I adore lamb cutlets and believe they are one of the best kid foods around – all except for one small but important point. Cost. Those little buggers are expensive and when you have hordes of children to feed it all just gets ridiculous. But the other day I went fuck it and bought some delightful french trimmed lamb cutlets. And thanks to a Bill Granger recipe they were a taste sensation.
Marinated Lamb Cutlets
From bills, Bill Granger
- 1tsp crushed coriander seeds
- 1tsp crushed fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (I used the weeniest bit due to young tastebuds)
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil (I used only 1)
- salt and pepper
- 12 French-trimmed lamb cutlets
- Place everything in a bowl and marinate for two hours, bringing to room temperature for the last 30 minutes
- Heat a frying pan over high heat and cook cutlets fo r 1-2 minutes on each side.
Warm lentil and rice pilaff
- 1 cup Lentils du Puy
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the lentils, cooking for 10 minutes
- Add the rice and lemon and cook for another 12-15 minutes until the rice and lentils are tender
- Drain, discard the lemon and place in a serving bowl
- Meanwhile, heat oil ina frypan and cook the onion for 10-12 minutes or until the onion is a rich golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Sprinkle the pilaff with salt, pepper, parsley and half the onion, toss to combine. Top with remaining onion (I just tossed the lot through)
Ginger tomato sauce
- Fry a little chilli, ginger and garlic in some olive oil until fragrant.
- Add 600g (4lb5oz) chopped tomatoes and cook gently for 25 minutes.
I loved this little vignette to the recipe – and it really made the dish. I used one biggish garlic clove, about a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and crumbled in a small dried chilli. It just gently bubbled away while I made the rest of it. Yum.