Lamb Tagine with Zuchini & Capsicum

Ingredients

750g lamb backstrap - Cubed
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Whole Cumin Seed
1 Tsp Whole Corriander Seed
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Freshly Ground Chillies
4 Cloves of Garlic - Chopped
1 Inch piece of Ginger - Grated
1 Onion - Cubed
1 Zuchini and 1 Red Pepper - Sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Corriander to Garnish

Method

Heat the oil in a tagine and fry onion till soft. Add in the garlic, ginger,salt, pepper, chillies, turmeric, cumin, corriander and cinnamon. Fry for about a minute to release the flavours and then add the lamb. Coat lamb with spices well, cover and leave to simmer on low heat for about 1 hour or until lamb is almost cooked.

Add the zuchini and red pepper pieces to the tagine and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes. Garnish with corriander. Serve with Butter cous cous.

Herb Crusted Lamb Cutlets

Every season on master-chef, someone always seems to make a herb crusted rack of lamb or lamb cutlets. Every time I see it, I say hmmm I should try that. Finally got around to doing it lol. Feel free to adjust the crumb mixture depending on the nuts and herbs you prefer :)

Ingredients: 

5 Lamb Cutlets

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 Tsp Black Sesame Seeds

1/2 Tsp Sumac

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

3 Tbsp Almond Meal (Can substitute this with any other ground nuts you like Eg. Pistachio, Walnut etc.)

1 Tsp Fresh Thyme

1 Tsp Fresh Olive Leaf (Can substitute with Rosemary if you don't have Olive Leaf)

Method:

Finely chop thyme and olive leaf.

Mix this with the salt, pepper, sesame seeds, sumac, garlic powder & almond meal.

Wash and dry the lamb cutlets.

Brush the cutlets with olive oil on both sides.

Dip the cutlets in the crumb mixture and coat well.

Press mixture onto cutlets firmly.

Heat a grill pan on medium heat. You dont need to add any oil into the pan as the olive oil and fat on the cutlets will be enough.

Pan fry the cutlets for about 4 minutes each side for medium, for well done about 6 minutes a side. take care not to keep turning or moving them as the crumb mixture will fall off. When almost cooked, stand cutlets upright to brown the sides.

Can be served with salad, rice, or potato wedges. Enjoy!