Kashmiri Spiced Chicken Pittas

Kashmiri spiced chicken pitta, that worked out even better than I thought it would!

This is an idea that got carried over into this week's menu list, having been bumped from last week's good intentions.  I have done similar things with meat and pitta bread very successfully in the past (see Spicy Chicken In Pitta Bread, Kibbeh Meatballs in Pitta Bread and Minty Aromatic Pulled Lamb Pittas), so I had a good feeling about this one.

As dinner concepts go, it really is simplicity itself.

Good sized chicken breast chunks are marinated in goat yoghurt, lime juice, Kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder, then oven baked.  Easy peasy!  Plus, don't be worried about making too much of the chicken, as it is just as good the following day as a cold sandwich filling.  It is very well worth finding the Kashmiri chilli powder, as it has an interesting flavour being not terribly spicy hot at all but very flavoursome.  It also has an amazing red colour that is particular to the Kashmiri chilli and I've put a link at the bottom of the page to Amazon, where they have a number of different suppliers.  We found our Kashmiri chilli powder in our local ethnic shop (one of these shops that sells all kinds of spices, fruit and tins of things you've never heard of) so do keep an eye out for it.
 

The wholemeal pitta (it's worthwhile using wholemeal as it adds to the nutty flavour and tend to stay softer than the white versions) has hummus and a home made raita - plus the chicken of course - inside of it.  Serving everything is the work of minutes to grill the pittas, then smear in some hummus, add the chicken pieces (a pair of tongs works very well here), drizzle over the raita and you're done.

I served them with some home made salt & pepper potato wedges and a watermelon & tomato chopped salad with a pomegranate molasses dressing, which provided a nice freshness.

Everyone loved these pittas - the heat of the curry spices, cool cucumber and mint together with the nuttiness of the pitta and hummus was a complete winner.

KASHMIRI SPICED CHICKEN PITTAS   (serves 4)

Ingredients :

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
3 dessertspoonfuls of goat yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt)
2 heaped tsp of mild curry powder
1.5 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder (or 1 tsp ordinary chilli powder)
half a tsp of Garam Masala
a pinch of sea salt
the juice of half a lime
4 wholemeal pitta bread
8 heaped tsp hummus.

For the Raita :

2 inch piece of cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, chopped fine
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
pinch of sea salt
pinch of black pepper
2 dessertspoonfuls of goat yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt).

Method :

1.  Mix the goat yoghurt, curry powder, chilli powder, Garam Masala, lime juice and sea salt together in a bowl.  Add the chicken chunks, stir to coat in the mixture and leave to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2.  To prepare the raita, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for the flavours to get to know one another.

3.  Place the chicken pieces along with the remains of the marinade, onto a baking tray with sides, as there will be liquid produced as the chicken cooks.

4.  Cook the chicken at 200degC/400degF/Gas 6 for 25-30mins, until the edges are just beginning to char and the chicken is cooked through.  Half way through the cooking time, remove the chicken from the oven and pour the cooking liquid away.  Return to the oven for the remainder of the time.

5.  Grill the pitta bread and slit down one side.

6.  Spread 2 tsp of hummus onto one side of the pitta bread.

7.  Fill the pitta with chicken pieces, then drizzle with raita.

Serve the pittas with a side salad of your choice and salt & pepper potato wedges.

Printable version

Harissa Lamb Flatballs in Flatbread with Hummus

Well, that title describes the basics of it, anyway!

For those of you who are wondering what the heck a "flatball" might be, it is basically a flat meatball, a burger shape, a small circular "cake" shape.  Now I have an unreasonable hatred of the word "patty" ..... arrrgh, I hates it, hates it I tells ya!  So I won't be using that one, but that's basically what a flatball is.

So, having explained that, let's talk about the dish.

In the past, I have made all sorts of different variations of this dish of which the Harissa Lamb in Flatbreads with Tzatziki and the Kibbeh Meatballs in Pitta Bread are great examples.  However, there is a certain clumsiness involved in trying to eat either a flatbread or a pitta bread that is stuffed with small ball shaped items that are constantly trying to escape.  More often than not, with me, they do escape - right down my cleavage.  Which is a neat trough for them to land in, but can be embarrassing when it comes to retrieval - and boy, that Harissa really does leave a stain!
 

Flatballs .... see?  :)

This is why, when I was thinking about doing the Harissa paste/Lamb mince thing again, I decided to go with the flatball option, instead of a meatball shape.  The good news is, that it works and works beautifully.  Each flatball sits nicely and behaves itself well as you munch your way through.  There is inevitably the occasional bid for freedom, but it is a whole lot easier to keep under control than having three or four wilful meatballs in your sandwich.

