one-third over the lamb, turn over the meat and baste that side too with another third.

Heat the grill to very hot. Grill the lamb for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on how thick the meat is.

Brush with the remaining mixture as you turn the meat. The lamb should be a little singed outside, and rare within.

Aromatic lamb kebabs

Serves 4 to 6

Bengal gram, also known as chana dal, is a staple in Indian cooking and commonly used in vegetable stews. Here I've roasted and then ground to a powder to add a sweet, nutty flavour to the lamb mixture, but should you only be able to find yellow split peas, they'll do fine. Kind of goes without saying that this is merely the meat for yet another sandwich - wrap up with some lettuce and tomato and either some mint yoghurt as mentioned below or a roof of your mouth cleaning garlicky mayonnaise...

4 tblsp Bengal gram or yellow split peas
6 cardamom pods, seeds only
6 cloves
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp pink peppercorns
1 medium sweet or red onion, finely chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
500g lamb mince
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium egg, beaten
Mint yoghurt dip, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve

Put the Bengal gram or yellow split peas, cardamom seeds, cloves, fennel seeds and pink peppercorns in a sauté pan and roast over a moderate heat, tossing them about, until lightly toasted and aromatic. Grind them into a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

Next, fry the onion in half of the oil until soft and lightly golden. Put the lamb mince in a mixing bowl and add the spice powder, onion, chillies, lime zest, the remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Mix everything together, adding just enough of the egg to bind.

Wrap the mixture around skewers, wetting your hands as you mould the meat to avoid a sticky mess, until you have used up all of the mixture. Carefully grill for about 10 minutes on a hot barbecue or griddle, turning occasionally.

Serve either straight on a platter with a mint yoghurt dip and lime wedges on the side, or wrapped up in a soft pita bread with some salad.

Butternut squash with Lebanese lamb and garlic yoghurt

Serves 4

Ideal midweek supper genius - plan a couple of days ahead for this...

2 butternut squash, approx 600g each

2 tblsp olive oil

15g bunch thyme

1 medium onion

500g organic minced lamb

2 tsp ground cumin

50g pine kernels

25g flat-leaf parsley

350g natural yoghurt

1 fat garlic clove

1 tblsp lemon juice

2 tblsp best olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7. Using a strong, sharp knife, halve the butternut lengthways. Scrape out and discard the seeds. Extend the cavity by cutting out chunks of squash. Don’t be too fussy about this because you want plenty of butternut to remain. Cut a lattice, about 1cm wide and deep, all over the flesh to speed up cooking. Use 2 tblsp olive oil to smear the surface lavishly. Season with salt and pepper and scatter a few thyme sprigs over the top. Roast for 35 minutes or until the flesh is meltingly tender.

Meanwhile, peel, halve and chop the onion. Heat the remaining oil in a spacious frying pan and cook the onion for about 10 minutes until limp but uncoloured. Finely chop the excavated butternut. Add the mince, increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring and breaking up clumps of meat, for about 8 minutes until browned all over.

Stir in the cumin and pine kernels, season with salt and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped butternut. Add a cup of water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook briskly until juicy but not the least bit wet or greasy, crushing the chopped butternut into the meat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Chop the parsley leaves and any remaining thyme. Stir both into the mixture. Spoon it into the cavity and over the squash.

To make the yoghurt, peel, chop and crush the garlic with a generous pinch of salt (discard the green central shoot). Beat into the yoghurt with the lemon juice and 2 tblsp best olive oil. Spoon the yoghurt over the butternut and serve.

This needs something slightly acidic on the side, a sharp tomato salad would be ideal.

Leg of lamb stuffed with garlic, feta and herbs

Serves 6-8

The Sunday roast... love it, can never tire of it, always has been a treat to look forward to in my house. The only thing to do now and again is to dress up this winning formula to keep it interesting. Lamb has so many natural flavour partners, and the contents of this stuffing also marry together wonderfully. The salty sourness of the feta blended with some peppery spinach and sweet tomatoes all complement the succulent fatty lamb. It is worth asking your butcher fully bone out your leg of lamb. By having it 'tunnel boned' the cavity naturally becomes the perfect shape to hold the stuffing.

2-2.5kg boned leg of lamb

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

200g feta cheese, chopped into cubes

Zest of 1 lemon

4 semi-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

50g pitted Kalamata olives

Large handful of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 large handful mint, chopped

4 slices of pancetta

Olive oil, to drizzle

Generous splash of red wine

Preheat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7. Place the lamb on a chopping board and lightly score the fat in a criss-cross pattern. Rub salt and pepper all over and inside the cavity.

