Category Archives: beetroot

Warm lamb salad with pomegranate and baby beetroot

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This is not a weeknight just-chuck-it-together kind of meal. It’s not really dificult and doesn’t take a huge amount of time, but there is a bit of planning and preparation involved, so it’s probably best left for a weekend dinner.

I found a recipe on the Taste website, and adapted it to suit my needs and preferences (and what was in the pantry).

Serves 4

8 baby beetroot
1 pomegranate, halved
1 tbs raspberry jam, warmed gently
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 lamb loin fillets
A bunch of asparagus, steamed lightly
1 cup rocket leaves
100g marinated feta, drained
2 tbs chopped walnuts, toasted

Cook beetroot in boiling water (or steam), for 20 minutes or until tender. Peel and quarter when cool enough to handle, then set aside.

Gently press each pomegranate half over a juicer to extract juice and loosen seeds. Place the juice in a bowl, then using the sharp tip of a knife, remove the seeds and add to the bowl. Place warmed jam in a bowl and whisk in oil, vinegar, mustard and 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice. Season, then set aside.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Heat an ovenproof non-stick frypan on medium-low heat. Season lamb and cook until browned on each side, then transfer pan to oven and cook for a further 5 minutes for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. Set aside to rest.

Place beets, asparagus, rocket, feta and nuts in a bowl. Toss gently with 3 tbs dressing. Pile onto plates. Thinly slice lamb and add to salad. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds to serve.

I think I’m in love with pomegranates – the seeds look like bright jewels.

This could have been improved by giving the lamb some extra flavour – next time I’ll add some garlic and herbs. Or make it with duck, as per the original recipe.

Arabic Lamb with Roasted Veggie Salad

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This I found on the internet…I made a couple of very minor changes (see below). It takes a bit of time, but it’s well worth it.

4 Lamb (Loin Fillet)
4 Cardamom (Pods)
2 Cloves
½ Cinnamon Quill
1 teaspoon Cumin Seed
1 teaspoon Coriander
2 teaspoons Garlic
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Juice Lime (1)
Dash Of Olive Oil
3 teaspoons Pistachios

Pound all spices in a mortar & pestle & remove cardamom husks. Add rest of ingredients and pound to chunky constancy. Rub all over lamb and marinate for at least 1 hr. Seal lamb in pan and finish cooking in hot oven till just cooked medium –rare, approx 8 to10 mins. Let it rest for a few minutes then slice and serve on top of salad.

Spiced Yoghurt

2 tablespoons Yoghurt
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander (Chopped)
Sea Salt
Pinch of Brown Sugar
Pinch of Garam Masala

Combine the ingredients for the spiced yoghurt and set aside until required

Salad

200g fresh beetroot
Olive Oil (Thyme & Garlic For Roasting)
250g Sweet Potatoes
1 Red Onion
350g Sugar Snap Peas
100g Persian Feta Cheese
10 Young Basil Leaves
Few Rocket (Leaves)
Splash Raspberry Vincotto

Boil beetroot until just cooked, the skin should be is easily removed with fingers.
Drain and chop into fork size cubes. Roast sweet potato & onion in oil, thyme & garlic. Blanch sugar snap peas and refresh in cold water & drain. Mix all cooked vegetables together with basil and crumbled Persian fetta. Toss rocket in vincotto and place on plate, top with salad, sliced lamb and a dollop of spiced yoghurt.

I added asparagus tips to the salad. I also roasted the beetroot, boiling it till almost cooked first, then adding it to the other roasting veggies. I wasn’t about to spend $16 on a small bottle of vincotto, so I used a half-teaspoon of fig-balsamic glaze from Safeway, mixed with a teaspoon of ordinary old balsamic vinegar.

I whipped this up on a weeknight – got home at 5:30 and we ate at around 7:15. In between, I cooked the kid’s pasta and checked my email, so it wasn’t all that much trouble. You just gotta be organised. :o )