Basic hummus - recipe from "Jerusalem"

The day before making the flatballs, I had made some hummus.  Now I remember making hummus previously and although it wasn't a drama to make - just chuck everything in the food processor and blitz - it wasn't exactly wonderful hummus.  Then I received Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi's cook book "Jerusalem" for Christmas.  (You are going to get SO fed up hearing about it!).  In this they have a recipe for basic hummus, but using soaked dried chick peas - so hummus very much from scratch.  They also have a novel way of preparing the chick peas that leaves them extremely tender - more so than tinned - and beautifully flavoured.  I won't go into the recipe here as the next time I make some I want to photograph the process and blog it for you.  However, if you're anticipating making some soon - the recipe can be found here so you can try it for yourself - it is well worth doing.
 

Be aware that they spit absolutely EVERYWHERE!  lol

I wanted to use some of my home made hummus in the flatball recipe, but don't feel you have to.  By all means buy in a good reliable hummus (Sabra is our favourite) to use instead.  If you buy in some dipping ammunition (carrot sticks, apple slices, pitta bread, oatcakes - you get the idea), you can make very good use of the leftovers one evening, with a glass of wine.

The Tzatziki is simplicity itself to make, however I did give it a little bit of extra glamour by adding a spoonful of soured cream (I had some looking for a home to go to), baby cucumbers diced very finely (I adore those baby cucumbers) and mint from the garden.  But again, if you don't fancy making it or don't have the time/ingredients - just buy some.  Life is to short to be agonising over bought -v- home made tzatziki .

Now don't be tempted to leave the rocket out of the mix.  I know it's not the cheapest thing to buy (although it has come down in price just lately), but you can use up the remainder as an additional salad leaf - and it can be used to great effect in sandwiches at lunchtime, too.  The rocket adds that textural crisp crunchiness that is so important when all the other ingredients are soft.  Plus, its lovely peppery flavour goes so well and adds that extra dimension to the overall flavour.

Due to the flatbreads providing the carbohydrate input, I didn't think we needed any additional carbs, so served the flatbread/flatballs with a simple salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, baby red peppers and red onion.  It really didn't need anything more than that to make a perfect evening meal.

This sort of food is perfect teenager fuel.  My own personal teenager - son & heir - was so in love with these that I'm sure he'd be happy no matter how many times I served them in a week.  They have everything a teenager loves - meat, spice, richness and can be eaten with the fingers.  From a Mum's perspective, they provide all the nutrients that your teenager needs in order to grow well, plus the additional benefits of fibre and fresh food - all of which can be difficult to get into a teenager.  Everyone enjoyed the meal and if you have youngsters in the family, I'd suggest making some flatballs that have less or no Harissa in them and cooking them off first, so that everyone can have what looks like the same meal and the little ones can feel all grown up.  We had two each, but for a smaller appetite I'm quite sure that just one - with the accompanying salad - would be sufficient.

Oh and the other big advantage of this meal, is that it is simplicity itself to put together.  How simply marvellous!  A meal with virtually no guilt burden.  Hurrah!

HARISSA LAMB FLATBALLS IN FLATBREAD WITH HUMMUS   (feeds 3-6)

Ingredients :

For the tzatziki :

150g greek yoghurt
50g sour cream
2-3 baby cucumbers or a 2" chunk of cucumber with seed removed, diced finely
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1 tsp mint sauce - the vinegary one
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.

For the flatballs :

500g minced lamb, fresh from the fridge and very cold
3 tsp Harissa paste (or to taste)
half a red onion, finely diced
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp fresh finely chopped mint
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp sunflower oil
6 flatbreads (I used sundried tomato & onion flavour ones, but plain would do fine)
200g hummus
50g rocket.

Method :

To make the tzatziki, spoon out the Greek yoghurt and sour cream into a bowl and mix together.  Add the chopped cucumbers, mint and mint sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir to combine, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary, then leave to let the flavours mingle.

In a large bowl, combine the minced lamb with the Harissa paste, red onion, chopped mint, dried rosemary, egg yolk and a good pinch each of salt and pepper.  Mix well so that the ingredients are well combined.

Smooth the top of the mixture, then divide into six by - with the tip of your spoon - drawing a line across to halve, then divide each half into three with two more lines.  This should ensure that you get roughly the same amount for each flatball.

Spoon out one sixth of the mixture into the palm of your hand and shape it into a flatball - or burger - shape approximately a half inch thick (or less), making sure to press it together to prevent any breaking apart later on in the pan.  Place it on a chopping board and continue to shape the remaining five.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate to high heat, then gently place three of the flatballs into the pan.  Don't try and cook all six together, as this will overcrowd the pan and they'll just poach - which you don't want!  As soon as they are in the pan, leave them alone.  Don't be tempted to turn them, move them or fiddle about with them at all.  When you can see a line of browned lamb creeping up the side of each flatball and the underside is lovely and golden brown, then turn them carefully onto the uncooked side and leave them alone again.

