As a continuation of our Middle Eastern journey. here are two additional recipes . I hope you have fun experimenting with these gorgeous flavours and textures.
Lamb shank with rice and lemon
This one-pot wonder is how autumn food should be cooked: all in one pot with an abundance of flavour. This is a hearty comfort dish that your friends and family will love and appreciate you for.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 lamb shanks
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed
2 large celery sticks, trimmed and cubed
5 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
1- litre chicken stock
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoon dried mint
1½ cups basmati rice, soaked in cold water for a minimum of 20 minutes
1 egg
Handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
Handful tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
200g Greek yoghurt
Method
Heat about three tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Add onion and fry until almost starting to brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Keep the pot on the heat.
Season the shanks with salt and then brown in the pot, turning regularly, until browned all over. Add the carrot, celery, bay leaves, cinnamon, lemon peel and stock – the shanks should be almost submerged in the liquid. Cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for an hour and 45 minutes, turning the shanks once or twice, until the meat is tender and starting to fall off the bone.
Lift out the shanks and set aside with the onion. Strain the stock and set aside.
Discard all the aromatics except the cinnamon.
Heat the oven to 180°C. In an ovenproof pot Add the remaining olive oil to an ovenproof pot. Fry the ground cumin for a couple of seconds, then add the dried mint, rice and a teaspoon of salt. Stir to coat the rice in oil, then pour on 670ml of the strained cooking liquor.
Return the shanks to the pot, add the reserved cinnamon and fried onion, cover and bake for 30 minutes. (If you don’t have an ovenproof casserole pot then fry in the same pot you cooked the shank then add fried rice to an ovenproof dish, then add shank and cinnamon sticks and onion).
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour 60ml of the remaining stock into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then slowly whisk the hot stock into the egg and lemon mix.
Remove the lamb pot from the oven, pour the egg mixture evenly over the meat and rice, sprinkle over herbs and take to the table.
Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Orange and pistachio bundt cake
If you are looking for something less technical and relatively foolproof, try this recipe. Everything is mixed in one bowl. You can also bake this cake in small individual Bundt cake tins.
Ingredients
15 g butter, melted
1 teaspoon plain flour
2 tablespoons pistachios, toasted and chopped, to sprinkle
For the cake:
100g pistachio, toasted
1 orange, quartered and seeds removed
1 cup caster sugar
125g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups self-raising flour
For the syrup:
1 large pinch saffron threads
½ cup boiling water
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
½ cup caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
1. Combine the 15g melted butter with the 1 teaspoon plain flour and use a pastry brush to grease a 2-litre Bundt tin.
2. Place the pistachios in a food processor and process until very finely ground. Add the orange quarters, sugar, butter and eggs to the food processor and process until the orange rind is finely chopped and the mixture is almost smooth. Add the self-raising flour and process briefly until just combined.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Tap the tin firmly on the benchtop three times to settle the mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Stand the cake in the tin for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the saffron in a small dish and add about 1 tablespoon of the boiling water. Set aside to infuse. Combine the remaining boiling water, orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the saffron mixture, bring to a simmer over high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes or until reduced slightly.
5. Turn the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand with a lip. Gradually pour the hot saffron syrup over the cake, allowing it to soak in.
Set aside and allow to cool, about one hour. Serve sprinkled with the chopped pistachios.
