Lamb is great any time, but this time of the year it is lovely. The weather is usual for our summer, raining one minute, sunny the next and it is hard to eat a proper meal in the heat.
Stir-fry strips of lamb with peppers and broccoli
Most of us are looking for a quick and easy recipe when time is short, so here goes. You can try serving this in pitta bread or a tortilla wrap for food on the go and this recipe will serve four hungry mouths.
Ingredients
450g lean lamb strips
1 tbsp oil
400g vegetables, chopped neatly – scallions, red/yellow peppers, broccoli
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
For the marinade
1 clove garlic, chopped
2-3cm ginger, peeled and chopped
Pinch of Five Spice Powder
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry/rice wine
Black pepper
Cooking time
10 minutes
Method
Combine the marinade ingredients and add in the meat. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Then add in the vegetables and cook for two to three minutes. Remove from the wok. Stir-fry the lamb in two batches.
Return the vegetables to the wok, return the cooked lamb and stir in the hoisin sauce. Mix well together. Serve with rice or potatoes or fill a pitta bread or tortilla wrap with the stir-fry and there you have it, a tasty meal in minutes.
Lamb kebabs
If we happen on good weather you can simply cook them on a barbecue or as I have done here, in the oven. This is another quick and easy recipe for summer lamb kebabs, with feta cheese and tomato salad.
Ingredients
The juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
600g diced lamb leg
Fresh rosemary
For the salad
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
A large handful black olives, roughly chopped
200g pack feta cheese, crumbled
A bunch of mint, chopped
Method
Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, fresh rosemary, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Pour half into a jug and set aside for later. Add the lamb to the bowl, stir to coat, then thread onto eight small skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before use. Pour over any excess marinade and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix all salad ingredients together, except the mint, and pour over the reserved lemon juice and oil mix. Heat the oven to 170C. Cook the lamb for eight minutes, turning once, until cooked through and slightly charred. Mix the mint through the salad and serve immediately with the kebabs. Feta cheese is a lovely accompaniment with lamb so if you have not tried it, give it a go, you will be pleasantly surprised.
These summer lamb recipes are easy to prepare and are cooked quickly, to keep the lovely flavour of Irish Lamb and give us more time to enjoy the summer weather, when the sun sneaks out.
