Sfiha - Arabic mini pizzas ( kosher, gluten-free)

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Sfiha, Arabic mini pizza is a perfect choice for meze table... or picnic. You can even make these on BBQ! 

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Hebron, located on West Bank, is sweating in the sweltering August heat. It's far too hot to be outside: temperatures are well and truly above 40ºc . The air stands still and the dry, hot wind, occasionally making an appearance to lazily blow sand around offers absoutely no relief.

The kitchen in the home of the Palestinian family that's adopted me offers a welcome shade. The mother of the family is clapping her hands excitedly: her own daughters can't stand cooking so she's grateful to finally have landed a daughter who shares her passion. 

There's someone she loves more than me, though: Nigella Lawson. Proudly she displays a technique for chopping up spring onions she picked up from Nigella Lawson herself; using a pair of scissors from Nigella Lawson-collection. 

Huddled around the kitchen table we drink tea and exchange recipes and stories behind them. Laughter echoes in the room and the cigarette smoke slowly slithers its way towards the ceiling. 

Mama Tarawa has invited me over, her only wish being that I teach her to "cook like Nigella". She on the other hand can't contain her confusion upon learning that her new prodigée, born and bred halfway across the world at the Arctic Circle, has never made sfihas. 

"You don't know how to make sfihas"? she repeats, incredulously. "What do you eat back there, then?"

Yeah, well. If I had anything to do with it, that'd be sfiha. 

Sfiha, Arabic mini pizza, is part of pizza family's Levantine branch. As fas as the consistency and flavour go, it's closely related to its Turkish cousins; lahmacun and pide.

Over in the Palestinian territories I've encountered two versions of sfiha: in the other one the the base is topped with a yogurt-based meat mixture but this, I think, is infinitely the superior one. 

Traditionally the meat used for these is lamb, but in case you're having difficulties getting your hands on some, you can just use beef.

In addition to Middle East these treats have found a passionalte following inn Brazil of all the places, too. 

And now, habibi, it's your kitchen's turn!

Makes 15

Sfiha - Arabic mini pizzas:

The base:

7 ½ dl all-purpose-flour (gluten-free if needed)

1 tbsp of dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

5 ½ tbsp oil

2‒2 ½ dl warm water

Topping:

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

500 g ground lamb (or beef)

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tomatos, finely chopped

2 tbsp quatre epices- spice blend or bokharat-mix

1 tsp salt

2 handfuls of finely chopped parsley

1 dl pine nuts, lightly toasted

a couple of tbsp oil for frying

To serve:

lemon wedges

For the base combine the dry ingredients. Then add 4 tbsp of oil and and finally water, continuously mixing until you're left with a smooth, elastic dough that won't stick. Slather rest of the oil on top of the dough, place in a clean bowl, cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise.

In the meanwhile prep the topping. Heat oil in a pan. Sauté garlic and onion over medium heat until onion is soft and translucent. Then add meat, bring the heat up and continue cooking until the meat is properly browned. Add the spices and continue cooking for a couple of more minutes. 

Add the pomegranate molasses and tomatos into the mix. Lower the heat and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. 

Fold in parsley and pine nuts. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

Pre-heat the oven to 225ºc. Leave the tray in the oven and, once the dough has doubled in size, prepare the bases.

Divide the dough in 15 portions and roll into circles of about 15 cm in diameter. Transfer on parchmens (4-5 on each) and leave to rise, covered with a tea towel, for half an hour. 

Top the bases with the topping, leaving about 1 cm edge uncovered. Press the topping onto the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. 

Transfer the parchments onto the hot tray and bake, until the sfihas are golden brown - depending on the oven 8-10 minutes. 

Drizzle with lemon juice and serve.

Equally delicious served hot or at room temperature, which makes these perfect make-ahead delicacies for picnics or get-togethers with friends!

Any of you familiar with sfihas, Arabic mini pizzas? Or have you already fallen in love with lahmacun or pide?

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Lahmacun - Turkish pizza (kosher, gluten-free)

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Lahmacun is Turkish pizza and transports taste buds instantly to Istanbul. Ahhhh!

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Let's say it out loud: Turkey is quite a shit country. No, no point arguing: it is. 

Just think about it: no-one other than Erdogan could possibly think that persecution of the Kurds, rampant violence towards women and honour killings somehow make up for the obvious deficiencies in the society such as lack of viable democracy and absence of human rights. Though, genocide-deniers such as him rarely make the merriest of the bunch. 

