Special Ingredient: Marinated Lamb with Mint Pesto and Pea and Feta Salad by Heather

To celebrate the coming of spring, peas are the secret ingredient for March!  This dish is light enough to really bring out the flavors of the peas and mint, and I think these ingredients really complement the lamb.

Ingredients:

For the pea and feta salad:
8 oz. fresh English peas
1 cup parsley, chopped
about 5 oz. feta, diced
juice of half lemon
zest of 1 lemon

For the mint pesto:
1/2 cup fresh mint, leaves removed from stalks
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup olive oil- add this in increments until the pesto is runny
2 tbs. water or more depending on thickness
juice of 1 lemon

For the lamb + marinade:
1 lb. lamb, cubed (you could use lamb chops if you wanted)
2 tbs. cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. parsley, chopped
2 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped



Place the lamb in a baking dish with the marinade ingredients, cover in foil, and place in fridge.



For the pesto, pulse the herbs with the lemon juice and half of the olive oil until only very fine pieces of the parsley and mint are present.  Add in the rest of the olive oil and water as necessary, until the pesto reaches a nice texture, you want it thin, but not too watery.  Place in small serving bowl, then add a little extra lemon juice, and cover with a moist paper towel.  This will prevent the pesto from losing its bright green color.



For the pea salad, first heat a cup of water in a small sauce pan until it comes to a boil.  Add in the peas, and cook at a high simmer for 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath, by placing ice in a bowl with very cold water.  Once the peas are cooked, drain in a colander then add to the ice bath.  Leave in ice bath for five minutes, then drain again in colander, and place in a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients in a serving bowl, then top with the peas, tossing to combine.  Set Aside.



Place olive oil in a nonstick grill pan, then heat to a medium temperature.  Add lamb cubes along with any juice/olive oil from the pan.  Cook about 3-4 minutes per side, turning about 2 times.  I like my meat medium rare, so this cooking time worked for me, but if you like your meat a little more well-done, cook an additional 1-2 minutes per side.



Now you're ready to plate!  Spoon some of the pesto mixture on a plate, then add the pea and feta salad to one side, and the lamb.  Enjoy this springy dish!