Freekeh with spicy lamb cutlets

Babiche Martens

For this lamb salad, use an easy-to-cook cut. I like to chew the bones, so have used tender cutlets, but if you’d rather use a fillet or loin, that’s great too. Freekeh, with its unique flavour, is a nutty and slightly chewy grain that’s great to cook with. Don’t be scared off by having not used it before. Here I put my twist on a good old Kiwi salad with a scattering of freekah, which is found in a lot of Middle Eastern cuisine.

For cooking

1 cup	Freekeh (Main)
1 cup	Boiling water
1 pinch	Salt

For the marinade

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
½ tsp	Cumin
1 tsp	Dried oregano
2 tsp	Sesame seeds
½ tsp	Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch	Chilli flakes

For the lamb

1	Lamb rack (Main)
100 g	Feta, crumbled
100 g	Green beans, blanched
2	Radishes, cut into thin strips
½ cup	Almonds, roughly chopped, toasted
¼ cup	Lemon juice
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 sprinkle	Micro greens, to decorate

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cook the freekeh in the boiling salted water for 15 minutes until the water has been absorbed. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, cumin, oregano, sesame seeds, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Rub over the lamb.
3. Cook the lamb for 10 minutes. Remove and let it sit for 10 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked freekeh, feta, beans, radish sticks and almonds. Toss through the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on to a serving platter. Top with sliced lamb cutlets and the micro greens to decorate.

Also try:

• Israeli couscous with roast chicken
• Spring carrot with orange, chervil and honey