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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 29 APRIL 2015 14 Food Flavours of the Middle East Lamb is the quintessential Middle Eastern dish, with its rich flavour and versatility. Check out three recipes that will use this meat to its full potential Ingredients • Olive oil • 1 onion • 2 cloves garlic • 1 carrot • 2 bay leaves • 500g minced lamb • Salt and pepper • 1 glass red wine • 200g green beans, blanched for 3 mins • ½ tsp mixed spice • 1 tin tomatoes • Handful parsley, chopped Method Chop the onion, garlic and carrot and cook in 1. olive oil until soft for approx. 3 mins. Add the minced lamb and season with salt and 2. pepper. Allow to cook for approx 10 mins until the lamb 3. is cooked through. Add the red wine and the green beans. 4. Add the mixed spice and tinned tomatoes, cover 5. with a lid and allow to simmer for 30 mins on a low heat. Top with chopped parsley and serve with boiled 6. or mashed potatoes. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 24 April, 2015. Ingredients • 4 tbsp olive oil • 350g broad beans • 4 thyme sprigs • 6 garlic cloves • 8 spring onions • 1 lemon, juice only • 500ml chicken stock • Salt and pepper • 1 tsp tarragon vinegar Lamb meatballs • 300g minced lamb • 150g minced beef • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed • 1 tbsp Baharat spice mix • 1 tbsp ground cumin • 2 tbsp capers • Handful parsley • Handful mint, • Handful dill, • Handful coriander • 1 egg beaten Benna yoghurt and herb dip • 1 Benna yoghurt • Handful mint • Handful coriander • Handful dill • Handful tarragon • Salt and pepper • 2 tbsp honey Saffron yoghurt flatbread • 2 generous pinches saffron strands • A little hot water • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting • ½ tsp baking powder • 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 tbsp Benna yoghurt • Salt and pepper Method To make the saffron flat bread, put 1. the saffron in a bowl and add just enough hot water to cover it. Leave to soak for 10min Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with 2. the olive oil and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper and the baking powder. Pour in the saffron and its soaking liquid, 3. add another 100ml of warm water and mix thoroughly until you have a lump free dough. If the mixture is too sticky, add a little more flour; if its too dry, add a tiny drop more warm water. Knead the dough for 2-3 mins on a floured 4. work surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowl, cover and leave to 5. rest at room temperature for 15-20 mins. Place all of the meatball ingredients in a 6. large mixing bowl. Add salt and plenty of pepper and mix well. Form into balls about same size of a golf 7. ball. Heat some olive oil in an extra large frying 8. pan for which you have a lid. Fry half the meatballs over a medium heat, 9. turning them until they are brown all over, approx. 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and 10. add another ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook the other batch of meatballs. Remove from the pan and wipe it clean. While the meatballs are cooking, blanch 11. the broad beans into a pot with plenty of salted boiling water for 2 mins, drain and refresh under cold water. Remove the skins from half the broad beans 12. and discard the shells. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same 13. pan in which you seared the meatballs. Add the thyme, garlic and spring onions 14. and sauté over a medium heat for 5 mins. Add the unshelled broad beans, half of the 15. lemon juice, enough of the stock to almost cover the bread beans and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 16. 10 mins. Return the meatballs to the pan with the 17. broad beans. Add the remaining stock, cover the pan 18. and simmer gently for 25 mins. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If it is very runny, remove the lid and reduce a little. Once the meatballs stop cooking they will absorb a lot of juice so make sure there is plenty of sauce at this point. Add the vinegar and remove from the heat 19. until ready to serve. Add the remaining herbs and a little lemon 20. juice, the shelled broad beans and stir very gently. Prepare the Benna yoghurt sauce by mixing 21. all of the ingredients together and set aside. Remove the dough of the flatbread from 22. the fridge and cut into thick circles. Roll the dough into rounds approx. 2cm 23. thick. Cook the dough in a really hot, dry pan 24. for 3 mins on each side until the bread is slightly browned. Just before serving, reheat the meatballs 25. and add a little water, if needed, to get enough sauce. Serve the meatballs covered in broad beans 26. and topped with Benna yoghurt and herb sauce and flatbread. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 24 April, 2015. Ingredients • 8 lamb T-bones Marinade • Small bunch fresh coriander • Small bunch fresh mint • A large pinch of parsley • ¼ Scotch bonnet chilli • 5cm piece fresh ginger • ¼ lemon, zest only • ½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted • ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted • 2 cardamom pods, seeds only, toasted • 50ml olive oil Smoked aubergines • 3 aubergines • 4 cloves garlic (confit) • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted • Handful thyme • Sea salt • 1 tsp sherry vinegar Benna yoghurt dipping sauce • 1 Benna yoghurt • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • Salt and pepper • ¼ lemon, juice only Method 1. To make marinade for the lamb, place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse, adding oil in small quantities until a pesto like paste is formed. 2. Massage the paste into the lamb cutlets, season with pepper (no salt at this stage) and leave to marinate over night. 3. To make the smokey, preheat the oven to 180°C. 4. Heat a griddle pan and when hot, add the whole aubergines and char all over until almost burnt. 5. Place them in a roasting tray and put into the oven for about 30 min, or until soft. 6. Allow to cool, then carefully peel away the skin, keeping only the flesh. 7. Place the flesh in a food processor and add the garlic, cumin, thyme (leaves only), vinegar salt and pepper. 8. Blitz until smooth and set aside. 9. In the meantime, mix together the yoghurt, mustard and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and set aside. 10. Take the cutlets out of the marinade and season with salt and pepper. 11. Cook them in a hot griddle pan over medium heat for approximately 3 mins on each side. 12. Serve with the smoky aubergine puree and a dollop of mint yoghurt. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 24 April, 2015. Mediterranean minced lamb with green beans Middle Eastern lamb meatballs topped with a Benna yoghurt and herb sauce served with saffron flatbread Lamb T-bones with smokey aubergine puree and Benna yoghurt dipping sauce