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Middle Eastern Feast
Recipe by Mandy Hall
Mandy’s dish may transport you to the Middle East with all its spices and flamboyant flavours traditional to Middle Eastern Cuisine.
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Flatbread
Smoked Eggplant with Lemon and Sumac Yoghurt
Tahini Emulsion Hummus
Marinated Lamb
Lemon and Garlic Dressing
Red Onion, Cucumber and Sumac Salad
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Steps
- Preheat oven to 220C.
- For the Flatbread, place flour, yoghurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, za’atar, cumin and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for one minute. Divide dough into 4 equal size balls, wrap in cling film and set aside to rest for 40 minutes. Once rested, roll each dough ball out to a 20cm diameter circle.
- Place a large non-stick frypan over medium high heat.
- Brush each round of dough with olive oil and place one round into the hot pan, oil side down. Brush the round of dough in the pan with olive oil and allow to cook until bubbles starting to appear on the surface of the dough. Flip the dough over and cook until underside is dark golden. Remove from the heat and place into a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining rounds of dough.
- For the Smoked Eggplant with Lemon and Sumac Yoghurt, combine yoghurt, lemon zest, sumac and salt in a medium bowl. Spread onto a medium oval serving plate and set aside in the fridge.
- Brush the eggplant with olive oil and pierce skin several times with the tip of a sharp knife. Place onto a lined baking tray and place into oven and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Thinly slice the eggplant, keeping the eggplant in its shape. Remove the plate of Lemon and Sumac Yoghurt from the fridge. Lift the eggplant using a long wide spatula and place on top of the Lemon and Sumac Yoghurt, taking care to keep the eggplant’s shape.
- Place the entire plate into a jumbo sized zip lock bag and seal the bag. Insert the nozzle of a smoking gun into one corner of the bag. Ignite the smoking gun and fill the bag with smoke for a maximum of 30 seconds. Remove the hose, seal bag completely and allow to smoke for 10 minutes.
- Remove plate from the bag and garnish with pomegranate molasses, pomegranate arils and chopped mint. Set aside.
- For the Tahini Emulsion Hummus, place lemon juice and unpeeled garlic cloves into a food processor and process until garlic is finely chopped. Set aside for 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve and using the back of a spoon, press down on the garlic to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Rinse the bowl of the food processor. Place the strained liquid back into the food processor bowl along with the tahini, cumin and salt. Process mixture and slowly add up to 1 cup of icy cold water until the mixture is the consistency of a thick sauce. With the motor running, gradually add chickpeas and blend on high speed until smooth. Spoon onto a medium sized serving plate and set aside in the fridge.
- For the Marinated Lamb, slice lamb into thin slices, season with salt and pepper and place into a medium bowl with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Drain excess marinade.
- For the Lemon and Garlic Dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl or serving jug and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- For the Red Onion, Cucumber and Sumac Salad, combine all ingredients in a small serving bowl and set aside in the fridge.
- To serve, heat a large frypan over high heat. When very hot, add the ghee then cook the lamb then cook the lamb, in batches, for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and arrange over the Tahini Emulsion Hummus. Finish with a little paprika and olive oil. Drizzle with Lemon and Garlic Dressing and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve with the Smoked Eggplant, Lemon and Sumac Yoghurt and Red Onion, Cucumber and Sumac Salad and flatbread on the side.
