black pepper
2 pita breads, roughly torn into 1¼-inch/3cm pieces (3 cups/120g)
2 baby, oblong-shape red radicchio, leaves separated, then sliced in half lengthwise (5¾ oz/160g)
2 cups/40g arugula
3 tbsp lemon juice
2¼ oz/60g Parmesan, shaved
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place 1¼ cups of the basil in the bowl of a food processor with the garlic, 5 tbsp/75ml of the oil, and a rounded ¼ tsp salt. Blitz to form a thick dressing and set aside.
Season the beef well with ¼ tsp salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil into a medium frying pan and place over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the beef and sear for 3–4 minutes (for medium-rare), turning after 1½–2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining 3 tbsp of oil to the same pan and place over high heat. When hot, add the pita bread and fry for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until golden and crisp all over. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and set aside.
Place the radicchio, arugula, lemon juice, Parmesan, basil oil, and the remaining ¼ cup of the basil leaves in a large serving bowl and set aside.
When ready to serve, slice the beef against the grain into ¼-inch/½ cm slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and add to the salad bowl. Add the pita pieces, toss gently, and serve at once.
Lamb siniyah
This is the Middle Eastern equivalent of shepherd’s pie, with a tahini crust standing in for the layer of mashed potato. It’s a rich and comforting dish, making a star of both the tahini and the stewed lamb.
The stew can be made well in advance—a day or two ahead, if kept in the fridge or frozen—ready for the tahini sauce and baking. Serve with bulgur or rice.
Serves four to six
¼ cup/60ml olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped (1¾ cups/250g)
6 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced (2 cups/250g)
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp baharat spice mix
2 lb 2 oz/1kg stewing lamb (shoulder, leg, or neck), cut into ¾-inch/2cm chunks
salt and black pepper
1 lb 2 oz/500g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp paprika
½ cup/60g pine nuts, toasted
2 cups/40g parsley, chopped
TAHINI SAUCE
⅔ cup/200g tahini
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
⅔ cup/160ml water
salt
Put 2 tbsp of the oil into a 8-inch/20cm casserole pan and place over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft. Add the tomato paste and baharat, cook for another 2 minutes, then tip into a large bowl. Keep the pan as it is; you don’t need to rinse or wipe it.
Season the lamb with ¾ tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add 1½ tsp of the oil to the same pan and place over medium-high heat. Add a quarter of the lamb and fry for 3 minutes, turning throughout so that all sides get browned. Transfer to the bowl of onions and repeat with the remaining lamb, adding 1½ tsp of the oil to the pan with each batch. Return all the lamb and vegetables to the pan and stir in two-thirds of the tomatoes, the paprika, ½ tsp salt, and plenty of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 70 minutes, covered, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick. You might need to remove the lid for the last 5 or 10 minutes, for the sauce to thicken up. Stir in the pine nuts, parsley, and remaining tomatoes and set aside.
About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, preheat the oven to 400°F.
To make the tahini sauce, whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, the water, and ¼ tsp salt in a medium bowl. The consistency should be pourable—thick like heavy cream—so add a bit more water if you need to. Pour this evenly over the lamb and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, until the tahini sauce has thickened. Uncover the pan and bake for another 20 minutes, uncovered, for the tahini crust to turn golden brown.
Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and then serve.
Grilled lamb fillet with almonds and orange blossom
This is a great dish for feeding friends, as you can get much of the work done in advance. The day before, the meat can be seared, the bell peppers can be grilled, and the sauce can be made, but hold back on the mint, as it will discolor. Keep everything in the fridge and when ready to serve, just finish off the meat in the oven and add the mint to the sauce.
If you’re searing the meat in advance and keeping it in the fridge until cooking, make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you cook it; it needs to be room temperature rather than fridge-cold. Also note the longer amount of time it will need in the oven to warm through—15 minutes rather than 3 or 4.
I cook this on the barbecue during the summer, but instructions here are for a stove top. I also tend to make more nuts than I need and sprinkle them over all sorts of other things—roasted cauliflower or a plate of roasted peppers work particularly well.