Incredible Istanbul, however, has for long been one of my favourite cities in the world. 

But the warmest memories I have of my Tour of Turkey some years back are, without a doubt, food-related (hardly surprising, eh?). One of my biggest favourites were lahmacuns, bought from a stall for a mere euro on one of the narrow alleyways surrounding The Grand Bazaar

No wonder I fell for it- it is, after all, member of the pizza family; the corner stone of my diet.

The dish combines meat (lahm) and dough (ajin) and is, depending on the region, also known as either Turkish or Armenian pizza. And unlike Turkish policies, this one is an easy one to fall in love with. 

Since discovering it, I've never missed a chance to get re-acquainted. If a trip to Turkey doesn't tempt you, you'll find good ones in London as well.

Both the base and the topping layer are thin - the crust does not need to be puffy as in a pizza and the toppings should not overflow either. 

Instead of lamb you could also use minced beef and, if in a hurry, you could substitute the base with soft wheat tortillas or flat breads, too. 

You could also bake the dough into mini-sized lahmacuns - perfect for parties and picnics. In that case the recipe yields 24-28 lahmacuns. 

Traditionally lahmacun is served with lemon wedges, fresh herbs and simple tomato and cucumber salad (such as my Israeli salad!).

Makes six

Lahmacun - Turkish pizza:

Base:

3 3/4 tsp dry yeast

2 1/4 tsp sugar

2 1/4 dl warm water

2 1/4 tbsp oil

5-6 dl flour (00- grade if possible, gluten-free if needed)

3/4 tsp salt

Topping:

400 g ground lamb (or beef) 
1 (large)onion
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large (beefsteak) tomato or 2 smaller ones
1 large green pepper
1 1/2 dl finely chopped parsley
3/4 dl finely chopped mint
2 tbsp tomato concentrate
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper

also: red chilli flakes

to serve: remaining herbs, lemon wedges

Combine dry yeast, water and sugar and leave aside, covered for 5 minutes while the yeast activates. 

Then add oil, flour (and along with the last dl of flour) salt. Knead into a smooth dough. Brush with a little oil, cover with cling film and leave to double in size in a warm place for an hour. In the meanwhile prep the topping.

Pre-heat the oven to 250ºc  at this point, too, (in a fan assisted oven 230 should do). If you have a pizza stone, leave in in the oven. If not, then do the same with the tray.

Finely chop/ frate the onion. You can do this in a food processor, too, but in that case drain most of the liquid.

Cut the tomato in half, remove the hard core and chop very finely. Do the same with pepper, too. 

Combine all the ingredients (except for the chilli flakes) and work into a smooth mixture. Chill in the fridge until the dough is ready. 

Turn the dough out onto work surface, knead and divide into 6 (there shouldn't be any need for more flour) and roll into thin discs. It's easiest to do this on a parchment, which in turn makes it easy to flip them over onto the hot tray. 

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the topping onto the base and pat into a smooth, even layer. Sprinkle chilli flakes on top and bake for 7-8 minutes until the meat is done and the edges start to get soe colour. 

In case you want your lahmacuns to stay soft, cover them with parchment and then top with a tea towel.

Serve with the remaining herbs and drizzle with lemon juice. 

PS. in case lahmacun is up your alley, you shouldn't forget another Turkish take on pizza: pide!

Onko teillä ollut jo mahdollisuus maistaa lahmacunia? Veikö se teidänkin sydämenne?

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Shish Barak - Palestinian lamb dumplings in coriander, garlic and yogurt sauce

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Shish Barak, lamb dumplings in coriander, garlic and yogurt sauce is one of my fondest Palestinian food memories. Here's my recipe!

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I looooove the holy matrimony between mean and dough in all its forms. Italian tortellinis, Russian pelmenis, Georgian khinkalis, Polish pirogis, Uzbek mantis, Chinese dim sums... ahhhh.

Their Palestinian cousin is called Shish Barak and these lambfilled dumplings are cooked in yogurt. Sounds odd, perhaps, but it works.

Just ask anyone who turned up for my book launch!

Sure, they're a bit laboursome and for an already stressed out author catering her own book launch; scared shitless of the book reviews these are not necessarily the smartest choice to be rolling out the night before...

