Eid Main Course

Lamb Meatballs (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1kg lamb mince

10ml salt

3ml turmeric

10ml ground chilli powder

3ml ground coriander

1 green chilli, chopped

5ml ground cumin

10ml ginger and garlic paste

2 eggs, beaten

6 slices of old bread, soaked in water until soft and squeezed out.

2 onions, grated

3-4 spring onions, chopped

250ml fresh coriander, chopped

Sauce:

15ml oil

1 onion, chopped

4 tomatoes, grated

3ml chilli powder

2ml turmeric

3ml ground cumin

3ml ground coriander

Method:

Combine the mince with the salt, turmeric, chillies, coriander, cumin, green chilli, ginger and garlic paste, eggs, soaked bread, onions, coriander and spring onion and mix well. Shape the mixture into balls and fry in a little oil until browned. Remove and set aside.

Sauce: Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through. Garnish with coriander.

Seafood Paella

Ingredients:

500 grams of Prawns, deveined

10 mussels

10 white mussels (optional)

3 tablespoons of oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

1 green or red pepper cut into strips

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

3 chillies, chopped

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons of paprika

1 tsp of black pepper

2 cups of Basmati rice,uncooked

A few strands of saffron soaked in 850ml of warm water

Fresh coriander

A lemon cut in quarters

Method:

Heat the oil in a large deep paella pan, on a medium to high heat. Add the onion and fry until golden brown. Add peppers, garlic, salt and spices and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the raw rice and the warm water and cook for 7 minutes. Add the mussels first and then the prawns and cover with foil or a lid and cook on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until all water has cooked away. Serve with a garnish of fresh coriander and lemon quarters. If you don’t have saffron simply replace with a teaspoon of turmeric. You can add any seafood to this dish.

Roast Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb, thawed

2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

A tablespoon of cloves

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Two tablespoons of honey

Two tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

Method:

Rub the lamb with the olive oil, and make 1cm slits all over and on both, sides stuff the little holes with the garlic and cloves. Rub honey, sweet chilli sauce and mixed herbs into the lamb leg and sprinkle the rosemary over it. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the lamb in a deep oven bowl and cover with foil. Preheat your oven to 180ºC and cook the lamb for an hour and 20 minutes. Serve with roast potatoes.

Almond And Chickpea Couscous

Ingredients:

300g dried couscous

480ml hot vegetable stock

1,4kg tin chickpeas rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp harissa paste

juice of 1 lemon

large handful toasted flaked almonds

salt and pepper

Method:

Tagine: Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan over a medium heat; add the onion, aubergine, carrots, peppers, butternut squash and courgette. Cook, stirring regularly, for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables have started to soften and are lightly browned.

Add the garlic, tomato purée, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric and cook for 2 more minutes whilst stirring.

Add the harissa, honey, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and apricots. Give it a good stir then put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down to low and leave to cook gently for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until all of the vegetables have softened.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in a handful of chopped mint.

To make the couscous, place the dry couscous in a large bowl; add the vegetable stock, chickpeas and harissa and give it a stir. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for 15 minutes.

Add the lemon juice to taste, some toasted flaked almonds and salt and pepper to taste.

Roast Chicken with Onion and Sumac Flatbread (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups flour, plus more

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

3⁄4 cup water, heated to 46ºC

1 1⁄2 tsp. sugar

1 sachet active dry yeast

1,8kg chicken, quartered

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing

1⁄2 cup ground sumac

1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice

1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 large yellow onions, minced

1⁄2 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 cup slivered almonds

Method:

Whisk flour and salt in a bowl. Combine water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. With the motor running, slowly add flour mixture; mix until dough forms, about 3–4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet; cover with a damp towel and set aside 45 minutes. Toss chicken with 1⁄3 cup oil, 3 tbsp. sumac, half each the allspice and cinnamon, 1⁄3 of the onions, plus salt and pepper in a bowl; set aside 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 220°.

Heat a 30cm heatproof pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook, flipping once, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Arrange skin side up, and add stock; bake until chicken is cooked, 25–30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a plate; keep warm. Transfer pan drippings to a bowl; set aside.

Add remaining oil to skillet; place over medium heat. Add remaining onions; cook until golden, 25–30 minutes. Stir in remaining sumac, allspice, and cinnamon, plus salt and pepper; transfer to a bowl. Wipe skillet clean and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add almonds; cook until golden, 3–5 minutes.

Increase oven to 250°.

Working with 1 ball dough at a time, roll into a 25cm disk about 1⁄2 cm thick. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush dough with reserved pan drippings and spread half the onion mixture over dough, leaving a 1cm border. Bake until bread is puffed and golden brown, 8–10 minutes.

To serve, cut bread into wedges and place on 4 plates. Arrange chicken over flatbread, sprinkle with almonds, and drizzle with any remaining pan juices.