Summer lamb and orzo salad
- Published: 2 Aug 19
- Updated: 18 Jun 24
Make the most of seasonal Welsh lamb (between August and November) with John Gregory-Smith’s light and lemony summer salad. Served on a bed of soft orzo mixed with feta cheese and courgettes, this is an easy yet impressive main dish to be enjoyed alfresco.
Photo credit: Ellis Parrinder
Want more ideas with Welsh lamb? Try this smoky aubergine and labneh recipe or give this lamb and orzo salad a go.
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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 25 min
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Ingredients
- 200g orzo
- 100g frozen peas
- 60g feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 courgette, peeled into ribbons
- ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- Handful finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra to garnish
- 1 preserved lemon, deseeded and finely chopped (from large supermarkets; we used Belazu)
- Juice 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 8 Welsh lamb cutlets, about 100g each
- 10g pine nuts, lightly toasted in a hot dry pan for 2 minutes
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Method
- Cook the orzo in a large pan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes until just tender or al dente (still with some bite), adding the frozen peas for the last 2-3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, then drain again thoroughly. Tip into a large mixing bowl, then mix in the feta, courgette ribbons, chilli and chopped mint.
- Whisk the preserved lemon, lemon juice, half the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the orzo mixture and stir. Transfer to a large serving dish and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a griddle or barbecue over a high heat. Rub the remaining olive oil all over the lamb and season both sides of the cutlets with salt and black pepper. Cook the lamb for 2-3 minutes on each side until charred and tender, then arrange over the orzo. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and remaining mint, then serve straightaway.
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- Recipe from July 2019 Issue
Nutrition
Nutrition: per serving
- Calories
- 674kcals
- Fat
- 33.1g (10.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 51.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 40g (2.6g sugars)
- Fibre
- 4.7g
- Salt
- 1.4g
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