MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB DISHES RECIPES

Steps:

• Place lamb in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Mix oil, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the lamb with the spice paste and toss to coat well. Top with onion.
• Bring tomatoes, broth and garlic to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the lamb and onion. Cover and cook until the lamb is very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high or 5 1/2 to 6 hours on low.
• Skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Mash 1/2 cup chickpeas with a fork in a small bowl. Stir the mashed and whole chickpeas into the stew, along with spinach. Cover and cook on high until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• For the bread:.
• Crumble the yeast into a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and add 310ml (1 1/4 cups) tepid water.
• Leave for 10-15 minutes until the yeast begins to activate.
• Mix in the flour, salt and butter and mix well.
• Turn out onto a well floured work surface and knead well until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Leave in a warm place for approximately 1.5 hrs to rise.
• For the lamb topping:.
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onion for approximately 5 minutes until softened.
• Add the lamb, cinnamon and most of the parsley, and season well with salt and pepper (you'll need to season it quite a lot).
• Cook for approx 10 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated, remove from the heat and stir in the tomato.
• Preheat your oven to 220c.
• Back to the bread:.
• Knock down the dough by punching out all of the air to bring it back to its original size.
• Divide into 14 balls (less if you prefer) and keep them well covered to ensure they don't dry out.
• On a well floured surface, roll to dough balls to approximately 1-2mm thick and 12-15cm in diameter.
• Arrange on a lightly floured baking try.
• Cover each disk of dough with just more than 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture, ensuring you leave a thin border around the edge.
• Drizzle approximately 1tsp of olive oil over each one and bake for 10 minutes or until the dough is cooked but has not dried out.
• Serve immediately sprinkled with the remaining parsley and chili flakes (to taste).