Lebanese-style Spicy Lamb Flatbreads
These lamb flatbreads are equally as tasty made with minced beef as they are with cooked, leftover minced lamb or beef
A delicious brunch recipe that’s really just an assembly job once the minced meat is cooked. Make your own flatbreads or use ready-made shop-bought ones. Either way, all that’s needed is one frying pan.
Servings
4-6
Cooking Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 x quantity Ridiculously Easy Flatbreads recipe (see page 159) or 6–8 ready-made flatbreads, soft flour tortillas or pitta breads
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
- splash of olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- good pinch of dried oregano
- 1 tsp rose harissa paste, or more to taste
- 500g raw (or cooked) minced lamb
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- To serve (for topping and filling) a selection of the following:
- 200g thick Greek-style yoghurt or cucumber raita; pickled red onions; hummus; avocado flesh, mashed or sliced; rocket or other salad leaves; extra rose harissa paste; fresh pomegranate seeds; dried barberries or other small dried fruits; date syrup or pomegranate molasses; tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed; olive oil; dried chilli flakes or Aleppo pepper (pul biber); nigella or onion seeds; mint leaves
Method
- If you are making your own flatbreads, follow the recipe and keep them warm. If you are using ready-made flatbreads, just before serving, warm them through according to the packet instructions.
- If using put the pine nuts into a medium, dry frying pan and cook on a medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until they are beginning to brown, about five minutes. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool, then transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the same frying pan, add the onion and cook on a medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and harissa paste and cook for a minute or two, then add the raw minced meat, the salt and some pepper and cook on a high heat for eight–10 minutes or until cooked, breaking up the clumps as best you can with a wooden spoon. For ready- cooked minced meat, cook for five minutes or until heated through. Check the seasoning, bearing in mind it should be well seasoned.
- Organise a selection of the serving suggestions imaginatively into and onto appropriate bowls and plates ready for everyone to help themselves and concoct their own flatbread or tortilla topping or pitta bread filling – not forgetting the toasted pine nuts, if using.
GET AHEAD
The flatbreads can be made the day before and warmed through in a medium oven (180C/160C fan/ gas 4) for a few minutes or in a dry frying pan.
Cook the minced meat mixture up to three days in advance, then cool, cover and chill. Reheat in the frying pan on a low heat until hot throughout.
HINTS & TIPS
Add a pinch of chilli powder or dried chilli flakes if you prefer the lamb spicier. A little ground cumin added to taste, at the same time as the harissa paste, is good, too.
Extracted from Just One Pan by Jane Lovett (Headline Home, £25)
