Tag: lamb

Seekh kebabs

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Savoury and delicious little lamb patties

  • 1 red onion, grated
  • 400g lamb mince
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp ground fenugreek
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • Juice of half lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp gram flour
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • Put all the ingredients except the oil into a large mixing bowl and mix everything together well until completely combined
  • Leave to rest in the fridge for around 20 mins to prevent them falling apart in the pan
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium/high. Roll golfball-sized balls, flatten in your hand, and then gently place in the pan
  • Cook for 3-4 mins per side until browned and crisp
  • Serve with naan, cachumber salad and herb raita (finely chopped mint and coriander, plain yoghurt, cumin, chaat masala, squeeze of lemon, salt)

Quick lahmacun

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Super-tasty, super-quick. The perfect weeknight supper.

  • ½ red pepper, roughly chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Handful parsley stalks, roughly chopped
  • 400g lamb mince
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp pul biber
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 lavash (or other plain, thin) flatbreads
  1. Puree the red pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic and parsley stalks and pour into a bowl
  2. Add the lamb mince and spices and mix well until completely combined
  3. Divide the lamb mixture into 4 and press firmly onto the surface of each flatbread with your fingertips, pushing the mixture into a thin layer that covers the surface of the bread, leaving a thin ‘crust’ ring around the outside – like a pizza
  4. Heat a large frying pan over medium/high and add a touch of oil, spreading it across the surface of the pan with a paper towel
  5. Fry the flatbreads face down until crisp and golden, then flip out onto a plate
  6. Serve topped with sliced tomato, parsley salad (parsley leaves, thin-sliced red onion, salt, sumac, lemon juice and olive oil) and plain yoghurt – roll up and eat with your hands

Slow-cooked leg of lamb

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Sunday lunch staple. And so much more reliable and straightforward than trying to get the perfect pink cuisson

  • 2.2kg lamb leg
  • 2 cloves garlic, quartered lengthways
  • 8 small sprigs rosemary
  • 1 whole head garlic, cut in half horizontally
  • 2 onions, peeled and cut into 4 thick slices horizontally
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 300ml white wine
  • Salt and pepper
  • Veg oil
  • 2 heaped tsp cornflour
  1. Preheat oven to 220C fan (240C)
  2. Put the onion slices and the halved head of garlic in a single layer in a deep roasting tin and rest the lamb leg on top of them
  3. Poke 8 holes in the lamb with a sharp knife and tuck a quarter garlic clove and a sprig of rosemary into each hole
  4. Drizzle lamb with veg oil and season well
  5. Bake for 20 mins in the hot oven then turn it down to 150C fan (170C), add the stock and wine to the tin, and cover tightly with foil
  6. Cook for 4 hours
  7. Uncover, and return to the oven for a final 20 mins
  8. Put the lamb and onions into the serving dish and cover with foil while you make the gravy
  9. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and squeeze in the garlic cloves (discarding the skin). Whisk to break up the garlic
  10. In a small cup mix the cornflour with 2 tsp water until smooth
  11. Bring the gravy to the boil and add the cornflour mixture, whisking until thickened
  12. Serve the lamb immediately with lashings of gravy and mint sauce. Plus the obligatory potatoes

Lamb pinches

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A Middle Eastern-spiced play on Spanish pinchos. Perfect with a toothpick stuck in, served alongside beer or bubbles. Or use these little nuggets of joy to top a crunchy Israeli-style chopped salad… or as a punchy accompaniment to a delicate pilaf. Literally never not delicous.

  • 500g lamb
  • 2 tsp pul biber
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • 1 tsp onion granules
  • ½ tsp garlic granules
  • ½ lemon (or 3 tbsp lemon juice)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  1. Dump the lamb mince into a bowl and enthusiastically scatter over all of the spices
  2. Squeeze in a small amount of lemon juice (keeping the rest of the half lemon for later)
  3. Mix thoroughly with your hands, making sure the spices are well-distributed and squeezing the mixture together into a firm-ish ball
  4. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium-high heat
  5. Pinch off small pieces of the minced lamb mixture (just using your thumb and two fingers, don’t compress them or roll them – uneven and rough around the edges is the name of the game). This amount of lamb will make 24-26 pinches
  6. Pop them into the pan one after the other as you quickly pinch them
  7. Fry on one side for about 5 mins then flip and cook for a further 2 mins
  8. Turn the heat down and squeeze over the remaining lemon and a tiny splash of water
  9. Turn the pinches over in the dressing, scraping the brown off the bottom of the pan and combining the lamb fat and lemon juice into a savoury, glossy glaze to coat your lamb
  10. Turn off the heat and serve immediately. Try not to eat them all on your way from the kitchen to the living room.

