cutlets Archives - Sugar et al

As Autumn settles in deep into the homes and lives of Sydneysiders, ‘Change’ is prevalent in the air. From temperatures..to clothing..to food. Gone are the days when winter wear was dull and not-so stylish. Adding layers to your clothing is like adding another element to your personality. Last week at a shopping centre I tried out a blazer in 5 different colours (there were 15 shades available). No points for guessing which shade I settled for. If you are reading my posts regularly, the answer lies there in.

At a nearby Asian restaurant, Laksa seems to be the dish of choice.

As part of embracing this change, we are having to make certain modifications in our routine too. Like making time in the morning or noon to visit the park..rescheduling my foodie photo shoots to afternoon and all other activities accordingly.

Some big changes are also taking place in our lives at the moment. But before I get into that let me go back 3 posts complete a story that I left unfinished. My Nature centric post on Autumn.

Nut picking was totally new to me. Unlike fruit picking and berry picking which is pretty common around Australia, I had no idea how Chestnuts and Walnuts are grown or harvested. Hence it caught my interest and I made sure we paid a visit when they were in season.

Chestnuts need gloves to pick up the spiky shells which have fallen to the ground and break them open to get the chestnuts. Walnuts are just picked up from the ground. The walk along the chestnut trees could actually be pretty dangerous with the spiky sharp outer covering sticking out of the ground. One needs to watch their step especially with kids.

The Chestnuts that we picked up went into a dessert. Handling that was mammoth task by itself…maybe I will blog about it someday. With the walnuts I decided to go the Savoury way.

Lamb cutlets make for a quick and easy dinner when you are in a hurry as the cooking time is really short. There is no end to the variety of marinades that can be used on them. Entree or Mains (with some accompaniments), they can be served in any way you like. Again, you can crust them with a nut of your choice (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and so on). Though I experiment with marinades more often, I prefer the texture that a crust has to offer and reserve that for special occasions.

Walnut Crusted Lamb Cutlets with Minted Mushy Peas and Roasted Tomatoes. (Minted Mushy Peas adapted from Jamie Oliver)
Serves 2

8 Lamb cutlets, french trimmed
1/2 cup of walnuts, coarsely (not finely) ground
1/2 cup of dry multigrain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp dried Italian mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to season.
21/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp butter
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 springs truss baby roma tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

To make the peas, add butter to a pan along with the peas and mint. Put a lid on top and simmer for 10 mins.Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. You can mush up the peas in a food processor or by hand till they are stodgy and thick.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Heat olive oil in a shallow frying pan. Combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning in a plate. Whisk the egg lightly in a shallow bowl. Dip the cutlets in egg and then coat in the walnut mixture. In batches brown the lamb cutlets 2 mins on each side.
Place them in a roasting tray with the tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for 5 mins until lamb is medium rare and the tomatoes soften. Rest for 5 mins while you reheat the mash
To serve: Place 3-4 heaped tablespoons of mushy peas on the plate. Top with lamb cutlets and roasted tomatoes. Mix balsamic vinegar with pan juices and drizzle over.