Lamb eye of loin with fennel and figs

The lamb eye of loin has a crazy name in Germany: Lammlachs. (Lamb Salmon). Many years ago I thought  is was a piece of fish and never ordered it.

This dish is a sweet and savoury mix. Sweet figs and the taste of anise seed you can find in the fennel, the fresh and the seed kind.

Recipe for 2:
1 lamb eye of loin
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 bulb of fennel
1 red onion
4 dried or 2 fresh figs
1 orange zested and 50 ml juice
Pepper, salt
Oil

In a pestle and mortar crush fennel seeds and salt to a fine sand. Rub the lamb on both sides with it.
Quarter the red onion and cut the fennel bulb into 6 pieces.
Preheat the oven 140 C fan.

In a pan in oil brown the lamb meat on all sides, wrap it in aluminium foil and place it into the oven for 6-8 min, depending how pink you want it inside. Get it out of the oven and let it rest for 3 min before cutting it up.

In a pan heat up the oil and add onions and fennel, after 3 min Orange zest and juice. Season well. Add the figs and finish.

I had some Lebanese Freekeh with it, cooked, steamed dry and reheated in some olive oil.