Zaatar Lamb Braised Vegetables Chickpeas North African Food

LAMB FLATBREAD WITH ZA'ATAR

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Stir in 1 cup flour to form a thin batter. Leave to rest until mixture is bubbly, about 20 minutes.
• Add remaining flour, olive oil and salt. Mix until dough comes together, then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky; dust lightly with flour as necessary. Return dough to bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, put dough in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat. Cook, stirring, until softened and nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• Add lamb to skillet and mash into onions with a large spoon until crumbled. Sprinkle with salt, then stir in pepper, clove, allspice, cayenne, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sumac and pomegranate molasses. Turn heat to low and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, until meat is just cooked through. Transfer mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool. (You will have a bit more lamb filling than you need - it's good on buttered toast for a cook's treat.)
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Punch down dough and divide into 8 2 1/2-ounce pieces. Knead each piece into a ball. Cover with a damp towel and let dough rest 20 to 30 minutes, then roll thinly or stretch each piece into a 6-inch round. Make the dough as thin as possible.
• Arrange 4 rolled-out dough rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush each with a generous amount of za'atar-oil mixture over dough (all the way to the edges or you'll get a puffed up "lip"). Make a layer of thinly sliced or crumbled feta, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cooled lamb mixture over the entire surface. Sprinkle on a few pine nuts, if using. Press topping down with the palm of your hand.
• Bake 4 flatbreads at a time, on the upper rack of the oven, for 5 to 8 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. The dough should still be soft and pliable, not crisp. Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with parsley, mint and cilantro leaves, whole or roughly chopped.

ZA'ATAR LAMB, BRAISED VEGETABLES & CHICKPEAS - NORTH AFRICAN

Steps:

• Place chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water and soak overnight. Rinse and drain.
• Cook the chickpeas and bay leaf in boiling water until just tender. Rinse and drain well.
• Place the lamb, 2 tbsp of the olive oil, sumac, sesame, dried herbs and paprika in a large ziploc bag and close. Massage the rub into the meat for 4-5 minutes before refrigerating for at 45 minutes (or a little longer).
• Place all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar, close it, then shake well and set aside.
• Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large frying pan / skillet. Cook the onions for around 10 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. Add the carrot, celery and fennel then cook until veggies and just tender - stir well to avoid burning or sticking!
• Cook the lamb in batches on a hot, well oiled grill plate, until browned and cooked how you like it. Cover and let rest for 5 or so minutes before carving into generous slices.
• Just before serving, combine the chickpeas, parsley and 1/2 the dressing with the veggies, cook until heated through (stirring well).
• Divide salad between 4 plates, place sliced lamb on top and drizzle with remaining dressing.

MOROCCAN STYLE LAMB AND CARROTS WITH CHICKPEA PURéE

Steps:

• Roast lamb chops and carrots:
• Put a 4-sided sheet pan in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Whisk together oil, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss carrots with half of spiced oil and coat chops with remaining oil. Arrange chops and carrots side by side in hot sheet pan. Roast, turning and stirring halfway through, until carrots are just tender and chops are medium-rare, 4 to 6 minutes total for lamb; 10 to 15 for carrots.
• Meanwhile, make chickpea purée:
• With food processor running, drop garlic through feed tube to finely chop. Add chickpeas, water, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and purée. With motor running, slowly add oil and blend until smooth.
• Serve lamb and carrots on a bed of chickpea purée. Drizzle with pan juices.

ROASTED BEETROOT WITH ZA'ATAR, CHICKPEAS & HARISSA YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Halve the beetroots. Or quarter them if you're using medium ones or bigger. Mix all the spices together. On a very large baking tray or 2 smaller ones, mix the chickpeas and beetroot with the oil. Season well with sea salt and sprinkle the spices over. Mix again. Roast for 30 mins or until crisp at the edges.
• While the vegetables are cooking, mix the lemon zest and juice and some salt with the yogurt. Swirl the harissa through and thickly spread onto a platter or shallow bowl. Top with the beetroot and chickpeas, and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and mint.

CRUNCHY ROASTED ZA'ATAR CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Spread out chickpeas on a paper towel. Pat dry, then let dry for about an hour.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper, and spread chickpeas evenly on the pan. Bake in the center of the oven until crunchy, about 30 minutes, stirring and rotating every 10 minutes. (The chickpeas will continue to get crunchy as they cool.)
• Place hot chickpeas in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, za'atar and salt. Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.