Once the line of browned lamb has met up with the other side and both sides are golden brown, the juice has stopped flowing freely (but hasn't disappeared altogether) - which takes around 15-20 minutes - remove the flatballs from the pan and place onto kitchen paper and put somewhere to keep warm while you cook the remaining three.  You will know when they are cooked through, as when pressed on top they will provide some resistance.

Once all the flatballs are cooked, toast the flatbreads lightly to warm them up.

Take a flatbread and spread the whole of one side with a good layer of hummus.  Lay a small bunch of rocket on top of the hummus, followed by the flatball and finish with a good spoonful of the tzatziki.  Fold the unladen side of the flatbread over and serve with a simple salad and a napkin for the fingers!

Printable version

A little light lunchtime five-tier pitta!

So, you all know that I run a Facebook page in conjunction with the blog here, right?  Well, if you hadn't realised, it's here at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Eatwells-Rhubarb-Ginger/161388070631031?sk=wall where I post up all the stuff that doesn't really belong on the blog.

Except, I started to think that perhaps it was a shame not to put some of the Facebook photographs on the blog too.  Like today's lunch.  Oh, it was stellar.  Oh yes indeed.  Why should you guys who don't indulge in Facebook, miss out on what might give you some inspiration to create your own stellar lunch?

You see, this is one of the changes I was talking about earlier.  From now on, you'll find some shorter (stop cheering at the back!) blog posts appearing, dealing with breakfast, lunch or just a fantastic biscuit we've found.  (Have I told you about Asda's Chocolate Melting Moments?  Get some, you have to).

Okay then, so what was so great about today's lunch?

From right to left or left to right, I could.  I really could.  Mmmmn.

Well for starters it was in a pitta bread, so low GI and won't cause bloating in me - which is good to begin with.  I lightly toasted my pitta bread, which left it puffed up and warm.  So what did I put into it?

Firstly, some of my home made hummus.  Aaah, Yotam Ottolenghi how I do love you.

Next, a layer of super finely sliced Milano salami.  Aha!  That's got your interest, I can tell.

Then, a smidgeon - just a smidgeon! - of mayonnaise, to provide something for the rocket (aha, token green stuff) to stick to.

The rocket, in turn, provided a home in which to nestle two halved cherry tomatoes and three halved queen green olives.  Ta daaa!!

That's ... that's just beautiful, that is. 

Oh yes.  Take me home, country roads - it's a taste of summer.  I commend it to you all!

Harissa Lamb in flatbreads with tzatziki

I shall apologise (I'm very sorry!) first off, for posting another mince recipe so soon.  Hopefully you'll forgive me when you realise just how good this combination is - and at least it's lamb mince this time.

I do try to ring the changes with the recipes that I schedule in for the week - and blog - but some are just too good to wait.

I'm not sure where I got the idea for this dish from, to be honest.  I think I can remember seeing something on t.v. where hummus was used as a base within a pitta bread which then had other bits heaped on top, but for the life of me I can't remember which programme.  Like a lot of life, these days, it is just a blur.  I'm lucky if I can remember my own name, some days!

Flatbreads have been popular on the t.v. just recently, having been featured in Celebrity MasterChef at least twice - and it's there that I got the idea to use flatbreads instead of pitta bread.  Before I committed myself to the flatbread idea (and, I hasten to add, I had no intention of making them - not this time, anyway - so apologies if you've come here looking for a flatbread recipe) I checked via the online shopper interface whether my local Asda sold them - and it turned out that it does!

Now I like pitta bread, but I do find them to be hard work some days.  Very often, even after heating, they refuse to open properly and you wind up with your filling more "on" them than "in" them.  Plus, they seem to go very leathery and/or hard when they cool down, which is okay if you're wanting to exercise your jaw muscles - but I can do that by talking.  ~innocent look~

Flatbreads, however, have no pocket.  It's a simple matter of filling and folding them in half - much the same as a sandwich.  They are also delightfully light and fluffy - and we've discovered that Asda do three "flavours".  For this lamb dish, I used the tomato & onion version, but they also do a plain version and our favourite (which we didn't discover until after this dish, or I'd have used them here) a "coronation" (aka curried) version.

Apart from the North African flavours (which are just fabulous), the very best thing about this dish is the simplicity with which it comes together.  There really is just the one cooking process to do - the preparation of the mince - and the rest is just assembly.

