LAMB KOFTES WITH TAHINI YOGURT DIP
1 kg/1¼ lbs. minced/ground lamb
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon chilli/chili powder
150 g/1 cup (about 1 medium) finely diced red onion
25 g/½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
40 g/1 cup finely chopped coriander/cilantro, plus extra to serve
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
3 UK large/US extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt
60 ml/¼ cup sunflower oil, for frying
TAHINI YOGURT DIP
250 ml/1 cup natural/plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 g/¼ cup finely chopped mint
¼ cucumber, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
sea salt, to season
30 x 15-cm/6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
Makes 30 skewers and serves 10–15
To make the koftes, place all of the ingredients except the oil in a large mixing bowl and mix everything together using your hands.
Shape the kofte mixture around the soaked skewers (about 45–50 g/1½–2 oz. per skewer) in a sausage shape and press the meat mixture firmly together. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) Gas 4.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan/skillet over medium-high heat. Add the koftes in batches and cook for about 4 minutes, turning them until golden brown all over. Transfer to a clean baking sheet while you cook the remaining koftes in the same way as the other. If necessary, add more oil to the pan each time.
When all the koftes have been fried, place them in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to cook through.
To make the Tahini Yogurt Dip, mix all the ingredients together and season with sea salt to taste.
Serve the koftes on a platter scattered with chopped coriander/cilantro, lemon wedges and the Tahini Yogurt Dip on the side.
250 g/½ lb. halloumi cheese, cut into 16 even-sized pieces
16 even-sized button mushrooms, stems trimmed
12 cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
8 bay leaves, stems trimmed, halved
8 thin lemon slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
8 metal skewers
Serves 4
Preheat the grill/broiler.
In a large bowl, toss together the halloumi cheese, button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, bearing in mind the natural saltiness of the halloumi.
Thread the cheese, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bay leaves and lemon slices onto the 8 skewers.
Grill/broil the halloumi skewers for 5 minutes, turning over halfway through, until the halloumi is golden brown. Serve at once.
MINI KEBABS WITH FLATBREADS, LEMON & PARSLEY
2 onions, peeled
½ tablespoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed
900 g/2 lbs. lean lamb, trimmed and cut into small bite-sized pieces
FLATBREADS
225 g/1⅔ cups strong white/bread flour, plus extra for dusting
50 g/6 tablespoons wholemeal/whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
200 ml/¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
1–2 tablespoons samna butter or 1–2 tablespoons olive oil with a knob/pat of butter
TO SERVE
1 large red onion, halved lengthways, cut in half again crossways and sliced with the grain
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2–3 lemons, halved
a charcoal barbecue
wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes, or metal skewers
Serves 4–6
First, grate the onions onto a plate. Sprinkle the salt over the top and let the onions weep for about 15 minutes. Place a sieve/strainer over a bowl. Tip the weeping onion into the sieve/strainer, pressing it down with the back of a wooden spoon to extract the juice. Discard the onion that is left in the sieve/strainer. Mix the onion juice with the garlic and cumin seeds and toss in the lamb. Cover and let the lamb marinate in the fridge for 3–4 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the dough for the flatbreads. Sift the flours with the salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the water gradually, drawing the flour in from the sides. Using your hands, knead the dough until firm and springy – if the dough is at all sticky, add more flour. Divide the dough into roughly 12 pieces and knead each one into a ball. Place the balls on a floured surface and cover with a damp tea/kitchen towel. Let rest for approximately 30 minutes.
Prepare your charcoal barbeque/grill. Just before cooking, roll out each ball of dough into wide, thin circles, keeping them dusted with flour so that they don’t stick together, and cover them with a clean, damp tea/kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Quickly thread the meat onto skewers and place them over the hot charcoal for 2–3 minutes each side.
At the same time, heat a griddle or flat pan at one end of the charcoal barbeque/grill, or over a separate flame, and melt most of the samna (or olive oil and butter) in a small pot. Brush the hot griddle or flat pan with a little of the remaining samna (or olive oil and butter) and cook the flatbreads for about 15 seconds each side, flipping them over as soon as they begin to brown and buckle and continue brushing them with a little samna (or olive oil and butter). Pile them up on a plate and keep warm.
When the kebabs/kabobs are cooked, slide the meat off the skewers onto the flatbreads. Scatter some onion and parsley over each pile and squeeze the juice from the lemon halves over the top. Wrap the flatbreads into packages and eat with your hands.
2 large floury potatoes, roughly the same size
vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
cornflour/cornstarch, for coating
SICHUAN PEPPER SALT
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons coarse rock salt
Serves 4 as a side
For the Sichuan Pepper Salt, heat the peppercorns in a small frying pan/skillet until hot. Transfer to a plate to cool. Combine with the salt and grind with a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Peel the potatoes and trim on all sides to get a block. Cut the block into thin slices, then cut the slices thinly into matchsticks. Put the potatoes into a bowl of iced water for at least 5 minutes, to remove excess starch and prevent sticking when frying. Put the cornflour/cornstarch in a shallow bowl.
Fill a large saucepan one-third full with the oil and heat the oil to 190°C (375°F) or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry, then toss to coat lightly with the cornflour/cornstarch. Put in a sieve/strainer to shake off any excess cornflour/cornstarch.
Working in batches, fry about a handful of potatoes at a time. Place the potatoes in a frying basket and lower into the hot oil carefully. Fry for about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the potatoes have been fried. Sprinkle with the Sichuan Pepper Salt and serve.
60 ml/2 fl. oz. gold tequila
60 ml/2 fl. oz. Champagne (chilled)
Makes 1
Pour both the tequila and the chilled champagne into a highball glass with a sturdy base. Hold a napkin over the glass (sealing the liquid inside), sharply slam the glass down on a stable surface, and drink in one go while it’s fizzing.
15 ml/½ fl. oz. Kahlúa
15 ml/½ fl. oz. Baileys
15 ml/½ fl. oz. Grand Marnier
Makes 1
Layer each ingredient on top of each other over a barspoon in a shot glass.