Serves six
6 garlic cloves, crushed
5 lemons: finely zest 2 to get 1 tbsp, then juice all to get ½ cup plus 2 tbsp/150ml
3 tbsp thyme leaves
¾ cup/180ml olive oil
salt and black pepper
2 lb 2 oz/1kg lamb neck fillets (about 8 fillets)
1 cup plus 3 tbsp/170g almonds
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp orange blossom water
3 red bell peppers, cut into quarters and seeded (13 oz/370g)
1 cup/20g mint leaves, finely chopped
Put the garlic into a large bowl with 2 tsp of the lemon zest, 6 tbsp/90ml of the lemon juice, the thyme, 6 tbsp/90ml of the oil, 1½ tsp salt, and a really good grind of pepper. Add the lamb, mix very well, then leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to marinate.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a small pan or frying pan and add the almonds. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the nuts are golden brown and evenly cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little. Using a slotted spoon, remove the nuts. Roughly chop the nuts and put them into a bowl. Discard the cooking oil. Add the remaining 1 tsp of lemon zest to the nuts along with the remaining ¼ cup/60ml of lemon juice, the honey, orange blossom water, ½ tsp salt, a good grind of black pepper, and 3 tbsp of the oil. Mix well and set aside until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place a large ridged griddle pan over high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. Drizzle the peppers with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ tsp salt and place on the griddle. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes, until charred on both sides.
Put the lamb pieces on the piping hot griddle (reserve the marinade) and cook for about 4 minutes, turning after 2 minutes, until both sides are charred and starting to caramelize. If you are serving straightaway, transfer the lamb to a roasting pan, along with the peppers, and roast for 3–4 minutes for medium-rare (145°F on a meat thermometer) or a few minutes longer if you like it well cooked. If you are cooking the lamb from room temperature (having kept it in the fridge after searing), it will need 15 minutes in the oven at this stage. Either way, timings will depend on the thickness of the meat. Once the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven, cover the pan with foil and let the lamb rest for 5–10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium–high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When you are ready to serve, carve the lamb into ½-inch/1cm slices and arrange on a platter with the red peppers. Spoon on the mar
inade, add the mint to the almond sauce, and spoon some on top. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.
Lamb meatloaf with tahini sauce and tomatoes
This can be served two ways. Either as it is, warm, as part of a main meal, or left to cool and set, then cut into thick slices. This will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. These slices are great piled into a sandwich or warm pita bread, with the tahini sauce and grated tomato drizzled on top. Either way, it’s a super family-friendly recipe.
Makes one loaf, to serve six to eight
1 zucchini, roughly chopped (1½ cups/160g)
1 carrot, roughly chopped (⅔ cup/100g)
1 large onion, roughly chopped (1 cup/180g)
3 small tomatoes: 1 roughly chopped, 2 coarsely grated and skin discarded (¾ cup/180g)
1 lb 2 oz/500g ground lamb
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 oz/80g pecorino, finely grated
1 cup/50g fresh white breadcrumbs (from about 2 slices, crusts left on if soft)
2 large eggs
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground allspice
salt
⅓ cup/100g tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp/70 ml water
Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 8 x 4-inch/20 x 10cm loaf pan with a little oil.
Place the zucchini, carrot, onion, and chopped tomato in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine; you want the consistency to be similar to that of the ground lamb. Transfer the vegetables to a sieve set over a bowl and squeeze them to get rid of as much liquid as possible. Put the vegetables into a large bowl with the ground lamb, 2 of the garlic cloves, the pecorino, breadcrumbs, eggs, tomato paste, cumin, allspice, and 1 tsp salt. Bring the mixture together until well combined, then transfer to the loaf pan.
Place the loaf pan inside a high-sided baking dish. Carefully fill the baking dish with enough boiling water to rise halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until golden brown.
While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare the tahini sauce. Put the tahini, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, lemon juice, and ¼ tsp salt into a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the water until you get a smooth, thick sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.
Once the meatloaf has cooked, remove the pan from the water bath and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Drain away and discard the liquid and fat from the loaf pan, then, using a wide spatula, transfer the meatloaf to a platter. Pour one-third of the tahini sauce over the meatloaf, followed by one-third of the grated tomato.
Serve warm, with the remaining tahini and tomato alongside, or leave to cool and cut into slices to serve in sandwiches.
Lamb arayes with tahini and sumac
Arayes are lamb stuffed flatbreads popular across the Middle East. They’re traditionally made with pita bread but I’ve used tortillas here. They’re great for lunch or as a snack before supper, served with a fresh chopped salad or some sumac yogurt sauce (this page). They’re quick and easy to make, but if you want to make things even quicker and easier, the filling can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept in the fridge. You’re then all set to just fill and fry. Thanks to Sami Tamimi, for bringing these (along with so many other tasty things) to the ongoing feast.
