Recipe by Karen Martini
What more do you want from a dish at this time of year? Spring lamb? Check. Fresh herbs? Check. Seasonal vegetables at their sweetest and brightest? Yes, indeed.
Ensure the dish is even yummier by choosing the smallest racks available because the meat is always sweeter and juicier.
With small racks, cut double cutlets (with two bones) or ask your butcher to do it for you to ensure the meat stays moist and pink when it’s cooked.
Serves 4 mains
Difficulty easy
Preparation time 15mins (approx.)
Total time 30mins (approx.)
Main ingredients lamb, mint, broad beans, peas, fetta, olives
Two sprigs fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 cloves garlic, smashed, 150 ml extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, 12 lamb cutlets, 3 cups podded broad beans (approx. 1.5 kg broad beans in pod), 1 cup frozen peas, 1/2 clove garlic, 6 sprigs fresh mint – leaves only, roughly chopped.
Fetta vinaigrette – 30 ml sherry vinegar – or other wine vinegar, 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 clove garlic – finely chopped, 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, 100 grams Greek fetta, a handful kalamata olives.
Combine the oregano, garlic, 50 ml of olive oil and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, then rub the herby mixture into the lamb.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
Cook the broad beans for three minutes, then drain them, cool them a little under running water, and slip the bright green beans from the skin.
Replace the pot and cook the peas in boiling water for one minute, then drain them and rinse in running until they are just warm.
Chop the beans and peas roughly, then add half the mixture to a mortar and pestle with the garlic, mint and a little salt.
Pound to a rough paste, gradually adding the remainder of the beans, peas and olive oil.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, olive oil, garlic and mustard in a little saucepan.
Then season and warm gently over medium-low heat.
When ready to serve, stir through the crumbled fetta.
Cook the cutlets on a hot barbecue or griddle pan for a few minutes each side, then place on serving plates.
Top with the broad bean paste and spoon over the warmed fetta vinaigrette.
Scatter with the olives, then serve.
