herb crumbed lamb cutlets with creamy polenta & kale

This week I thought I would try out some ingredients that I haven't cooked with before and gee whiz I am rather happy that I did. So on Saturday morning I packed up my new housemates and took them for a little excursion to the local farmer markets at Eveleigh. Whilst strolling around and viewing all the amazing produce on offer I came across some kale which I have been on the hunt for but unable to obtain at the local supermarkets. I read many recipes for this "super food" but I want to experience it for its self so just fried it quickly with a bit of salt and pepper and it is awesome. If you can't get a hold of any kale I think that using silverbeet or the original kind of spinach (not baby spinach) would achieve a similiar result.

Polenta was next on my list of things I have been wanting to cook but haven't gotten around to so this week I just did it. And am happy I did it because it is tasty and beyond easy. It literally takes 5 minutes! Now after using it once I think that there are so many possibilities to utilise this corny treat.

This dish is super quick and super impressive. Would be great to cook if you have people over as you just multiple everything below by the number of people you are serving.

So, the moral of today's story is that you should always try and step out of your comfort zone and try new things because sometimes you might surprise yourself and be quite delighted by the end result and if things don't work out then at least you can say you tried. I say YAY to new stuff and things.
 

2 lamb cutlets
1/4 a cup of breadcrumbs
10 mint leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 egg
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of vegetable stock
1/4 cup of polenta
1 tablespoon of parmesan, finely grated
1/2 a teaspoon of butter
1/2 a bunch of kale
S&P

Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and finely chop them with the mint and lemon zest. Mix the herbs and zest with the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl lightly beat the egg. Take the cutlets and slightly flatten them out by bashing them with the palm of your hand or a meat mallet. Dip the cutlets in to the beaten egg first and then place in them in the crumbs and completely cover them with the crumb mixture. If you like you can do a second egg dip and crumb coating but I just did the one.

Heat a fry pan to a medium low heat. I sprayed the cutlets directly with spray oil rather than spraying the pan to try and keep my oil usage to a minimum. Once the pan is heated start cooking the cutlets. Make sure that you monitor them as they can burn easily. I cooked mine for about 3-4 minutes on each side as I don't like me lamb overcooked.

Whilst the lamb is cooking bring the water and stock to the boil in a small pot. Once the liquid is boiling, slowly pour in the polenta and continously stir. You need to continously stir to ensure that there are no lumps and your polenta is smooth. The polenta will absorb all of the water and become a thick gluggy consistency. Remove from the heat after 5 minutes and stir through the butter and parmesan.

By now the lamb should be cooked, remove the cutlets from the pan and set them aside for 5 minutes to rest.

Whilst the lamb is resting, heat the same fry pan up to a medium high heat, no need to clean the pan as the crumbs and juices will add to the flavour of the kale. With the kale, remove the ends of the stems and slice the leaves in to large shreds. Throw in to the fry pan with a spray of oil and a good crack of salt and pepper. Stir the leaves for about a minute and then add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to help soften the kale leaves. Once the leaves are softened you can serve up.

Give the polenta a good stir, you made need to pop it back on the the heat for about a minute to soften it up again. Spoon the polenta on to the bottom of your plate, place the kale on to the polenta followed by the lamb cutlets on top of the kale. Eat whilst hot as the polenta will become rather gloopy when cold.

lamb, beetroot and broad bean salad

If you haven't cooked with broad beans before, you need to get over all this shit cause these little guys are super tasty, buttery, easy to use and good for you. Normally I would use fresh broad beans from the pod and shell them myself which is a really lovely and honest experience but unfortunately they have just gone out of season. Thankfully you can purchase broad beans frozen in nearly all supermarkets now.
Another thing about this dish is that when you eat fresh beetroot and nature calls the next day, don't forget that it isn't blood! You are not dying! It is just from the fresh beetroot.

1 medium sized beetroot
150g of lamb fillet (backstrap)
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of frozen broad beans
2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
10 mint leaves, shredded finely
1 teaspoon of honey
S&P
1 cup of baby spinach leaves

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Peel your beetroot and wrap it in foil, adding about 1/2 teaspoon of water before sealing up the foil. Cook in the oven for around 45 minutes or until just soft all the way through.

Place your lamb in a dish along with the crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.

Cover the broad beans in some warm water for around 10 minutes just to defrost them a little. The broad beans have a husk around the outside which you need to remove. To do this just pinch the husk a little bit until it breaks and then pop your bean out, discard the empty shells. Cover the shelled beans with boiling water for around 1 minute, drain and set aside to cool.

Mix the yoghurt, honey, shredded mint leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper together. Pop back in the fridge until serving.

Remove the beetroot from the oven (leave the oven on) and carefully remove the foil, ensuring to avoid any steam. Slice the beetroot in small wedges and leave to cool.

Heat a fry pan and sear your lamb fillet, tip the oil and lemon juice from the marinade in to the pan rather than using any additional oil. Just sear the lamb briefly to seal it and then place in the oven on a tray for around 5 minutes, or until you are satisfied with how well it is cooked. I like my lamb a bit pink still so that it remains tender and juicy.

Mix together the beetroot, broad beans and spinach and place on your plate. Thinly slice the lamb fillet and lay over the salad. Remove your yoghurt mix from the fridge and spoon over the top of the lamb. Enjoy.