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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Tamarind, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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Tamarind, tomato and cucumber salad is a wonderful side to roasted or grilled dishes. This crunchy salad has a bit if spice plus a hint of sweet and sour taste from the tamarind.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons tamarind puree

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon hot water

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cucumber, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

Salt and ground white pepper to taste

 

Place the tamarind puree, sugar and water in a small bowl. Mix well. Season it with salt and pepper.

Next, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a medium sized bowl. Add the tamarind mixture and toss until the vegetables are coated.  Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.

Add the coriander before serving. Serve chilled.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: wEnDaLicious

Tapenade Crusted Lamb Racks with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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I still cannot explain why food has been on my mind non-stop due to the rainy weather. So I have been eating to my heart’s content these days, slowly ticking away items from my food craving list. To reduce the guilt, I have been sharing it with my siblings who are enjoying the treats as well.

To get away from the fast food binge, I decided to take comfort food to the next level by choosing a lamb recipe that is unique but definitely delicious. For this dish I decided to use fig and olive tapenades, but if you are not fond of figs or you simply cannot find any, plain and simple tapenade will do.

As for the lamb, you can do away with the frying too, just spread the tapenade on the racks and bake ‘em straight away. Cook the racks the way you like them –well done or medium rare. The latter is how I like it.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup tapenade

1/4 cup dried rosemary leaves

1/3 cup olive oil

2 x 4 lamb racks, trimmed

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered for serving

1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed and chopped

1 cup mint leaves

1 cup basil leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

150g feta cheese, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C and then lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper.

After, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Fry the lamb racks for 3-5 minutes per side or until they are light brown. Let them cool.

Combine the tapenade, rosemary and remaining olive oil in a small bowl and then mix well. Spoon some of the tapenade mixture on both sides of the lamb racks. Place the racks on the greased baking dish and then bake them for 20-25 minutes.

While waiting for the lamb racks, prepare the salad by putting the tomato, chopped cucumber, mint, basil, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl. Season it with salt and pepper. Toss well and top with crumbled feta cheese.

Slice the lamb racks and place them in individual plates. Serve immediately with the tomato and cucumber salad.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  smith_cl9