Herb-marinated lamb steak with Mediterranean stew

Ingredients

• 4 lamb leg steaks
• 100ml olive oil
• 4 peeled strips of lemon zest
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• ½ bunch of thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary

For the stew

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
• 1 courgette, cut into 1cm dice
• 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm dice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 500ml tomato passata
• Small handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

For a tasty end result, make sure you allow plenty of marinating time for the lamb steaks in this recipe. These are a really quick-cooking cut of meat, but if they are marinated first the flesh remains beautifully tender.

Put the lamb steaks in a shallow bowl and mix with the 100ml of olive oil, the lemon zest, fennel and coriander seeds, the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

For the stew, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium low heat and cook the peppers for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the courgette, aubergine, garlic, thyme and paprika and continue to cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Stir in the tomato passata and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, to cook the lamb, remove it from the marinade and wipe off any excess oil. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and cook the steaks for 1–2 minutes, each side, depending on the thickness. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

While the steaks are resting, fry the reserved marinade in a large pan until crispy.

Stir the basil into the stew and serve with the rested lamb along with any resting juices and the fried marinade sprinkled on top.

Marcus at Home by Marcus Wareing is published by HarperCollins, £20. Photography by Jonathan Gregson.

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