Book alert!

The previous three posts bring me to another suggestion for your already creaking book shelves.

There are some books that are destined to stay on your shelves gathering dust and there are others, as in this case, that become invaluable and form part of an ever growing reference library. If it's possible to become attached to inanimate objects, books do it for me!

If you've enjoyed the “sharing” theme and want to know more, why not try Claudia Roden's “Arabesque A taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon”. This jewel was first published in 2005 so I suppose in today's terms of cookery book publication it's probably not on the best seller list.

This book is bursting at the seams with history and information from all three Countries mentioned along with recipes covering starters, mezze, mains and desserts.

If you liked the posts on tagines and mezze you'll love it.

I know that these days the fashion is to up-date or re-work a recipe and there may be certain circumstances where it's appropriate, but there are some books where the expression “if it ain't broke don't fix it” most definitely applies and this book is one of them.

Is your appetite suitably whetted? If so, there are more jewels from Claudia Roden – A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, Tamarind & Saffron, Mediterranean Cookery – the list goes on.

Inspirational!

My mezze …

contribution that is

As you've come to expect with me, what follows is my take on a Lebanese mezze dish which formed the appetiser for my class :

Halloumi and pomegranate salad

Serves 6 as an appetiser

50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

250g Halloumi – sliced

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

cherry tomatoes, halved

Warm the oil in a frying pan. Season and fry the sliced halloumi for 1-2 minutes each side – set aside and keep warm, add the tomatoes and repeat. Serve in small bowls, sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with dressing.

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Generous pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle over the halloumi and tomatoes.

Serve with warmed mini pitta breads or

rustic bread of your choice

By the way – if you have bottled lime juice in your pantry 2 tbsp of juice = 1 lime.

Mmmm – Mezze

… or meze or kemia

Lebanon, Turkey and Morocco respectively. The spirit of mezze is that of a sociable, sharing experience.

There's something really decadent about picking and choosing from small bowls or plates, using your fingers and delicious bread.

Everything changes when you're sat round a table, you are much more likely to try dishes you've not tasted before or even to re-visit a dish you've previously disliked. It's like the salad bar principle, because you can serve yourself and there's no pressure - if a dish looks colourful and therefore tempting you give it a go and who knows – you might like it!

I think the other crucial ingredient is good bread – not just for dipping but to use almost like a piece of cutlery picking up small pieces of food. Once again there are loads to choose from and if you don't want to go to the bother of making your own you can buy great varieties, pitta I suppose being the most widely available. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that has an artisan bakery you're sure to find a rustic bread that will fit the bill for your mezze. One to put on your list is “pide” - a Turkish bread that uses semolina and it is absolutely delicious.

There are so many mezze dishes to choose from – some you can make ahead so the flavours can infuse – a bonus when catering for the guests. There are the popular dishes that we're all familiar with, hummus made with chickpeas, tarama (which is known as taramasalata in Greece) made with smoked cod's roe and baba ganoush (ghanouj) made with aubergine.

If you think about it you can transfer the same principle of sharing plates, appetisers, call them what you will, all over the world – Tapas in Spain, Cicchetti in Italy to name but two.

Whatever Country takes your fancy the end result is the same – who doesn't like tearing and sharing bread and dipping in.

As usual, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

P.s. If you can't find pide then Italian focaccia is a good alternative.

Talking of Tagines

… which I know we weren't, but in a roundabout sorta way we were - the tagine is a cooking pot used for slow cooking meat and vegetables.

The North African tagine is smaller and shallower than the Middle Eastern which is larger and deeper.

This slow cooking method is similar to stewing except that we would generally stew meat and vegetables in liquid – i.e. water or stock. The tagine is so shaped – it has a distinctive tall, conical shaped lid, so that the water formed from the ingredients turns into vapour, running down the sides of the conical lid inside, to the edges of the base ingredients. The meat and/or vegetables brown which you would not get with the stewing method where the ingredients are submerged in water.

The tagine was generally made out of clay or earthenware and sat cooking gently over a fire with the heat dispersing evenly all around the tagine – the end result is a naturally reduced sauce.

These cooking vessels were used for centuries before such luxuries as ovens. Which begs the question – when you consider how small a tagine is – what happens when there's a party – good question – answer – cook the food in giant pots, made out of copper, aluminium or stainless steel and you can buy or rent – known as “qdra”.

With “street” and “souk” food the stews are cooked in saucepans as they are in the poorer areas and more remote countryside too - known as “marqa”.

The word nowadays, though completely incorrect, has come to mean the contents of the pot, i.e. a stew in its various forms, for example - “M'quali” are cooked in oil and containing saffron and ginger and the sauce is yellow. “M'hammer” are cooked in olive oil or butter and spiced with cumin and paprika and the sauce is red.

So, in restaurants the “tagines” or “stews” are made in the larger pots and then transferred to the smaller tagines to serve at table.

If you are a lover of the sweet and savoury combination of flavours then this is the cuisine for you since the “stew” is very often enhanced with either apricots, dates, prunes and/or honey – I could go on!

