Rosemary lamb backstrap with red pepper, zuchinni and haloumi salad

• serves

  4

• cook

  1 hour

Ingredients

4 x 200g lamb backstraps

1 x 400g packet haloumi cheese

2 x springs of rosemary, destalked and chopped finely

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 x red capsicums

2 x medium-sized zuchinnis

200g wild rocket

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 x lemon

Sundried tomato pesto

150g sundried tomatoes

30g pinenuts or macadamias

¼ cup of basil leaves, picked and washed

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

50ml extra virgin olive oil

50g parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

Place lamb, rosemary and garlic in a bowl. Coat with oil and rub in well. Cover with cling film and marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, for best results, leave overnight.

To make the pesto, place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined well. Season with salt and pepper and place in an airtight container in the fridge. (The pesto should last for about two weeks)

Deseed the capsicums and slice into 1cm strips. Slice zuchinnis into roughly the same size pieces. Cook the capsicum and zuchinnis in a little extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan over high heat, until cooked and slightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil until it just starts to smoke. Carefully place lamb into the pan and seal for one minute each side. Lower the heat and cook for a further one minute each side. Take off the heat and rest for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile slice haloumi into 1cm strips, then fry in a pan until all golden brown.

Slice lamb against the grain of the meat into even slices. Season lighly with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

To plate, arrange rocket leaves on 4 plates then place capsicum and zucchini, followed by the lamb strips, then place haloumi on top. Drizzle pesto generously over the meal and garnish with a wedge of lemon to add a citrus zing.

Serve with a glass of nice Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre (Peter Lehmann).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.