Middle Eastern Inspiration

In winter, I really love to eat food that is full of warm, aromatic and earthy flavours - and today's dish has this in spades. I have used a fragrant and warming middle eastern inspired spice mix to flavour frenched lamb cutlets, and added to this beautiful seasonal roasted vegetables, fresh herbs and seeds from one of my favourite fruits, the pomegranate. To top it off, a perfectly balanced sweet and slightly piquant dressing.

This dish is also my first experiement with using quinoa, that superfood favoured by the Incas and popping up on menus everywhere these days. It really seems to be the ingredient de jour, particularly amongst my vegetarian mates. I decided it was about time I gave it a try, so I included it in my lamb dish in place of the cracked wheat or cous cous I would normally use. I really loved the slight chewiness to the grain and the nutty taste. By all accounts it is also incredibly good for you - there is a reason the Incas called it the "mother of all grain"

This dish is really big on flavour, and although there are a few components, it is actually really easy. It really is worth hunting down fresh pomegranate if you can find it - the little bursts of juicy jewel coloured seeds are just beautiful, as well as looking fabulous on the plate.

There are potentially heaps of variations you could try with this recipe - try whatever veges are in season that you like - eggplant, squash, asparagus, sweet potato would all be great. If you are a vego, leave out the lamb and make the vegetable component as a dish in itself, along with the dressing. I was also thinking that chicken thighs or even fish or prawns would work well too. Toasted almonds or pistachios would also add another texture and flavour dimension.

This dish would be lovely served on a big platter as part of a shared, buffet style meal, even at a BBQ. You will fall in love with the middle eastern influenced flavours and the delightfully varied textures.


 

Middle Eastern Lamb Cutlets

with quinoa, roasted vegetables and fresh pomegranate

You will need:
(For the lamb) 6-8 Frenched lamb cutlets, 1 teaspoon sumac, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon mild paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon warm water, salt and pepper.

(For the vegetables) 2 cups cooked quinoa, about 6 cups assorted raw vegetables cut into chunks about 3cm square (I used red capsicum, pumpkin, zucchini, red onion), 1 cup sliced cooked green beans,1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup deseeded sliced olives, salt and pepper.

(For the dressing) 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon pomegranate balsamic (use plain balsamic if you can't find this), 1 clove minced fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon warm water, generous pinch of salt, pepper.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C.

Combine the sumac, coriander, paprika, olive oil, cayenne, water and salt and pepper to make a paste. Rub the paste into the lamb cutlets and set aside to marinate.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside at room temperature until you are ready to serve.

Combine the chunks of vegetables with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and bake for around 30 minutes, until they are well cooked.

Heat a grill pan (or BBQ) and cook the lamb cutlets - they will not take very long (about 5 minutes), so keep an eye on them so that they are not overcooked. Ideally, they should be a little pink in the middle. Set the cutlets aside to rest.

While the cutlets are resting, gently mix the quinoa, roasted vegetables, green beans, parsely, olives and half of the pomegranate seeds all together in a large bowl.

To serve, place a few generous spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture on the plate, top with the cutlets and then drizzle over a little of the dressing. Add the remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.

Serves 2 - 4 People

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Tart with a heart

I had to cook something this week to take to a work morning tea, and given my general aversion to sweet things I decided to bake something savoury. I pretty much used what I had on hand and just grabbed some pre rolled shortcrust pastry from the store on the way home to create a savoury, "sort of middle eastern" style tart. I had some pistachio and pine nuts that were due to be used too, so I incorporated them to make a lovely nutty crust. The tart proved to be popular with my colleagues, so it all worked well. This dish would be a great picnic dish and can be made a day ahead. It is rustic and boldly flavoured - not a delicate little quiche but something vivid and gutsy.

This tart uses a spice that some of you may not be overly familiar with - Sumac is a spice used extensively in middle eastern cuisines. It comes in the form of vivid red/burgandy berries that are ground and the outer skin removed and has a unique, sweet, lemony, tangy flavour. I love the fresh zingy taste it brings to grilled meat, dressings and pies. Good quality ground sumac should be deep red to burgandy in colour. It is now reasonably easy to source - I think even some of the bigger supermarkets are stocking it these days, but of course any middle eastern deli will have it for sure. If you have never tried it, give it a go - it is a great addition to your spice cupboard.

And now, to the dish itself.......

Pumpkin, pinenut and pistachio tart with sumac

You will need: 1 large sheet pre rolled shortcrust pastry, 5 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 cups diced cooked pumpkin, 2 large onions, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 1 tabspoon pine nuts, 1 tablespoon pistachio nuts, 200g crumbled fetta cheese, 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 heaped teaspoon sumac, 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, splash of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method: Line a 30cm quiche dish with baking paper. Press in the rolled pastry into the dish, trim any rough edges and then lay another sheet of baking paper over the top. Tip in a pile of baking weights (you can get these from cookware stores) or improvise and use dry rice or beans to weigh the paper down. Bake blind for 15 minutes, until the base is cooked through. You want it to be firm so that you don't end up with a soggy base, once the filling is in. Once the base is cooked, remove the baking paper and set the tart aside.

While the base is cooking, Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan. Add the sliced onions and sautee them for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, chilli and sumac and cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the cooked pumpkin and stir it through.

Beat the eggs, milk and plenty of salt and pepper together. Set aside.

Crumble half of the fetta and cheddar over the base of the tart, then tip in the filling ingredients. Top with the remaining cheeses, pine nuts and pistachios. Pour the egg mixture into the base and then top with the fresh chives.

Bake in a moderate oven until lightly golden on top and the egg mixture is just set. This will take around 25 minutes. Allow the tart to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve warm or cold.

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