For the mince, I used the little pot of Harissa paste that had been sent to me by Sainsbury's as part of their promotion of the Speciality Ingredients Range.  I've used Harissa in the past and not been terribly impressed by it - it seemed a bit pale pink in flavour, whereas I was expecting some deep, big flavours.  Well, it would appear that Harissa has come a long way since I first played with it - as the Sainsbury's Speciality Ingredients Harissa contains rose petals, red peppers, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander and caraway and is wonderfully flavoured with all the big, rich, deep combinations that I had given up on.  It is true that I did use the entire pot of paste - but then as prices for the entire range top out at £2.99, even if the little pot cost the full £2.99 it was worth it as the only other thing I used was an onion and the mince itself.

I put together a home made Tzatziki - cucumber in Greek Yoghurt, with fresh chopped mint and some seasoning - and the combination was perfect for dipping one corner of your flatbread into.  Some marinated beetroot, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese added a lovely zing to the dish.  Spicy mince, warm soft flatbread, creamy cool yoghurt and zingy beetroot - I'm beginning to sound like Greg Wallace!

Son and heir loved these flatbreads and has requested a repeat.  Hubby's one criticism, which is more a personal taste observation than a criticism, was that he would have preferred the mince to have been more "saucy" and less dry.  I loved them just the way they were and feel that to have made the mince mixture wetter would have made it problematical to keep it in the flatbread.  As it is, I spread the flatbread with hummus, then added a handful of rocket leaves and piled on the spicy mince.  The hummus did a great job of hanging onto the mince, as did the rocket.  I can imagine if the mince were more fluid, it would wind up dripping down your arm - which has its attractions, it's true!

HARISSA LAMB IN FLATBREADS, WITH TZATZIKI   (makes 6 individual flatbreads)

Ingredients :

500g lamb mince
1 onion, cut into quarters and sliced finely
1 pot (90g) Harissa paste
6 flatbreads
200g hummus 
50g rocket leaves
8cm (approx) cucumber
3-4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Heat a large frying pan until very hot, then add the lamb mince and dry fry it until all the water has evaporated, the fat rendered out and the meat is beginning to caramelise.  Drain the fat into a container and set the drained meat to one side.

2.  Place a tablespoonful of the fat back into the pan and add the onion.  Cook on a medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened and a light golden brown colour.

3.  Replace the meat back into the pan and bring up to temperature, then mix in the contents of the jar of Harissa.  Reduce the heat and continue to cook for some 5 or 6 minutes, or until the flavours have combined sufficiently.  Check for seasoning.

4.  Sprinkle the flatbreads with a little water and heat in a hot oven for 3-4 minutes.

5.  Taking a flatbread, spread it liberally with hummus, then add a handful of rocket leaves to one half of the spread side.  Pile a generous spoonful of mince onto the rocket leaves and fold the flatbread over, like a sandwich.

Serve with tzatziki and a small salad including some Feta cheese.

Printable version
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The hummus muse hath struck!

Since forever, my hubby has been saying to me “you should make your own hummus, you know” (much in the same way as he’s now saying “you should make your own gnocchi”).  So while the gnocchi still waits, I overcame my reluctance and bought some Tahini paste (which is made from sesame seeds), dried chickpeas – and waited for the muse to strike.

Well, the muse took her time – as 6 months down the line, I’ve just made my first batch of hummus.  I found that the first problem was remembering to put the chickpeas (also known as "little bums" - well, have you looked closely at one?) on to soak the night before.  Yes, I know you can use tinned chickpeas, but if reports were to be believed, the best hummus comes from dried, soaked and boiled chickpeas rather than tinned.  I am also controlled by the “I’ve got to do it RIGHT” muse, by the way.

So, having managed to remember to soak the chickpeas, I was then committed to doing something with them the next day.  The cooking of the chickpeas was easy enough – into a pan with a teensy amount of salt and a whole heap of water, boil for an hour.  Sorted.  Tasting them thereafter, I realise now why hummus purists prefer the dried version.  The flavour is far superior.  So anyway, I procrastinated as long as was possible over the next stage, then got on with it.

Chuck the chickpeas into a food processor, add olive oil, Tahini (I suggest you start with just a little and work your way upwards – basically because you can’t take it out once it’s gone in and it is a very strong flavour), a good quantity of lemon juice, a squashed garlic clove and some salt & pepper.  Blitz until the mixture runs smoothly, adding olive oil as you go, to get the right texture.

I found it was a trial and error thing with the quantities of olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Very much a personal taste issue.

However, it really wasn’t as big a deal as I was thinking it might be.  It was really quite easy – and the hummus is a very forgiving substance, which you can blitz and taste, blitz and taste, without it getting all huffy and going wrong like egg whites will, in similar circumstances.

Of course, I got the quantities wrong and made an industrial sized quantity – so I’ll be scaling that down for future hummus makes – but it was really very nice indeed.  I ate it with a drizzle of olive oil and some cayenne pepper sprinkled on, with mini carrots and some little salty biscuits and it made a very yummy mid-film snack.