Fresh lamb cutlets waiting to be barbecued



Look at these lovely Springtime Lamb Cutlets from Chilcott’s Butchery. Pink and juicy and expertly trimmed to make the most of the pink meat while leaving excess fat behind. We enjoyed these for dinner, sprinkled with a combination of dried oregano, mint, sumac, smoked paprika and a little sea salt. 

In the time it took for my husband to sizzle up the lamb cutlets on the barbecue, I tossed together an abundantly crisp and satisfying Greek Salad with iceberg lettuce and cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, plump orange-balsamic marinated olives and zesty diced feta cheese. A light dressing of red wine vinegar, olive oil and a little sea salt was combined and drizzled over the top. 

Earlier in the day I had made a refreshing Verjuice Potato Salad of boiled chat potatoes, equal quantities of verjuice and olive oil, along with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. I popped it into the fridge to stay fresh until this evening. This can also be eaten warm, which is perfect on a chilly night or when you simply don’t have the time available to wait for the spuds to chill out. Half an hour before we were ready to eat I placed it on the table so that it could come to room temperature before serving up. 

Earlier today…

Having sliced through my nail-bed and into the fleshy part of my index finger, I was reminded of the importance of  “being in the moment”. My resourceful Aunty Branka in Perth introduced me to this useful concept almost 20 years ago and I do make an effort to follow through with it. Sometimes however, I forget. Usually when my “to do” list is unrealistically long. That’s when everything goes pear-shaped, as it did this afternoon. 

Instead of focusing on finely dicing the celery, I was thinking about my “to do” list and which task would take priority as soon as I had finished preparing the Chicken Paprikas dish for tomorrow’s Saturday lunch. You see our Saturdays are filled with multiple school sporting matches. After racing from one field to the next, cheering on from the sidelines and resisting the urge to play unofficial coach and/or umpire, I really need a decent lunch. As do the children and my husband. Sometimes we manage to meet up at a favourite cafe. Last week we enjoyed slabs of freshly baked pizza at Locantro Fine Foods in Hunters Hill.  This week we have my children’s paternal grandparents coming over, so a spontaneous family gathering at home, over lunch, would fit in very well. 

So over the course of the next week, please excuse any words with incorrect spelling. I have just discovered how difficult it is to type without the use of my index finger. Home cooking is also a bit of a challenge, because I now need to wear a food glove. Try making a salad this way!