Makes eight, to serve four
FILLING
1 lb 2 oz/500g ground lamb
½ small onion, coarsely grated (½ cup/60g)
1½ small tomatoes, coarsely grated and skin discarded (½ cup/140g)
1 tsp ground allspice
⅓ cup/90g tahini
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 cup/20g mint, finely shredded
salt
8 (8-inch/20cm) flour or corn tortillas
3 oz/80g aged Cheddar, coarsely grated
¼ cup/60ml olive oil, plus 2 tsp for brushing
1 tbsp sumac
Mix together all the ingredients for the filling in a large bowl with 1 tsp salt. Taking one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1 cup/100g of filling over half the tortilla, leaving a border of ¼ inch/½ cm around the edges. Sprinkle the meat lightly with cheese and then fold the tortilla over, to make a semi-circle. Press down gently so that the meat is evenly spread and ½ inch/1cm thick. Continue with the remaining tortillas, meat, and cheese in the same way.
Put 1 tbsp oil into a large nonstick frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Once hot, add 2 of the folded tortillas and fry gently for 2–3 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the tortilla is golden brown on both sides and the meat is cooked through. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and set aside. Using a paper towel, wipe the pan clean of all the lamb juices and continue in the same way with the remaining oil and tortillas.
Mix the remaining 2 tsp oil with the sumac. Brush lightly over the tops of the arayes, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with mint and cumin
This is a feast of a meal when served with something like lima beans—gently mashed with the cooking juices from the lamb—and a simple green salad. Get the lamb marinating overnight in the fridge, if you can, for the flavors to really seep into the meat. If you’re planning to eat it on the day you’re cooking, 4 or 5 hours is long enough, but you’ll have to get going first thing because it also needs 6½ hours in the oven. If you want to really get ahead, the lamb can also be cooked 1 day in advance and kept in the fridge, ready to be shredded and warmed up in its own juices.
Serves four to six
2 lemons: finely zest to get 1 tbsp, then juice to get ¼ cup
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp paprika
½ tsp fenugreek seeds, lightly crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
1¼ cups/25g mint leaves
¾ cup/15g cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 large lamb shoulder (4½ lb/2kg)
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch/3cm wedges (8 cups/850g)
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped in half crosswise (1 lb 5 oz/600g)
2 heads of garlic, sliced in half crosswise
Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, spices, herbs, and oil in the bowl of a food processor with 1½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper. Blitz to form a rough paste and set aside.
Place the lamb in a large bowl and poke the meat all over about 30 times with a small sharp knife. Rub the spice paste all over the meat, massaging it into the incisions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight, ideally) for the flavors to develop.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Transfer the lamb, along with all the marinade, into a large high-sided baking dish, about 12 x 16 inches/30 x 40cm. Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and add the celery root, carrots, and garlic (cut side up) to the dish. Continue to roast for 4 hours, basting the meat and vegetables three or four times during cooking (and resealing the tray with the foil each time). Remove the foil and return to the oven for a final 1½ hours, until the lamb is browned all over, the meat is falling apart, and the vegetables are caramelized.
Lamb and pistachio patties with sumac yogurt sauce
These patties are lovely as a snack or as part of a feast at a barbecue. If you want to make them into a more substantial meal, however, just serve them with some arugula tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, and shaved Parmesan. The yogurt sauce can be made the day before. The patties will keep in the fridge for 1 day uncooked, or they can be cooked up to 6 hours in advance, ready to be warmed through for 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers are also good the next day, at room temperat
ure or warmed through.
Makes about twenty patties, to serve four as a main or six as a snack
Sumac yogurt sauce
1 cup/250g Greek-style yogurt
1 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup/60g shelled pistachios
1¼ cups/25g arugula
1 onion, quartered (5¼ oz/150g)
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 lb 2 oz/500g ground lamb
about 3 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
Mix together all the ingredients for the sumac yogurt sauce and keep in the fridge until needed.
To make the patties, put the pistachios into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds, to roughly chop, then put into a medium bowl. Add the arugula to the processor, blitz for a few seconds to roughly chop, then add to the bowl of pistachios. Continue with the onion and garlic, to form a smooth paste, and add to the bowl. Add the lamb, 1 tbsp of oil, ¾ tsp salt, and a good grind of pepper. Mix well to combine, then, with wet hands, shape the mix into about twenty patties. They should each be about 2 inches/5cm wide, ¾ inch/2cm thick, and weigh about 1½ oz/40g.
Put 1 tbsp of the oil into a large nonstick frying pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the patties—as many as you can fit without crowding the pan—and cook for 7 minutes, turning after 3½ minutes, until golden brown and just cooked through. Keep warm while you repeat with the remaining patties. If you need to, add another tbsp oil to the pan during the process. When the patties are all cooked, pile them onto a large platter and serve with the sumac yogurt sauce.
Ottolenghi Simple Page 13
