Cooking for me began at an exceptionally young age when I would help my Mum in the kitchen. (I'm not certain that it was a help, but rather it was always incredible fun), spilling sugar and flour all over and seeing who could bake or cook the quickest. Mum showed me that a part of cooking was additionally clearing up to keep a tidy work space, which wasn't my favorite part of cooking but that never stopped me. As I grew, I had more opportunities to cook more frequently - baking (which could be quite messy) was a good starting point in the learning process, then full on cooking.
There has always been a love for Italian style food in my kitchen and when looking for ideas today, I managed to cook a main course with an accompanying salad (both with an Italian theme)
Preparing and cooking shouldn't take a long time. One can prepare and cook a hearty dish generally in a half hour or so.
Regarding time, goes back to my Mum´s advice of cooking and clearing up as you go along because these two dishes take more than just a bit of prep work; the lamb mainly. The plates did start to clutter the counters in the kitchen making it a bit of a mess. It´s time to review my organisation of time and space when cooking.
For the lamb chops:
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
75g plain flour
8 lamb chops, trimmed
50g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
50g fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lemon cut into wedges, if desired
1. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Coat the lamb chops evenly in the seasoned flour mix.
2. Mix the Parmesan and breadcrumbs in a dish and season with salt and pepper.
3. Dip the lamb chops first into the beaten egg and then into the Parmesan mixture to coat evenly, pressing the crumbs onto the lamb cutlets.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the lamb chops and cook on each side for 5 mins or until golden.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges or accompany with the salad dish below.
For the white bean salad:
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
425 g white beans, drained
125 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 tbsp black olives
2 tsp capers, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over a high heat until golden in color.
2. Put the white beans into a mixing bowl and stir in the onion and garlic. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, thyme, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Mix well, check for seasoning and serve.
Serves: 4
Serves: 4