The Shank and Spice!

In “Nigella Bites” first published in 2001 there's a recipe for Aromatic Lamb-Shank Stew.

I found the recipe itself really appealing but knowing my family serving a whole shank doesn't go down too well.

What follows is my version of that recipe although obviously the original is very much available!

4 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil

6 lamb shanks

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tsps garlic paste

sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsps cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

black pepper

3 tbsps honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Marsala

Using the oil, brown the shanks and place in your slow cooker. Fry the onion and garlic paste until soft, sprinkling with salt. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg and season with pepper. Add the honey, soy and Marsala. Tip the mixture over the shanks and cover with boiling water. Leave for as long as you like. 4 to 6 hours. Remove the shanks and strip off the meat – add the meat back to the gravy in the slow cooker.

The lamb is ready to serve when you are, fridge until required. You can freeze it if you wish, it enhances the flavour.

The other ingredient my family isn't wild about, is couscous. However, they do love roast potatoes, so, I serve this “stew” with the biggest pan of roasties I can. There's loads of spicy gravy and roast potatoes somehow fit.

If, like my mob, couscous isn't your thing, new potatoes would work just as well, just not as crunchy.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen food disappear quite so fast – absolutely nothing left – so, if you like the idea of a spicy roast then this is for you, it's worth every second of prep and it's not complicated.

A huge thank you to Nigella for the recipe.

Posh lamb!

This is seriously gorgeous – if you want a dish to impress guests that looks the real deal, here it is and it's all done ahead of the game and takes no time at all to bring together and serve.

Lamb shank with Redcurrant and Port jus

Three large lamb shanks

Lamb stock/cube

3 tsps of garlic paste

227g jar Redcurrant jelly

200ml Port

Slow cook your shank – seal the shanks in a little oil – set aside – gently fry the garlic ensuring it doesn't burn and heat the stock so it boils. Slow cook for 4-6 hours – whatever is convenient . Leave to cool, overnight is best, then strip the meat. Chop the meat as finely as possible.

Oil dariole moulds and then line with cling film ensuring there is enough overlapping to fold in when you've filled with the chopped lamb. There should be enough for 6 or 7 moulds from three large shanks.

Fill each mould with the chopped lamb and press down firmly. Fold the cling film over the mould. At this point you can chill in the fridge or freeze. If freezing defrost before use and allow the moulds to reach room temperature.

You don't have to use dariole moulds. Alternatively you can oil and line a square oven-proof tray 15 cms approx with cling film and then fill with the chopped lamb and press down firmly. Fold over the excess cling film to cover. Chill or freeze as above.

To serve, pre-heat oven to 180 fan/200c/Gas 6.

Heat a little oil in an oven-proof pan. Gently ease the lamb from the moulds – the excess cling film will assist and brown on all sides. If using a tray, ease the pressed lamb from the tray and divide into portions using a sharp knife and brown on both sides. Pop into oven for 20 minutes.

For the jus melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and boil, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. If you are freezing the jus let it cool - it will freeze for a month. Defrost the sauce at room temperature and reheat to serve.

Again the dariole moulds come in useful!

The shank in all its glory!

These days there's not a lot of spare dosh - know-one has it to throw away. Meat is expensive and so it makes sense to me that when you do indulge you want to make sure, as much as it's possible, that you'll get value for money and the result on the plate won't resemble boot leather.

You know what my answer is – the slow cooker in the first instance – cooking cheaper cuts of meat in the second. On the bone is where the meat is always sweeter - it's a win win and that's without mentioning saving time.

I'll admit to one flaw and that is with the lamb suggestions that follow, you'll have to strip the shanks but hey there's no pressure, you don't have to do it the same day they've been slow cooked!

“Roast” Lamb

The lamb is not roasted, it's slow cooked, left to cool and then stripped. Because you are cooling (overnight is ideal) the lamb is easy to strip, the fat that inevitably settles is easy to scoop off and discard, leaving a good lamb stock for gravy. I used a litre of lamb stock (two stock cubes). Seal the shanks in a little oil – you could also add a tsp or two of garlic paste to de-glaze the pan and then add the stock (ensuring that it has been brought to the boil). Slow cookers vary – I left mine for six hours on a medium setting (2). At this stage you can freeze the lamb and the stock. If you do freeze defrost thoroughly - preferably overnight before preparing to serve.

What you don't seem to see these days – probably because it's considered to be an old fashioned accompaniment to lamb, is onion sauce. Truly delish – a marriage made in heaven. The sauce can be made ahead and warmed through :

Quick Onion Sauce

3 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped

Good glug of rapeseed oil and generous knob of butter

30g plain flour

500ml milk

salt and white pepper

freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Soften the onion in the oil and butter, sprinkle over the flour and mix.

On a low heat, gradually add the milk, whisking continuously. Let the sauce come to the boil when you've added all the milk, then remove from heat and season with the salt and pepper and nutmeg if you wish.

So straight forward, what you see is what you get, roast lamb that is ready to roll when you are, with a sauce that's a little different.