Joys of spring: dishes to celebrate the season

Spring brings longer days, warmer weather, colourful flowers and al fresco dining! It is also the season that helps us transition from rich and warming winter dishes to light and fresh summer salads and barbecues. We've shared a couple of our favourite springtime dishes that we've been making on repeat.

Broccoli, feta and charred lemon salad with dukkah-crusted lamb

This is one of our favourite ways to prepare a rack of lamb, it's impressive and surprisingly easy to make - served with a charred broccoli salad full of fresh herbs.

Crusted lamb rack
600g lamb rack
Olive oil, to sear
¼ cup almonds, roasted
1 Tbsp sesame
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
Charred lemon dressing
1 lemon, halved
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
Salt and pepper
Salad
Knob of butter and/or olive oil
2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
75g feta
⅓ cup almonds, roasted and roughly chopped
½ cup mint, finely chopped
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Season the lamb rack with salt and pepper.

3. Add olive oil to a large pan over high heat. Once hot, sear the lamb rack on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Pop onto a plate and allow the lamb to cool for 5 minutes.

4. While the lamb is cooling, prepare the dukkah crust. Add almonds, sesame, cumin and coriander seeds to a blender or mortar and pestle; blend until a rough crumb texture forms. Season the dukkah with salt and pepper.

5. Use your hands to rub the cooled lamb rack with dijon mustard, then with dry hands, press the dukkah into the dijon mustard-covered lamb.

6. Pop the lamb on to a roasting tray and into the hot oven; roast for 20-25 minutes for medium-rare lamb. Rest for 5 minutes before carving.

7. While the lamb is cooking, prepare the salad and dressing. Start by charring the lemons for the salad dressing. Heat a large fry pan over high heat, then add the lemon halves cut side down. Cook for 4 minutes or until charred and softened. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

8. In the same pan, add a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil, then add the chopped broccoli and season with salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender and charred in places. Add the cooked broccoli to a large bowl, and allow to cool slightly before adding the feta, almonds, mint and parsley.

9. To make the dressing, squeeze the juice from the charred lemon into a bowl, then add the shallot, salt, pepper and olive oil; stir to combine. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss well.

10. Serve the broccoli salad alongside the lamb rack.

Marinated zucchini and asparagus with stracciatella

We love the combination of the tangy marinade, sweet roasted vegetables, creamy stracciatella, fresh rocket, and crunchy walnuts.

3 zucchinis, cut in half lengthways then into thirds
1 bunch of asparagus, ends removed then cut into thirds
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for roasting the vegetables
¼ cup of mint, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g stracciatella
60g rocket, ½ bag
¼ cup walnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan bake.

2. Add the zucchini to a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. During the last 5 minutes, add the asparagus to the same baking tray with a little more olive oil.

3. Remove the vegetables from the oven and pop them in a medium-sized bowl. Pour over the red wine vinegar and 1 Tbsp of olive oil and toss through the mint and crushed garlic; allow to cool for a few minutes.

4. Once the vegetables have cooled, you can assemble the salad. Start with spreading your stracciatella on the base of a large plate or platter, followed by half the rocket, half the marinated vegetables, and half the walnuts, and then repeat.

Laura Bedwell and Nikki Crerar run Assortment. Catch them on Instagram @assortment___ or head to assortmentfoods.com for more.