If you’d like to spice these little bites in other ways, go for your life. Replace the cinnamon and allspice with turmeric and fenugreek for an Indian take. Or just cut out everything except the garlic, onion and paprika for the fuss-pots.

Lamb tagine

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Rich, savoury, spiced and sweet. Feeds 2. Serve over a pile of cous cous, scattered with toasted almonds and sliced green olives. Add a drained tin of chickpeas with the green beans if you want to bulk it out for 4.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 300g lamb neck fillet, sliced around 3mm thick
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp pul biber (or a pinch of chilli flakes)
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
  • ½ lamb stock cube, crumbled
  • 7 dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • 1 preserved lemon, flesh discarded and skin chopped
  • 400ml boiling water
  • 8 chantenay carrots, topped and tailed
  • 100g fine green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
  1. Heat the oil in a deep lidded frying pan over a medium heat
  2. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 mins
  3. Turn the heat up, add the lamb and stir in until.it goes brown round the edges
  4. Add the stock, tomato puree and spices, and stir fry for 2 mins
  5. Add the boiling water, apricots and preseved lemon, bring to a bubble and scrape all the delicous brown off the bottom
  6. Add the whole carrots and stir in
  7. Turn to a low simmer, put the lid on and cook for 25 mins, stirring a couple of times to make sure it’s not sticking and turning the carrots over
  8. Take the lid off, add the green beans and stir together, making sure the beans are submerged
  9. Simmer for a further 15 mins and taste to check the seasoning. Add salt if needed and serve straight away

Mitite kofte

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Succulent, savoury little lamb patties, the perfect addition to a mezze platter or stuffed in a pitta with salad and tzatziki (or, since we’re Turkish today, cacik). Makes around 20.

  • 500g lamb mince
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 50g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pul biber (or ½ tsp chilli flakes)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Add all the ingredients except the oil to a big bowl
  2. Use your hands to mix it all together thoroughly and then form into mini 4cm-diameter burger shapes. They don’t have to be perfect, slightly rough round the edges is fine!
  3. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and, when the oil is hot, add the koftes
  4. Cook without moving them for 4-5 mins on one side until brown and delicious, then flip and give them the same on the other side
  5. Serve warm on a platter, nestled among crisp lettuce leaves and watch as everyone falls upon them with cries of delight!

Suggested mezzes to accompany the kofte? I’d never leave you in the lurch without suggestions! I love coming up with a vivid combination of fresh and cooked elements, and a variety of textures and flavours. And it’s especially brilliant because everything can be served at room temperature. How about this?

  • Soft flatbread or toasted pittas
  • Muhammara
  • Tzatziki
  • Warm aubergine salad with mint, chilli and garlic
  • Falafels
  • Borek (spinach and feta pastries)
  • Skewers of chicken with saffron and yoghurt
  • Tomato salad with mint and parsley
  • Sliced cucumber and radishes
  • Spiced crunchy chickpeas

Lamb meatballs with fragrant tomato sauce

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Summery, fragrant and ever so tasty. Serve with flatbread for wrapping and scooping, and perhaps some thick plain yogurt to dollop on top. Messy, but worth it. Feeds 2 generously.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 40g coarse bulgur wheat
  • 300g minced lamb
  • Handful parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp pul biber chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 pinch cloves
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook gently for 5 mins
  2. Then add the garlic and continue to cook for 4-5 mins until completely soft. Then take off the heat
  3. In the meantime, put the bulgar wheat into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and cover with boiling water. Leave for 5 mins and then drain
  4. In a big bowl, mix together the lamb mince, parsley, allspice, pul biber, cumin, bulgar wheat and half the cooked onion
  5. Season well then use your hands to mix together thoroughly until completely combined
  6. Roll between your fingers into walnut-sized meatballs
  7. Put the heat back on under the onion pan and add the tinned tomatoes, half a tin of water, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, clove, sugar, salt and pepper
  8. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins
  9. While the sauce cooks, heat a large non-stick frying pan with the veg oil over a medium-high heat
  10. Quickly brown the meatballs until they have a bit of colour all over. They don’t need to be cooked through
  11. As they get brown, drop them into the tomato sauce so it finishes its 20 mins full of balls
  12. Give it a further 10 mins and then taste for seasoning. Serve warm but not hot

