Home > Celiac Travel Blog > Gluten Free Recipe - Lamb Loin with Spicy Quinoa and Apricot Mint Sauce
Gluten Free Recipe - Lamb Loin with Spicy Quinoa and Apricot Mint Sauce
Published 28 November, 2006
TweetI had a packet of pork loin in the fridge that was destined for another recipe, which I didn't fancy, so I adapted a lamb recipe and came up trumps with a rather tasty gluten free recipe.
Lamb (or Pork) Loin with Spicy Quinoa and Apricot Mint Sauce
(the original recipe calls for Couscous but that's not gluten free)
For the Meat
450g of lamb or pork loin
olive oil
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, bashed in a mortar and pestle to release the flavour
2 crushed garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
For the Apricot Mint Sauce
25g dairy free margarine (or butter if dairy is not a problem)
1 small onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp soft brown sugar
50g no soak dried apricots, chopped
300ml chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
For the spicy Quinoa
25g dairy free margarine (or butter if dairy is not a problem)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
250ml chicken stock
25g raisins
3 tsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
250g quinoa
olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley, chopped
First, marinade the meat, ideally overnight in the fridge or if you're pushed for time (or forgot!) an hour or so will do. Mix the oil, rosemary and garlic in a shallow dish and add the meat loin. Rub the oil into the meat for a minute or so, then cover and place in the fridge.
To make the sauce, melt the margarine (butter) in a small pan, and gently fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until it is soft. Add the spices and sugar an cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and apricots, bring to a simmer, cover and leave to simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. When the time is up, add the mint, then blitz with a hand blender until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more chicken stock. Season to taste.
While the sauce is simmering, make the spicy couscous. Melt the margarine and lightly fry the spices for 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and stock and bring to the boil. Add the raisins, pine nuts, and quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. While the quinoa is simmering, and add extra stock if necessary, as quinoa has a nasty habit of soaking up a lot more liquid than you expect. When 10 minutes are up, test the quinoa, which should be al dente (slight bite), then leave to soak up any excess liquid for a few minutes. Just before you are ready to serve, stir in a drizzle of olive oil, add the lemon juice and fresh herbs and season to taste.
While you've got the sauce and quinoa cooking, heat up a griddle or thick frying pan. Take the meat out of the marinade, season both sides, then fry for 3-4 minutes each side. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or so to allow the meat to relax.
This gluten free recipe was a major hit with the gluten free food freak and the baby alike (although I picked out the baby's pine nuts as they're a bit much for her mandibles currently). This is so tasty we are planning to serve it to the inlaws at the weekend, and I hope they will like it too.
