Lamb chops with feta and cucumber, crushed lemony peas and risone

Tam West

This is a dish of four quick simple elements, fried or barbecued lamb chops, a sauce of crumbled feta, yoghurt and grated cucumber, boiled peas crushed with butter and preserved lemon peel, and boiled risone pasta.

Feta and cucumber

150 g	Cows feta, crumbled
150 g	Plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 Tbsp	Lemon juice
½	Cucumbers, peeled, split in half lengthways, seeds scraped out, grated, then squeezed dry in handfuls
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
1 small handful	Mint leaves, thinly sliced

Lamb, peas and risone

3 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp	Rosemary, finely chopped
2 cloves	Garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
8	Lamb chops, use loin chops (Main)
200 g	Risoni pasta, or use orzo (Main)
350 g	Frozen peas, thawed
½	Preserved lemons, peel only, finely diced
1 Tbsp	Butter

Directions

For the saucePut everything into a bowl, mix well, taste and season withsalt if necessary. Cover and reserve.For the lamb chops

1. Put the oil, rosemary and crushed garlic into a large bowl and mix well. Add the lamb and mix so that the chops are evenly coated.
2. Boil the risone until tender to the bite in a large saucepan of well salted water. Drain and reserve.
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan, barbecue or ridged grill over high heat and fry the lamb for about 4 minutes each side until well browned but pink and juicy inside. Remove from the heat.
4. Boil the peas for 3 minutes in plenty of water. Drain, add the lemon peel and butter and crush the peas with a potato masher, taste and season.
5. Serve the lamb on the risone and peas with a dollop of the feta and cucumber sauce. Serve the remainder of the sauce in a bowl on the side.

More fast recipes from Ray

• Bratwurst hotdogs
• Stir fried pork mince with rice noodles, vegetables and hoisin sauce