Grilled lamb chops, buckwheat and homemade garden pickles
"Grilling meat is not just for summer. Don’t be afraid to cook outside in the cold – it will be worth it and simple! Buckwheat is a soft and tender grain; a good alternative to rice with a more earthy taste. You’ll be surprised how much kids love this dish." - Marcus Papadopoulo
Recipe note: Begin this recipe 2-3 days ahead.
This recipe is by Marcus Papadopoulo
Ingredients (16)
- 200g buckwheat
- 2 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 18 lamb cutlets (see notes), untrimmed, at room temperature
Homemade garden pickles
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
- 1/3 cup (45g) salt flakes
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced widthways
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced widthways
- 200g small cauliflower florets
- 200g baby red radishes, trimmed, halved or quartered if large
- 15 whole black peppercorns
- 2 cups (500ml) white vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups (275g) caster sugar
- 4 bay leaves
Don't forget you can add these ingredients to your Woolworths shopping list.
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1.For the pickles, place red onion, chilli and 2 tbs salt in a container and toss to combine. Place remaining vegetables in a second container with remaining 2 tbs salt and toss to combine. Place peppercorns, vinegar, sugar and bay leaves with 4 cups (1L) water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes for flavours to infuse. Remove from heat and stand until room temperature. Pour one-quarter of pickling liquid over onion and remaining over vegetables. Cover with lids and refrigerate for 2-3 days before using (see notes).
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2.Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat. Add the buckwheat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender, but still with some bite. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
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3.Heat the oil in a large non-stick frypan over high heat. Add carrot and onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes, until onion is lightly golden and carrot is soft. Add cooled buckwheat and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes, until buckwheat is fried and heated through. Season to taste and keep warm until ready to serve.
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4.Preheat a lightly greased chargrill pan or large frypan over high heat. Season cutlets all over and drizzle with extra oil. Chargrill cutlets, in batches if necessary, turning frequently, for 6-8 minutes, until charred all over and cooked to your liking. Rest for 10 minutes.
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5.To serve, place cutlets on a large platter with buckwheat mixture and serve with pickles on the side.
Recipe Notes
For the meat, you can use loin chops, chump chops, even boneless lamb steaks. Our family loves lamb cutlets, so we used cutlets for this recipe. We leave our lamb cutlets untrimmed for maximum flavour. Not everyone in every household loves to eat the fat, but everyone should cook with it on. The fat of the cutlets will allow the eye to stay moist and juicy and maximise flavour. You can always remove the fat after cooking if you feel it necessary. Charcoal or wood is the only way. We understand some people can’t barbecue this way because of where they live, so by all means, use a pan; it’s a great alternative. Pans are superior to gas barbecue because the meat can cook in its own fats and develop great flavour. Gas barbecues add no flavour profile and so are not recommended.
The pickles will last in the fridge for weeks as long as they’re submerged in the brine. These pickles are best made 2-3 days in advanced; the longer the vegetables sit in the brine, the better flavour profile they will have, and you’ll get that nice pickle crunch. Use a mix of your favourite seasonal vegetables for different flavour, texture and colour. You can play with different flavours by adding chilli flakes, fresh herbs or dry spices like fennel, coriander and mustard seeds.
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