Mix together the feta, lemon zest, tomatoes, olives, spinach, garlic and herbs. Spoon the mixture into the cavity of the lamb and press with the back of the spoon to pack in as much as possible.

Wrap both ends of the lamb with the pancetta to secure the filling, then tie with kitchen string at intervals. Place the lamb on a lightly oiled tray and drizzle over with some olive oil. Season the fat again with a little more salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190c/gas mark 5 and roast for 20 minutes per 500g for medium-cooked meat. Half an hour before the lamb is done, pour a generous splash of wine into the pan and continue roasting. Check the lamb 15 minutes before it is ready by piercing the centre with a metal skewer. It should feel warm against your hand.

Remove the lamb from the oven and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices.

Lamb meatballs with beetroot and dill

Makes 12-16 (enough for 4 or more)

Beetroot, a finer vegetable which is often totally underated I think you'll struggle to find, in the same league as celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes I feel. More often than not we're too used to the pickled jars of beetroot, which has clouded the products real depth of flavour and diversity as an ingredient. Here I'm taking raw specimens and folding them into a meatball recipe, and as you'll see they make up a significant percentage of the mix to ensure their flavour is noticed rather than masked.

75g fine or medium cracked wheat
250g raw beetroot
A small to medium onion
400g minced lamb
2 large cloves, or even 3, of garlic
2 heaped tblsp of chopped dill
A small handful of parsley

For the dressing
1/3 of a cucumber
the leaves from 4 or 5 sprigs of mint
1 tblsp capers
200g yogurt

Put the cracked wheat in a bowl; pour over enough boiling water to cover, then set aside to swell. Peel the beetroot and the onion then grate them coarsely into a large bowl. Add the minced lamb, the peeled and crushed garlic, the dill, parsley and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper.

Squeeze any water from the cracked wheat with your hands and mix into the meat. Mix everything together thoroughly, then squidge the mince into little patties about the size of a flattened golf ball, cover with cling film (tight, to stop the garlic infusing the fridge!), then chill for at least an hour.

Set the oven at 180c/gas mark 4. Make the dressing by grating the cucumber coarsely and leaving it in a colander, lightly sprinkled with salt, for half an hour. Squeeze it dry then mix it with the chopped mint, capers and yogurt. Season with salt and black pepper.

Heat a non-stick pan, brush the patties with a little groundnut oil and fry till golden on both sides. Try not to move the meatballs around very much when they are cooking, otherwise they may fall apart.

Once they are lightly browned on each side, carefully lift them into a baking dish and finish in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. (You can only tell if they are done by tasting one, as the beetroot gives them a rich red colour, making it impossible to gauge by sight whether they are cooked.) Drizzle with the cucumber dressing and eat

Braised lamb shanks with leeks and haricot beans

Serves 4

Another personalised request - again it's lamb, I'm seeing a worrying trend... mind you if I was churning out a plethora of snake soup recipes I'd be far more concerned. This dish, as all braises tend to be, gets even better when left overnight in the fridge. You could make it a day or two in advance for the ultimate development of flavour.

4 small lamb shanks
300g dried haricot beans
4 bay leaves
olive oil
4 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and rinsed
about 60g butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tblsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tblsp plain flour
650ml of light stock
juice and zest of a lemon
a handful of parsley, chopped
a handful of mint leaves

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. The next day, drain them, put them into a deep saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, skim off the froth, drop in two bay leaves and a drop or two of olive oil and simmer for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave them in the cooking water.

Warm a splash of olive oil in a deep casserole. Season the shanks all over with salt and black pepper then lower them into the pan. They should sizzle when they hit the oil. Turn the meat from time to time until it has coloured nicely on all sides (a pale honey rather than deep brown). Remove the meat from the casserole and set aside on a plate to catch any escaping juices.

Set the oven at 160c/gas mark 4. Cut the leeks into chunks roughly the length of a wine cork; wash them thoroughly, and then put them together with the butter in the casserole, keeping the heat low. Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper then cover with a lid. Leave them to cook until they have started to soften - a good 20 minutes or so. You will need to give them an occasional stir.

Remove and discard the paper. Peel and thinly slice the garlic, and add it to the pot with the thyme and two bay leaves. Sprinkle the flour over the top and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then pour in the water and the drained cooked beans.

