Valentine Lamb Steaks with Minty Brazilian Pesto and White Bean Mash

Donald Russell, Scottish butcher,  has kindly sent me their grass fed and hand cut valentine lamb loin steaks.  Heart shaped, they make an ideal center piece for a romantic meal at anytime or occasion. Lamb loin is a very succulent, tender and juicy piece of meat. It doesn’t require long cooking time. This recipe is very quick, easy and makes a tasty meal. Whoever your Valentine is, you sure to make a good impression without breaking the bank!

 

Lamb steaks with minty Brazilian pesto and white bean mash

2 people

Lamb:

Ingredients:

4x Lamb steaks (approx. 350gr)

Marinate the steaks with olive oil, garlic, zest of 1 lemon and freshly ground pepper for 6 hours. Cover and leave it in the fridge.

Brazilian pesto

In the meantime make the pesto

Minty Brazilian Pesto

Ingredients:

25gr Brazil Nuts

15 gr peanuts

15gr fresh mint

1 clove of garlic peeled

25gr flat parsley leaf

15gr fresh coriander leaves

150ml extra virgin olive oil

100gr of Parmesan cheese

chilli to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender . reserve.

Mash white beans

Ingredients:

1 can of cannelli beans

1/2 clove of garlic minced

½ small white onion finally chopped

1/2 sprig of rosemary chopped

10gr of parsley chopped

lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a  pan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes then add the minced garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute.
2. Drain the beans and add to the pan together with the rosemary and 1 cup of water (approx. 200ml)
3. Cook the  beans, stirring constantly until they  are hot and liquid thickens, about 5 minutes.

Mash the beans, leaving some whole. Season with lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Keep it warm and reserve.

use a bit of imagination and  you will see that the lamb steaks are heart-shaped

To prepared the lamb steaks

Heat a grilled pan or fry pan.

To help keep their shape use a skewer/cocktail stick before cooking.

Cook the steaks for 2 mins each side for medium rare  and well done 3 mins each side.

When ready leave it to rest for 10 mins wrapped in aluminium paper to keep it warm. Plate up bean mash, add the steaks and spread the pesto on top of it or serve separately.

Happy Valentines!

Previous posts on Donald Russell : The Balcon and Christmas Box

This post has been published at Great British Chefs Blog