Monday 10 January 2011

Spiced Lamb with Pasta Wheat

Way back in 2001 Jane won a recipe competition run by Merchant Gourmet, a major supplier of premium ingredients - particularly dried and semi-dried ones. Her recipe was for a Moroccan-inspired dish of spiced lamb served with Pasta Wheat. Here you can see a framed copy of Merchant Gourmet's publicity leaflet about the recipe -- which was available for a period in some of our supermarkets.


"Jane Willis, a keen amateur cook from Fleet..." gets the credit

My sole contribution to the proceedings was to grow the green beans which Jane used in her dish.



The recipe is genuinely one which we enjoy - not written solely for the competition - and Jane still makes it for us from time to time. It's definitely a permanent member of our food repertoire. You ought to try it! (It's available on my Recipes page). If you can't get, or don't like Pasta Wheat, couscous works just as well -- or indeed bulghur wheat, quinoa, rice or even mashed potato.

When we have this dish I usually put together a nice salad to go with it. For instance this vaguely-Mediterranean one made with tomatoes, cucumber, onions and olives, garnished with some dried oregano:



A cucumber and mint salad would also go very well. For a wine accompaniment, I suggest a robust red wine like an Australian Shiraz.

9 comments:

  1. O.k. Set the table, and in five, I am with you.

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  2. Mark I was just thinking that you are Jane might be some sort of super people, and then I saw your comment on Australian wine.

    Now you are not only super people, but people of impeccable taste.

    But I have never seen pasta wheat!

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  3. This looks delicious! I love lamb!

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  4. Jane must be a superb cook to come up with such superb dish, lucky you!

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  5. Sounds like the perfect meal, and I happen to have a couple of rather nice Aussie Shiraz in the rack. Will have to check out the recipe! Your wife is amazing, you lucky man...

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  6. OK, Yes, I admit it. I am the luckiest man in the world, to be married to such a marvellous cook! (And such an all-round wonderful person..)

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  7. And I didn't even bribe him to say that!

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