This is a fabulous recipe for dinner that’s full of fresh, zesty flavours. Frenched lamb cutlets are not the most economical cut of meat at the butcher and so lamb chops are an excellent substitute if you’re watching your pennies.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
200 g watercress, stalks trimmed
2 cups mint leaves
2 tbls pine nuts
1 large garlic clove
25 g parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbls lemon juice
80 ml olive oil, plus a little extra for cooking
70 g Puy (French) lentils
2 zucchinis, sliced into rounds
150 g Greek feta, crumbled
1 bunch asparagus, cut into approximately 4cm pieces
12 Frenched lamb cutlets
Directions:
1. In a mortar and pestle pound half of the watercress with all of the mint, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and lemon juice until you have a rough paste. Stir through the olive oil to form a pesto. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can also do this in a food processor.
2. Cook the Puy lentils in boiling water for about 15 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat a large fry pan with a little oil to high heat and quickly cook the zucchini and asparagus. You want warmed with a few scorch marks, but the vegetables shouldn’t be too soft.
4. To make the salad place the lentils, zucchini, asparagus, feta, remaining watercress into a bowl and stir through just half the pesto.
5. Brush the lamb with a little oil and cook them in a large fry pan over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side.
6. Tumble the salad onto plates and top with lamb cutlets before finishing with a drizzle of the remaining pesto mixture.