Spiced grilled lamb

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Succulent, spiced and beyond delicous. Minimum effort for maximum effect.

  • 400g lamb steaks, chops or neck fillet (trimmed and sliced lengthways)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tsp ground sumac
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp pul buber chilli flakes (or ½ tsp regular chilli flakes)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Mix all of the non-lamb ingredients and rub the resulting paste into the lamb. Leave to marinate for 20 mins
  2. Pre-heat the grill to high
  3. Lay the lamb in a single layer on a rack above a baking tin and grill for 7 mins
  4. Flip the pieces and give them a further 5 mins. The lamb should be brown on the outside with crisp, crunchy edges, and tender with the tiniest hint of pink on the inside.

Spectacular cooked on the barbecue. Pile onto a platter to serve, sprinkled with some pomegranate seeds. For extra deliciousness, serve alongside new potatoes with lemon and almonds.

Pomegranate lamb

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Slow cooked lamb, deeply flavoured sweet and sour with pomegranate. A brilliant element of a multi-part feast of salads served with plenty of pitta or fluffy Turkish flatbread to mop up the juices.

  • 650g boned lamb shoulder
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 80ml water
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 140C fan (160C)
  2. Put the lamb into a small roasting tin
  3. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the lamb, rubbing into every crevice
  4. Cover with foil and put in the oven for 2 hours, checking after an hour that it’s not dry
  5. Take the foil off and bake for a further hour
  6. Drain off the cooking juices and oil into a glass jug or bowl, leaving the lamb to rest in the pan
  7. Pour off the oil or use a baster to remove as much of it as possible
  8. Then tip the deep brown cooking juices into a saucepan and bubble over a high heat to reduce to a syrupy glaze before pouring back over the lamb to serve

Serve whole or pre-shredded, either way its double-delicious served with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, finely shredded mint leaves and roughly chopped toasted pistachio seeds

Lamb, pea and mint sandwich

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Possibly my favourite sandwich. Although that’s a big claim … there are so many good ones. Definitely top 5. It’s a delicious combination of flavours and textures and dont be daunted by the recipe – I promise it looks more complicated than it actually is. Feeds 2.

  1. 350g lamb neck fillet
  2. 2 tsp flour
  3. Salt and black pepper
  4. 1 tbsp butter
  5. 2 tbsp veg oil
  6. 3 cloves garlic
  7. Sprig fresh rosemary
  8. 3 tsp red wine vinegar
  9. 3 tbsp lamb stock
  10. 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  11. 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  12. 100g frozen peas
  13. 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
  14. Handful rocket leaves
  15. 2 ciabatta rolls or 4 thick slices of ciabatta
  1. Trim the lamb neck fillet, cut it into 1 cm slices across and roughly flatten each piece – just press down with your fingers or side of your hand
  2. Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dust the lamb pieces with flour until lightly coated
  3. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat until crackling. Add 1 tbsp oil, the rosemary and 2 of the garlic cloves bashed with the side of a knife
  4. Shake the excess flour off the lamb and add to the pan
  5. Fry on both sides until brown then remove from pan
  6. Add 2 tsp vinegar and the lamb stock to deglaze the pan, then reduce the liquid until syrupy. Use to coat the lamb while it’s resting
  7. In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp veg oil and saute the spring onion and chilli
  8. When soft, add the peas and crush roughly
  9. Add 1 tsp vinegar and the mint. Heat through
  10. Toast the ciabatta and rub with the final clove of garlic, split in half
  11. Top the ciabatta with a pile of lamb, peas and rocket. Stick the top on and eat immediately with a napkin to mop your chin and your fingers.