Seared lamb pizzaiola

Name: Seared lamb pizzaiola
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 4 trimmed salt marsh lamb neck fillets, each weighing about 175g; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve; 2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1kg ripe vine tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and coarsely chopped (about 600g flesh); 3 fresh oregano sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped; 1 tbsp nonpareilles (small) capers, drained and rinsed; Salad leaves to serve, plus sautéed potatoes or french fries and crusty bread, if you like

Easy
May 2014

Easy
May 2014

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 35 min.

Pizzaiola is an Italian recipe and involves cooking meat with tomatoes and olive oil long enough to tenderize the meat. This is our quick version.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 458kcals
Fat: 33.1g (12.5g saturated)
Protein: 35.1g
Carbohydrates: 4.8g (4.5g sugars)
Fibre: 2.1g
Salt: 0.6g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 458kcals
Fat: 33.1g (12.5g saturated)
Protein: 35.1g
Carbohydrates: 4.8g (4.5g sugars)
Fibre: 2.1g
Salt: 0.6g

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Ingredients

4 trimmed salt marsh lamb neck fillets, each weighing about 175g
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
1kg ripe vine tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and coarsely chopped (about 600g flesh)
3 fresh oregano sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
1 tbsp nonpareilles (small) capers, drained and rinsed
Salad leaves to serve, plus sautéed potatoes or french fries and crusty bread, if you like

Method

Season the lamb neck fillets with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. When smoking hot, lower the heat to medium, add the lamb and sear for 21/2-3 minutes on each of the 4 sides, depending on how thick they are. Lift the lamb onto a warmed plate, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm oven.
Put the 3 tbsp olive oil and the garlic in a frying pan over a high heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the tomatoes and oregano, then cook over a high heat for 4-6 minutes, shaking the pan now and then so nothing sticks and the juices reduce. Season.
Slice the lamb on an angle. Spoon some of the tomato sauce into the centre of each plate and arrange overlapping slices of the lamb on top. Scatter over the capers. Pile a few salad leaves on top of the lamb. Serve with more salad leaves and maybe some sautéed potatoes, crusty bread or French-style frites.

delicious. tips

Buy similar size lamb neck fillets so they cook evenly. Neck can sometimes be chewy, so if you’d prefer a more tender cut, use boneless loin fillets.

To skin tomatoes, put in boiled water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water. Peel by hand.

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