Lamb dishes for the Easter table

Spring is the best season to enjoy lamb and holidays are the best time to try new recipes. As the Easter break is now upon us, we thought we would share with you some of the lamb recipes from the Aarstiderne kitchens. These three meals are easy and will not take more than 40 minutes to prepare. Let's hope for some spring like weather and maybe we can enjoy grilling the lamb outside...enjoy!

Lamb ragout with chickpeas and fennel and cabbage salad

You will need: Olive oil 1 can chick peas Diced lamb 1/2 cabbage lettuce 1 tsp mustard grated zest of 1 lemon sea salt 500g tomato passata (pureed tomatoes) black pepper 500g carrots fennel Heat a little oil in a heavy-based saucepan and brown the meat on all sides. Add the passata and let it all simmer for approx. 30 minutes, or until meat is tender. Add a little more water, if necessary. Dice the carrots and add them to the meat - let them cook for a few minutes. Add the drained chickpeas, heat right through and season with salt and pepper. Wash the lettuce and spin it dry. Cut cabbage and fennel in as thin slices as possible, preferably on a mandolin, and toss them with lettuce. Stir mustard and olive oil together in a dressing, season with lemon zest, salt and pepper and pour dressing over salad. This salad tastes wonderful with a generous sprinkling of toasted nuts too! Spicy lamb kofte with easy moussaka and mint salsa You will need: 1 cup drained Greek yoghurt pinch of ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp crushed coriander 300g minced lamb 50g feta cheese 200g potatoes thyme 1 chopped onion 1/2 cup oil 1 tsp salt 1-2 aubergine 1/2 tsp crushed cumin seeds cucumber, lettuce and 4-6 tomatoes fresh mint leaves Combine the minced lamb and salt in a bowl. Add the chopped onion and spices. Mix well. If you want to test the seasoning, fry a test meatball to taste!Make small balls of the meat mixture and fry them on the hot grill. Be sure to cook them through, approx.6-8 minutes, turning occasionally. Cut the aubergine into slices and sprinkle them with a little salt. Let them stand for approx. 30 minutes then squeeze them to remove the moisture. Grill the slices or fry them in a pan with oil until golden.Boil the potatoes in water until tender and allow to cool slightly. Cut them into slices. Stir cinnamon along with finely chopped thyme and a little oil. Turn the potatoes with the cinnamon mixture. Slice the tomatoes and feta cheese.Lay the cooked aubergine slices in a dish, add a layer of potato slices, feta cheese and then tomato. Top with a second layer of aubergine. Serve the moussaka dish as is or warm in the oven for approx. 15 minutes at 175 degrees. Chop the mint leaves and mix with the drained yoghurt.

Whole grilled carrots and lamb chops

To serve 4, you will need: 1/2 red chilli 1/2 - 1 cup soy 4 lamb chops 3 tbsp oil cooking foil freshly ground pepper 100g grated parmesan zest and juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 cup sesame oil 2 bunches spring onions 1 bunch small new carrots To do this: Wash spring onions, remove the seeds from the chilli and chop into small slices. Make four small packets of aluminum foil and divide the onions and chilli between the packages. Combine the soy, sesame oil and maybe a little lemon juice, season with pepper and pour into the four packages. Seal the foil packets and set them on the hot grill for 5-7 minutes (or bake in the oven).Cut the tops of the carrots to leave just 5 cm of green. Peel and wash them clean. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill them on the grill / a grill pan. Take the baked / grilled onions out of aluminium packets and be sure to save the liquid. Place all vegetables on a large platter and spread the parmesan over them. Whisk together the liquid from the packets and add more soy if desired. Brush the lamb chops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them until they are pink (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Serve the vegetables with lamb chops and the sauce.