Grilled lamb skewers with a green bean and goat's cheese salad

Arrosticini (grilled skewered lamb) is the local speciality in Abruzzo, a largely mountainous region straddled between central and southern Italy.

Here's Gino's take on the dish, using a barbecue to create the effect of an Italian-style outdoor grill, served with a salad accompaniment.

If you haven't got a barbecue, cook the meat under a hot grill for 5 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g lamb loin fillet, cut into 3cm cubes

100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 teaspoons runny honey

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Small handful (about 25g) of chopped fresh mint

300g fine green beans, trimmed

125g soft goat's cheese

25g pine nuts

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm pieces

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm pieces

½ lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Put the lamb in a medium bowl. Add the oil, honey, fennel seeds, mint and some salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

2. To make the salad, bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the beans for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water (so they retain their crunch), then drain again thoroughly. Put the green beans in a bowl while they are still warm, crumble over the goats cheese and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and drizzle over a little olive oil.

3. Light the barbecue. Thread 4 metal skewers, 25cm long, with the lamb and the peppers. Brush over any excess marinade.

4. When the barbecue is ready (the coals will be covered in a fine greyish white ash) place the skewers on the barbecue and grill for about 4-5 minutes each side or until the meat is cooked through and the peppers are starting to char. Serve the skewers with a squeeze of lemon juice and the salad alongside.