Barbecued Lamb Cutlets & Grilled Vegetables

Aussies love their barbecues.  It has to do with our abundance of good weather, enjoying the great outdoors and being an easy way to entertain crowds.  You always know when your neighbours are putting one on by the smoky aroma drifting from their backyards that suddenly makes you hungry.  Tender Australian lamb cutlets are a popular choice for the 'barbie'.  Not much of a recipe is needed but the marinade is worth mentioning.  I use olive oil, garlic, lemon, paprika, fresh thyme and honey.  Eat them down to the bones.  They are finger licking good.  For the vegetables, try corn on the cob, baby eggplants, baby zucchini, capsicums and butternut squash slightly softened and charred.  Mushrooms and asparagus are also good.  Serve with a potato salad or some crusty bread.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 12 lamb cutlets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary or oregano
• 1 teaspoon honey
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 450g / 1lb mixed vegetables such as corn on the cob, capsicums, baby eggplants, baby zucchini and butternut squash

METHOD

For the lamb cutlets:

1. Trim off excess fat from the cutlets.
2. In a shallow non-metallic dish, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, lemon rind and juice, paprika, herbs, honey, a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Stir until well combined.
3. Add the lamb, turning them around to coat evenly.  Set aside to marinate, covered, in the fridge for at least 10 minutes or longer if you can.
4. Shake off the excess marinade from the cutlets and barbecue them on direct high heat for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through, turning once.
5. Remove cutlets from heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes. 

For the vegetables:

1. Break corn on the cob up into 3-4 sections.  Remove seeds and membranes from capsicums and slice into bite size pieces.  Half baby eggplants and baby zucchini lengthwise and cut butternut squash into thick slices.
2. Place vegetables in a tray and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
3. Cook them on the barbecue over medium high heat for a few minutes until slightly softened and charred, turning once.  Remove from heat.