Spiced Pistachio Lamb with Couscous, Feta & Pomegranate Salad, Sumac Onions & Tahini Mint Dressing
A delicious recipe for two that’s perfect for a special occasion or date night.
Method
Put the onion in a bowl and sprinkle over the sumac. Toss together. Stir in the lemon juice, oil and a pinch of salt. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
In a dry frying pan over a medium heat toast the cumin seeds and peppercorns until aromatic, tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a coarse powder. Put the nuts into a food processor along with the bread, spices, sumac and salt. Blitz until you have a coarse crumb. Stir through the parsley and a drizzle of oil.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan.
Rub the lamb racks with a little oil and season with salt. Place fat side down and sear for 2 minutes. Turn the lamb over and sear for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool. When cool enough to handle, brush the lamb on the fat side with the molasses. Press the nut mixture on top to form a crust. Place the lamb into a roasting tray and cook, crust side up for 20-25 minutes or until cooked to your liking. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
Meanwhile prepare the couscous according to the packet instructions and fluff with a fork.
Put the tahini, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and mint into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add 2-4 tbsp water until you get the desired consistency. Season to taste.
Remove the lamb from the oven, cover loosely with foil to keep warm and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Stir the feta, mint and pomegranate seeds through the couscous.
To serve, carefully carve the lamb racks into cutlets, spoon some couscous salad onto serving plates and arrange the lamb on top. Garnish with sumac onions, pomegranate and mint and drizzle with tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- For the Sumac Onions
- ½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ tsp sumac
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- For the Spiced Lamb
- 30g shelled pistachios
- 1 thick slice of sourdough or rustic bread, torn into pieces
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- 4-6 black peppercorns
- ½ tsp sumac or zest of ½ lemon
- ¼ tsp coarse sea or rock salt
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 x 8 cutlet rack of lamb, trimmed (approx. 500g)
- 2 tsp pomegranate molasses or honey
- For the Salad
- 1 x packet of Ainsley Spice Sensation Couscous
- 70g feta, crumbled
- Seeds from ½ pomegranate, plus extra for garnish
- 6-8 mint leaves, shredded, plus extra leaves for garnish
- For the Dressing
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 small clove of garlic, chopped
- juice of ½ lemon
- 8-10 mint leaves, torn