Lamb backstraps are a great cut of meat for the barbecue because they take so little time to cook. Serve with a couscous salad full of your favourite garden vegetables, such as pumpkin and asparagus.
Serves 4
½ cup thick Greek-style yoghurt
2-3 teaspoons harissa
3 lamb backstraps (approx. 650g)
500g piece pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2cm cubes
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
1 cup couscous
1 cup continental parsley leaves
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1 large orange, finely grated rind and ¼ cup juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Combine yoghurt and harissa in a ceramic dish. Add lamb and coat with marinade. Cover and stand for 1 hour if time permits.
2 Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add pumpkin and simmer for 5 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add asparagus and cook for 1 minute or until just tender. Drain.
3 Put couscous into a ceramic heatproof bowl. Add 1¼ cups boiling water. Stir and cover. Stand for 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Remove cover and fluff with a fork. Add pumpkin, asparagus, parsley, walnuts, orange rind and juice, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4 Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a chopping board. Stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing diagonally. Add lamb to couscous salad and toss until combined. Spoon salad onto plates and serve.
