Three bank holiday recipes to try, including chargrilled lamb chops and a tomato salad

Have some extra time over the long weekend and want to try a new recipe?

Some tasty recipes from Mark Moriarty

Television chef Mark Moriarty has a few simple but tasty options for anyone looking to switch things up in the kitchen or impress at a gathering, from a colourful tomato salad to chargrilled lamb chops that are perfect to whip out at that bank holiday barbecue — even if it has to move indoors.

Chargrilled lamb chops with mint and yoghurt

Power up the barbecue for your main meal of the day

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 4 hours 30 mins

Cooking Time

 8 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 38 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large lamb rack (with 8 bones)

• 150g natural yoghurt

• 1 tbsp old bay seasoning

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• Handful mint, finely chopped

• For the dip

• 100g hung yoghurt

• Handful mint, finely sliced

• Handful parsley, finely sliced

• Zest and juice of half a lemon

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 tsp old bay seasoning

• Sea salt to taste

• Olive oil, to garnish

Method

1. Start by marinading your lamb, cut the lamb rack down into individual chops and place in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, seasoning, garlic and mint and mix together, leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.

2. The following day, mix your dip. Bring the hung yoghurt, mint, parsley, zest and juice of a lemon and seasoning together and adjust with salt. Set aside for serving.

3. To cook the lamb chops, place a large chargrill on the heat and allow it to get smoking hot. Add the lamb chops and char on both sides, cook for 6 to 8mins until blackened on the outside and light pink on the inside. Season with more old bay and drizzle with olive oil.

4. Serve alongside the yoghurt dip with a charred lemon.

Chicken Schnitzel with fried egg and Caesar salad

This chicken schnitzel is a dish with a difference

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the chicken schnitzel:

• 2 chicken breasts

• 80g Plain flour

• 2 eggs mixed with 50ml milk, for egg wash

• 80g panko breadcrumbs

• Sea salt

• 6 anchovy fillets

• For the dressing:

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 50g tin anchovies

• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 thumb-size piece of parmesan, grated

• 250ml vegetable oil

• Sea salt and black pepper

• For the salad:

• 2 heads baby gem lettuce

• 20g parmesan cheese

• For the fried eggs:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 lemon, for wedges

Method

1. Place the chicken breasts in between two large sheets of cling film. Using a rolling pin, bash the chicken breasts and flatten evenly until approximately ½cm thick.

2. Set up 3 bowls: one with the flour in it, one with the egg wash, and one with the breadcrumbs. Season the flour with salt. Dip the flattened chicken breast in the flour, followed by the egg wash, followed by the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process a second time to make sure they are fully coated, then set aside.

3. To cook the chicken, heat a large non-stick pan and add a good amount vegetable oil, enough to cover the base of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the breaded chicken and a knob of butter and cook slowly over a low heat until golden brown on one side, approximately 7-8 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for another 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the schnitzel from the pan and place on a plate lined with some kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

4. When you turn the chicken in the pan, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in another non-stick pan on a medium heat. Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, then lower the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes until the white is set and yolk still runny. Top the chicken with anchovy fillets and the fried egg.

5. To make the Caesar dressing, place the egg yolk, vinegar, half the anchovies, mustard, parmesan and Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Blend to a paste and then pour into a clean bowl. Using a whisk, slowly add the oil until a loose dressing is formed, whisking continuously. Adjust the seasoning.

6. Remove the stalks from the lettuce heads and pull apart the individual leaves. Coat the lettuce leaves in the dressing and finish with grated parmesan and black pepper. Place in a bowl and top with grated parmesan and any remaining anchovy fillets.

7. Serve alongside the schnitzel with lemon wedges.

Panzanella salad with slow roast tomatoes and pickled red onion

Make the humble tomato the star of this salad dish

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

•  

• 500g mixed tomatoes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Sea salt and pepper

• 150g leftover sourdough

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• ½ cucumber

• 50g green olives, chopped in half

• 5 anchovies, chopped

• Basil leaves, for garnish

• For the pickled red onion:

• 2 small red onions, peeled

• 150ml red wine vinegar

• 50g caster sugar

• Pinch sea salt

•  

Method

1. Start by making the pickled red onions. Thinly slice the red onion using a sharp knife or mandolin and place in a bowl. Into a small saucepan, add the red wine vinegar, sugar and salt and heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mix to cool, then pour the mix over the red onion slices. Cover and place in the fridge.

2. Preheat the oven to 150c. Slice the tomatoes into halves and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper then roast in the oven at 150c for 1 hour.

3. Slice the leftover sourdough into cubes and place in a bowl. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and mix lightly in the bowl to evenly coat. When the tomatoes come out of the oven, increase the heat of the oven to 200c and add the sourdough pieces to a baking tray. Cook in the oven at 200c for 10 minutes until golden brown.

4. To assemble the salad, chop the cucumber into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add some chopped green olives and chopped anchovies, along with the sourdough croutons, roast tomatoes and some of the pickled red onions. Drizzle with some more olive oil and mix gently to combine. Then spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with some basil leaves.

 

Mark Moriarty returns to our screens with the second series of Cook Like A Chef on May 11, with one standout ingredient taking centre stage each episode.