Moroccan Lamb Salad with Eggplant Pickle
This is a Moroccan-inspired warm Spring salad, that is healthy and simple to make!
Serves 4.
8 lamb backstraps
1 cup Japanese pumpkin, peeled, deseeded & cut in to 3cm cubes
1 cup sweet potato, peeled & cut in to 3cm cubes
4 tbsp pine nuts (you could also use chopped almonds)
4 tbsp green spring onions, finely chopped
3-4 cups baby spinach
35g fetta cheese (optional)
1 red capsicum
For the marinade:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tsp salt
For the dressing:
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp NOGO Eggplant Pickle
1/2 cup sour cream or natural yoghurt
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Whisk marinade ingredients together and marinate lamb backstraps for at least an hour (or ideally overnight in the fridge)
2. For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together to taste and set aside in a small jug.
3. When the meat is marinated, bring to room temperature. Cook to your liking, I like to pan fry until pink. Make sure to rest your meat for at least the same amount of time as it has been cooked for.
4. Place pumpkin and sweet potato on a baking tray and mix through 1-2 tsp olive oil. Roast for 35 minutes (or until golden and tender).
5. Place the whole red capsicum in the oven. Bake until slightly blackened. Remove from the oven, and place in a plastic bag to steam. Once cooled slightly, peel away skin and finely slice in long strips.
6. In a large, flat salad bowl, lay out the baby spinach to make a bed for all the ingredients.
7. Pan fry pine nuts until lightly golden, allow to cool.
8. Arrange cooked sweet potato, pumpkin, capsicum and fetta in layers onto your baby spinach.
9. Slice meat and place on top of the salad. Sprinkle with your cooled pine nuts and green spring onions.
8. Either serve your salad with the dressing poured over or in a serving dish for everyone to do their own.
Note from Meg: I love meals where everyone digs in, just pop the salad bowl on the table and let everyone help themselves. It’s a meal in one and so very quick and easy to do. Another great idea is to find a gluten free or standard wrap and make a dinner or lunch wrap, similar to a souvlaki.