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Succulent New Zealand Lamb

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

The London International Book Fair (LIBF) is held annually at Earls Court, London, in the northern hemisphere spring (the date for the 2009 Fair is 20-22nd April). It attracts publishing professionals from around the globe, and an enormous clutch of national and international press. It is the world’s leading international spring event for bookselling, rights trading and book production services. A good place to strut your stuff, then, if you’re either an author or self-publisher hungry to grow foreign markets, or a publisher looking for T.N.B.T. (the next big thing!).

This year, the LIBF teamed up with Edouard Cointreau, Chairman of the Gourmand Cookbook Awards and associated activities, to produce a series of cooking and drinks demonstrations over the three days of the Fair in an area named the Cookbook Corner.

Of course, I had to be there. No, I didn’t gatecrash, I was invited, but amidst such high-octane company (BIG stars such as Chef Wan from Malaysia and Chef Ramzi from Lebanon, Art Smith from Ophra’s show and the gorgeous Chagall from Portugal) I had to perform at full throttle. I showcased New Zealand lamb. I was able to pick up shortloins – that’s the succulent nut of meat cut from the rack – from my local Waitrose supermarket opposite my hotel in Gloucester Road. The hotel kept the lamb in their fridge for me over the weekend and I just hoped no one would come across it and fry it up for brunch or something.

Come the day of the demonstration, I was off, several heavy bags in tow, and eventually arrived, after a tortuously slow taxi ride, at Earls Court. I could have walked there in a matter of minutes…just not with 7 bags packed to the gunnels with lamb, baby beets, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yoghurt, rocket (arugula) and semi-dried tomatoes. What was I demonstrating? One of my favourite dishes from my book Sizzle, Sensational Barbecue Food – lamb shortloins brushed with cumin butter and seared on a hot grill, cooked to medium-rare, sliced and served on toasted baps (buns) with a rocket salad, baby beet salad with walnuts and lemon zest and a cucumber and Greek yoghurt salad. The combination is just to die-for (meaning, well, pretty delicious!). If you use thick Greek yoghurt in this way, you may never go for mayonnaise again – it provides all the creaminess without the calories.

That’s the lamb on the board, sliced up and ready to assemble. The great thing is, it only takes a few minutes to cook. More later….