Eat Your Greens Muffin

If I could wish for a last meal it would be oven bag roasted chicken served with sweet sticky roasted vegetables and drowning in Salsa Verde. I could seriously sit down to a jug of salsa verde and stale bread and be completely satisfied with its salty, sour, herby goodness. Which is why I've put all the essential ingredients for a green sauce into a very yummy savoury muffin. A popular item on last weeks menu with regulars and staff so why not bake a batch?

450g plain flour
100g butter
100ml butter milk
150ml milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
75g grated cheddar
60g fine capers
Small handful of rocket
Small handful of flat leave parsley
10 mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1 green chilli
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
Put butter in small sauce pan and place over medium heat to melt, once melted put butter to one side to cool slightly. In large mixing bowl place flour, baking powder,  soda, cheese and roughly mix together. Crush garlic, chilli and place on chopping board then add capers, rocket, parsley, mint and salt, roughly chop together into green salsa and add to dry mixture. Beat eggs in butter and pour into mixing bowl with buttermilk and milk, using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry combining together till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with oil spray or butter and evenly distribute muffin mix in pan. Bake muffins at 180oC 25 minutes, once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.   

Spiced Lamb with Roasted Rhubarb, Broad Beans and Salsa Verde

If you've got the post Easter blues and some left over lamb from the weekend this might cheer you up. Two of my favourite ingredients have just come into season, marsh grown rhubarb which is sour and sharp, the other is young broads beans which are smaller and sweet. Incorporated with spring lamb lightly roasted and dressed in Salsa Verde this salad is not only bloody yummy its also healthy. Good news after a long weekend of chocolate and heart burn!
I must also mention Etienne has taken some amazing pictures for me this week and I'm very very grateful for his services.

SPICED LAMB:
400g diced lamb
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

ROASTED RHUBARB:
3 thick stalks of rhubarb
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

SALSA VERDE:
1 small handful of rocket
1 small handful flat parsley
2 sprigs of mint
2 tablespoons fine capers
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
2 anchovies
1 red chilli
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
100ml extra virgin olive oil

500g of fresh broad beans
100g baby spinach washed

METHOD:
First thing is to make the lamb, place a small pan over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds and dried chilli broken into several smaller piece's and toast till the cumin becomes fragrant then remove from heat. Place the cumin, chilli and salt in a mortar and pestle and ground together till a powder forms. Place the lamb in a baking tray and sprinkle with the cumin spice and drizzle with olive oil and mix together with your hands rubbing the spice mix into the lamb. Cover the tray with foil and place in oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes.
While lamb is roasting wash the rhubarb and cut into 5cm length piece's and lay over a baking tray with sugar and olive oil and roast in the oven with lamb for 20minutes.
In the mean time bring a pot of water to the boil and start shelling the broad beans from the pod, place in boiling water for 3 minutes then drain and blanch under cold water. The outer skin of the broad beans will have turned a pale grey colour, pinch one end of the broad bean skin with your fingers and the fleshy part of the broad bean will pop out. Keep the vibrant green flesh of the broad beans and discard the grey shells.
To make the Salsa Verde place all ingredients in a food processor and blend together for 1 minute.
Once the lamb has cooled slightly and rested its time to construct the salad, lay out half the spinach leaves followed by torn piece's of rhubarb. Lay out several piece's of lamb and sprinkle the top with broad beans and finally drizzle some of the Salsa Verde all over the top of salad. Repeat the layer and serve as soon as possible.