Lamb cutlets and selected spring greens

Serves 4

– 1 bulb garlic

– 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra – salt and pepper

– 6 sprigs thyme

– 300g shelled broad beans

– 200g shelled peas

– 8 lamb cutlets

– 150g lamb’s lettuce or similar

– 200g fresh ricotta

Preheat oven to 160ºC.

Cut the garlic bulb in half, drizzle each face with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place the sprigs of thyme on a half. Put the two halves together, wrap in foil and bake in the oven for about two hours, until soft. Keep at room temperature.

While the garlic is roasting, bring a pot of water to the boil. Plunge the broad beans in for two minutes, drain and then refresh under cold water. Pop the broad beans out of their outer casing. Divide the quantity of beans in two, put half aside and crush the others with the back of a fork, slowly working in the 50 millilitres of olive oil as you go. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat up a ribbed pan or grill plate. Meanwhile, bring another small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the peas. When they are just cooked, refresh them under cold water.

Rub a little olive oil onto the faces of each lamb cutlet, season with salt and pepper, grill on each side for about three minutes. More if you like your lamb well cooked.

I like to arrange this as a dish for people to share. Dress the lamb’s lettuce in a simple vinaigrette and place in a pile. Spoon the coarsely mashed broad beans onto the plate and rest the cutlets on it. Arrange a mixed pile of the remaining broad beans and peas, place the slice of ricotta on the plate and season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil. Lastly, arrange the roasted garlic halves on the plate.

The idea of this dish is to spread some of the soft, unctuous roasted garlic onto the cutlet and eat with the different textures and flavours of the spring greens, augmented by the velvety texture of the ricotta.

Wine pairing:

2013 She-Oak Hill shiraz, Heathcote ($25) – Peter Watt, sommelier, du Fermier