Lamb Flatbread with Pine Nuts

Every year my husband and I buy ourselves some new cookbooks at Christmas. This year we bought The Big Book of Breakfast and Jerusalem. While The Big Book of Breakfast is delightful and has some great ideas to spice up your breakfast routine, Jerusalem blows it away.

Written by two men from different parts of the city, Jerusalem is packed with lovely stories, rich history, and stunning photos. In fact, the first time I cracked it open I sat and read it like a normal book. It is full of colorful stories that provide a peek into two very different cultures and all of the ways those cultures combine in a kaleidoscope of culinary joy.

It was impossibly difficult to choose which recipe to try first. So I just chose based on what ingredients were readily available. The great thing is that so many of the ingredients were already in my pantry - chickpeas, paprika, couscous. Once I got started, inspiration swept through me. The flavors and textures were just fantastic.

Now my goal is to make every recipe in this book before the year is over (it's a big book). This recipe is a variation on the Stuffed Eggplant recipe in the book. We didn't have eggplant but we did have some delicious flatbread. We made the stuffing, with a few little tweaks, and piled it on top of the flatbread which had been smeared with tahini. I served it with some chopped cucumber that I tossed with a little salt, lemon and parsley. I could eat this every day. Seriously.

In a large, deep skillet heat oil and saute onion, garlic, a pinch of salt, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon until onion is soft and spices are fragrant. Add lamb, parsley, tomato paste, pine nuts, lemon juice and sugar. Cook until lamb is browned. Serve on flatbread with tahini. You could also add some rice or couscous for some extra texture.

Summer Souvlaki: Ohpa!

This dish is the result of my love of Mediterranean food and a desperate craving one night. Traditional souvlaki is made on a skewer with roasted vegetables and is served with pita. I am not a big fan of pita and I prefer thinly sliced chicken or lamb.

The joy of cooking is finding your own twist on dishes you love. I serve this with a nice garnish of pepperoncini and cucumber slices.

Summer Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts or 1/2 lb leg of lamb, sliced thinly
2 pieces of flatbread
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1/4 cup spanish olives
2 cups shredded romaine or spinach
1 roasted red pepper, julienned

Wrap bread in foil and keep warm in the oven.

In a large bowl, combine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and pepper. Whisking constantly, add oil (pour slowly so the mixture has time to emulsify).

In a separate bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, feta, olives and lettuce. Coat this mixture with 2 tbsp of the vinaigrette mixture and refrigerate.

Coat the chicken (or lamb) with the remaining vinaigrette mixture and grill. (This only takes about 3 or 4 minutes if sliced thinly.)

Remove flatbread from the oven.  Pour some tzatziki sauce over the flatbread (see recipe below) then top with vegetable mixture and chicken. Top with roasted red pepper and a little more tzatziki. Voila!

For tatziki sauce:

2 cups greek yogurt
1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, pressed
salt
pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine All ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.