... though, judging by the rave reviews they received from all the guests, perhaps they were worth all the hassle after all?

In all honesty filling the dumplings is the only actually laboursome part of the process. That's why I usually make a bigger batch and then freeze them in smaller portions.

And I suppose it's all about your own approach: put on some habibi pop, sit down with a friend and start pinching away. Plenty of time to catch up on the gossip (how very authentically Middle Eastern!)

While they might require a bit of work, there's an definite upside to these: they do feed a crowd.

In countries, where dumplings like these are an essential part of the culinary traditions, the families have typically been large and people poor - meaning they've had to feed many mouths for as little as possible.

Meat on the other hand has traditionally been the costliest of ingredients, but when you cleverly combine it with dough, a little goes a long way. Just look at this recipe: quarter of a kilo is enough to feed up to six hungry diners!

Once they're filled, the dumplings can be frozed. Just spread them on a parchment-covered baking tray, place the tray in the freezer for a couple of hours (this prevents the dumplings from sticking to each other) and then freeze in suitable sized portions.

Serves 4-6

Shish Barak - Palestinian lamb dumplings in coriander, garlic and yogurt sauce

the pastry shell:

5 dl all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

0,5 dl oil

2-2 ¼ dl water

Combine flour and salt. Then add oil and mix until you have a crumbly mixture. Then add water and work into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover the dough with a couple of tbsp of oil and leave to rest, covered, while you prepare the filling.

lamb filling for Shish Barak:

1 onion, finely chopped

1,5 tsp bokharat (or 4 epice spice blend)

250 g ground lamb (or beef )

1,5 tsp dried mint 

3/4 tsp salt

a couple of tbsp oil for frying

Heat the oil in a pan. Then sauté onion until translucent. Add the spice blend and, after a couple of minutes the meat, mint and salt. 

Continue cooking until the meat has browned properly. Leave to cook to room temperature.

Divide the dough to 4 portions and keep rest of the dough covered as you're working on one. Roll it thinly (there should be no need for flour) and using a round cutter (or a wine glass) of about 6 cm diameter, cut into discs. 

Fill each disc with about a tsp of the filling and fold into a crescent. Pinch the edges shut, fold the ends behind the dumpling and pinch. 

Place on a parchment-lined tray and keep covered with a tea towel until ready to cook. 

Depending on the size and thickness of the dumplings the recipe yields about 52 dumplings. 

Coriander, garlic and yogurt sauce

1 kg Turkish yogurt

2 dl water

the juice of ½ a lemon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper 

3 large cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

3 tbsp oil

to serve:

za'atar spice blend (can be found at Middle Eastern shops)
toasted pine nuts
rest of the coriander, chopped

Pour the yogurt and water into a large pot and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring every now and then. 

Heat oil in a small pan and sauté garlic and coriander in it.

Add lemon juice into the yogurt, followed by coriander and garlic mixture (along with the oil). Season. 

Add the dumplings into the sauce and simmer for 20 minutes until done. 

Sprinkle some za'ater, pine nuts and rest of the coriander on top of the stew.

Serve as is or accompanied with rice. 

Any of you had Shish Barak yet? Or does Ehud Barak remain your firm favourite...?

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One-pot wonder: Lamb shanks with beans and chorizo and Murviedro Colección Reserva

While I don't celebrate Easter, it didn't stop me from rounding up my nearest and dearest and feasting on a bit of lamb. Though just like last year, it was far from traditional and sought its inspiration from my dear Andalusia. 

Star of the lunch was this robust and comforting one-pot wonder and a sure sign of me missing old stomping ground. But you know what - not long now! Next month I'm back! Back, baby! 

I used lamb shanks (my favourite) and bathed them in the oven for 3 hours with chorizo, beans, red wine and herbs. And the result... well, just look at it. Muy, muy bien.

Serves 4

Lamb shanks, beans and chorizo:

4 lamb shanks

200 g cooking chorizo, cut to 1/3 inch slices 

1 (red) onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

1 tsp pimentón

1/2 tsp chilli powder

4 sprigs of rosemary 

a large handful of thyme leaves

4 bay leaves

2,5 dl red wine

500 g passata (or crushed tomatos)

4 tins (á 400/ 240 g) large white beans

salt, pepper

To serve: fresh parsley, the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon.

Sear the shanks in a bit of oil. Season and move aside. 

