The Spanish Home Kitchen:
Simple, Seasonal Recipes and Memories from My Home by José Pizarro
(Hardie Grant, £27)
Photography © Emma Lee
Golden Lamb Cutlets with Lemon Courgette Salad
Make for a Picnic or Al-Fresco Dining
This is a favourite dish of my mum’s – in fact, everyone at home loves it. Normally, you would just cook the cutlets on the grill or barbecue, but here I’ve fried them for a lovely, crispy finish.
These tasty cutlets are great for a picnic as they taste just as good cold, dipped in mayonnaise. We’ve used baby lamb here; if you use older lamb, you might prefer to trim off some of the fat. But, as I always say, in the fat is the flavour!
These tasty cutlets are great for a picnic as they taste just as good cold, dipped in mayonnaise. We’ve used baby lamb here; if you use older lamb, you might prefer to trim off some of the fat. But, as I always say, in the fat is the flavour!
SERVES
4
PREP TIME
OVERNIGHT MARINATING
COOKING TIME
40 MINUTES
Ingredients
- 2 x 6-rib French trimmed racks of spring lamb, sliced into cutlets
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus 75ml for frying
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 lemon thyme sprigs
- 2 garlic cloves, bashed
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, bashed in a pestle and mortar
- 2 handfuls of plain flour
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the lemon courgette salad
- 4 courgettes, thinly sliced lengthways
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 200g freshly shelled peas
- 200g freshly shelled broad beans
- juice of 1 lemon
- handful mint leaves
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g fresh cows’ cheese, or you can use crumbled feta or crumbled goats’ cheese
Method
Arrange the lamb cutlets in a large dish. In a small bowl, combine the three tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon zest and juice, lemon thyme, garlic and coriander seeds. Pour this mixture over the lamb and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
The next day, heat the 75ml oil in a large pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Remove the lamb from the marinade. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season, and have the beaten eggs ready in a second bowl. Working in batches, dip the cutlets in the seasoned flour and then the egg, and then place them straight into the hot oil. Fry for two to three minutes, then turn and fry on the other side until golden brown. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm while you fry the remaining cutlets.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Toss the courgettes in a large bowl with the oil and chilli flakes. Place a griddle pan over a high heat and sear the courgette slices on both sides, then tip into a serving bowl. Blanch the peas and broad (fava) beans in boiling water for two to three minutes, then drain and add to the serving bowl, along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Toss to combine, then season and serve with the golden lamb cutlets.