Season with salt and pepper; return the shanks and any collected juices to the pan. Bring back to the boil. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the oven for an hour and a half or until the lamb is completely tender - sometimes it takes two.

You should be able to remove it from the bone with little effort. (Then again, it shouldn't actually be falling apart.) Remove from the oven, stir in most of the lemon juice and zest, parsley and mint, then scatter the rest over as you serve.

Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4 -6

I know we've gone heavy on the lamb recently, but this dish is two-fold. Firstly, it's a request, and I can't deny a request, and secondly we had a few lamb items on the barbecue last night (big hit) and there were always going to be leftovers. You can of course do this with what's left of a cooked joint, just add in your chopped up cooked meat after softening the onions. I also don’t know any children who don’t like shepherd’s pie, so it makes a great party dish just as much as it gets some proper food into your little darlings.

2 tblsp olive oil
900g lean minced lamb
Freshly ground black pepper
450g onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, picked and chopped
2 cloves garlic
25g butter
2 tblsp tomato purée
2 tblsp flour
200ml red wine
75ml Worcestershire sauce
1 litre chicken stock
1kg boiled floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
50g butter
150ml milk
2 egg yolks
Freshly ground white pepper and salt

In a large frying pan, heat the oil until hot, add half the mince, season with pepper and fry until well browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan and place in a metal colander to allow the excess fat to drain. Repeat with the second batch of mince and place in the colander.

Add the onion to the pan with the thyme and garlic and a knob of butter, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the meat and tomato purée, then sprinkle over the flour. Cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour.

Add the red wine and Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid has reduced to half the original volume. Add the chicken stock, bring back to the simmer and leave till the liquid has reduced and you have a casserole type consistency to your pie base.

Mash the potato until creamy and smooth, through a potato ricer if you have one. Put into a medium sized mixing bowl. Place the milk and butter into a small pan and heat until the butter is melted and the milk is about to boil. Pour over the potatoes and beat well, adding the egg yolks and seasoning with salt and white pepper.

Put the mince into a large baking dish, then top with the creamed potato. Use a fork to rough up the top. Place in a preheated oven at 200c/Gas 6 for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown in colour.

Springing lamb - it's a brand new season

With cheese at this time of year, I can't help myself looking towards sweet cream and youthfulness. I'm a massive fan of anything cultured that's been transformed from milk to something I can slice into a sandwich or drape over a cracker - there isn't a cheese I've tasted and rejected - ever. There's a new season flood of fresh goats’ cheeses at the market right now, and these are floating more than just my boat, I'm also on the look out for the less familiar. A young Lancashire , mild, milky and perfect to throw into a slightly warm salad of early spring vegetables we've only just been talking about, and an early Explorateur, being the stuff to drape over a proper oatcake, both of which snuck into my shopping basket only yesterday.

Generally I’m not a massive fan of spring lamb as I find it dull both in flavour and texture. But I'm in the Middle East now, and as beggars simply cannot be choosy over their imported meat goods, I was almost overcome with one of those must buy now young lamb frenzies I'm sure I'm not the only one to experience, the butcher here may not have seen that sort of enthusiasm since the recent first day of the spring goat season. It mattered not once home and in the kitchen armed with a plan, and a snippet or two from the newest shoots of rosemary from my window box.

Lamb with goat's cheese, rosemary and pesto

Serves 2

4 new season's lamb steaks or chops
1 tblsp olive oil
1/2 tblsp fresh young rosemary needles
100g fresh soft goat's cheese
2 tblsp pesto

Half a cucumber
250ml thick, natural yogurt
2 spring onions
1 handful mint leaves

Grate the cucumber into a sieve or colander, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and sit it in the sink for half an hour to rid the cucumber of much of its water and any bitterness.

Finely chop the spring onions and stir them into the yoghurt along with the mint leaves, roughly chopped. Squeeze the liquid from the cucumber, then stir it into the yoghurt. Keep this mix cool until you need it.

Bruise the rosemary with the back of a knife, and add to the olive oil with a seasoning of salt and black pepper then rub this mix gently into the meat. Cook the lamb under a hot grill until the outside is sizzling and just about to turn a nice golden brown and sizzling. The meat should still be a fresh rosy pink inside. Top each chop with a dab of pesto, then a spoonful of your goat's cheese, return to the grill for barely a minute more.

Serve the lamb with the yoghurt dip, and any remaining cheese tumbled through a crisp green salad on the side.