Lamb, Spinach and Butternut Pilaf

Not a lot of cooking went down this past longweekend. 


First we moved some stuff into storage space, then had a birthday party on Saturday evening, a braai (barbecue for the non-South Africans) on Sunday with friends and yesterday afternoon my parents surprised us with a visit all the way from Durban on the other side of the country. That was a really cool surprise as we haven't seen them since last December when we visited them over the Christmas holidays. They'll be around for the rest of the week, hence I don't know how much posting I'll be doing. 

So here's something I made a while ago. I'm quite pleased with how it came out - the flavours blend into a satisfying and very filling dish. 

Lamb, Spinach and Butternut Pilaf
Adapted from Taste.com.au.

Serves 4 - 6

1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
300g spinach, cut into smaller pieces
400g lamb, trimmed of fat & cut into strips

1/4 cup cashews
fresh coriander leaves, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Place butternut on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 - 6 minutes or until onion looks glazed. Add spices and cook for another minute to release the flavours.
3. Add rice and stock to pan. Bring to the boil, then turn heat down low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add peas, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes or until rice is tender and peas cooked. Lastly add spinach, stir to combine and cover for another minute or two, until spinach is wilted.

4. In a seperate frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until done to your liking.
5. Add lamb, butternut and nuts to rice mixture. Stir and taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary. Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh coriander sprigs.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 350.8 Total Fat 14.9 g Saturated Fat 3.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0 g Monounsaturated Fat 8.0 g Cholesterol 59.2 mg Sodium 524.2 mg Potassium 1,176.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 27.6 g Dietary Fiber 5.6 g Sugars 6.0 g Protein 27.6 g

Good source of: Vitamin A 348.5 %, Vitamin C 80.4 %, Manganese 53.1 %, Folate 44.6 %, Niacin 43.9 %, Zinc 37.5 %, Magnesium 34.8 %, Riboflavin 33.2 %, Phosphorus 31.1 %, Iron 31.0 %, Vitamin B12 30.8 %, Vitamin B6 27.7 %, Copper 26.9 %, Thiamin 23.8 %