Add some more oil into the pot. Brown the chorizo lightly. Then add onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Let them soften. Then add pimentón and chili and let them, too, come to life for a couple of minutes. 

Add tomato concentrate and red wine. Bring to boil. Add herbs and pour in the passata and beans (drained and rinsed). Mix it all evenly, taste and season. Place the shanks into the pot and transfer to oven, pre-heated at 150° (130° will do if it's a fan assisted one). Cook, covered for 3 hours, turning the shanks halfway through.

Sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest and go loco. You know you'll want to. 

The dish had quite a bit going on (robust nature, lamb, the heat and fat of the chorizo, herbs, tomato...), it took me a while to settle on the wine. But sure enough, it comes from Spain. 

Murviedro Colección Reserva (Tempranillo 40%, Monastrell 40%, Syrah 20%) is a great find. Matured in French and American oak for 12 months, one thing this wine doesn't lack is character. It's robust and full-bodied but with matured tannins and notes of dark berries. A great wine for dark, herby game and lamb dishes. 

PS. While, post-Easter, you might not want to see another lamb for a while, do check out my other Andalusian-inspired recipe for lamb shanks braised in sherry and all those warm spices. Muy bien, this too. Si, si!

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Middle East on a plate: lamb with smoky eggplant puree and Segheso Sonoma Zinfandel

This dish is Middle East on a plate, I'll tell you. Velvety, smoky eggplant puree, lamb bathed in oriental spices, fresh herbs and fruity burst from pomegranate seeds. 

There are colours, tastes and textures. There is joy. For best (read: smokiest) result grill the aubergines over open flame or BBQ. If that's not an option (well, it is March on this side of the planet after all...) , you can add smoke aroma that's sold in the shops. 

Serves four:

Lamb on smoky eggplant puree:

Lamb:

1 red onion, finely chopped
3 (large) cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a couple of tbsp oil, for frying
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp paprika
500 g ground lamb (or beef)
1,5 tsp dried oregano
1,5 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
3 tomatos, blanched, peeled and roughly chopped
salt, pepper
1,5-2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 

To serve: sumac, seeds of 1/2 pomegranate, fresh parsley

Prep the tomatos. Cut a cross into them, place in boiling water for a couple of minutes, scoop out of the water, let cool, peel, remove the hard stalk and chop.

Heat the oil in a pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Then add spices and sauté them, too, for a couple of minutes. Then add mince and brown.

Add dried herbs, tomato concentrate and chopped up tomatos. Bring the heat down to medium and leave simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Finally add pomegranate molasses, taste and season. 

Smoky eggplant puree:

4 largeish eggplants ( total weight around 1,4 kg)
30 g butter
1/2 dl flour (glutenfree if needed)
3  dl milk
pinch of nutmeg
salt, pepper
(liquid smoke aroma)

Heat the oven to the highest setting. Prick the eggplants all over and place on a tin foil-lined tray. grill under the broiler, turning every now and then, until the skin is crinkly and blackened - about 40 minutes. Let cool until not too to handle, cut pen, scoop out the flesh and place in a colander to drain while you prep the Béchamel sauce.

Melt butter in a pot until it just starts to foam (don't brown it!). In another pot heat the milk. Add flour into the butter and continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes. Then start adding the milk, a little at a time continuously whisking. The sauce can be on the thick side as there's some moisture in the eggplants as well. 

Roughly chop the eggplants (or, if you want smooth, velvety consistency, blizz them up in a blender) and add into the Béchamel sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper (and smoke aroma, if desired).

Spoon the lamb over the eggplant puree, sprinkle sumac on top and finish with the pomegranate seeds and freshly chopped parsley. And serve.

A dish this joyful deserves an equally joyful wine, too. Pinot Noir would be a great choice for just about any Middle Eastern dish (for recommendations see here and here), but the fruity burst from the pomegranate is also at home with Californian Zinfandel. Mine was Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel and what a fine specimen it was, too. 

It's got a light smokiness that pairs well with the smokiness of the eggplant puree, but such ripe tannins that, combined with the ripe berriness make the overall appearance almost jammy and prevent the tannins from being too overpowering. A great wine that would pair well with variety of dark meats and even game. 

The size (0,375 l) is also convenient for a smaller household, which is something I, for one, truly appreciate. For instance now my single person's fridge is home to three other opened and half-drunken bottles of wine...

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