Searching through a few websites for some Easter fare I started to watch some videos of Paul Hollywood, one of which was for flatbreads, with pulled lamb, from the Waitrose website. That set me thinking that I could try it, since I had bought a leg of lamb a day or so earlier, when it was on offer at Tesco.
So today that is what I have prepared. It is posted on this blog since I think flatbreads can be considered to be baking. The lamb, being an integral part of the whole, has to be included too. But those who just want a nice flatbread can just make that.
I also made a Czech cucumber salad from A Little Bit of Czech, which I have eaten often when in Prague. It is a very refreshing accompaniment to many meals, with a lovely, palate cleansing, effect.
So as well as the recipe, below, for Seeded flatbreads with spiced pulled leg of lamb, I also add the recipe for the cucumber salad.
I also served some shop bought coleslaw as an accompaniment as well as some extra green salad.
The aroma that fills the kitchen as the lamb, all coated in the heavenly spices, cooks is just amazing. The long cooking time makes the lamb very tender and easy to pull apart with two forks. So shredding it and serving it with the flatbread is just perfect for lunch. The taste of the lamb is wonderful, with the spices and juicy onions, wrapped in the flatbread, it is just so easy to eat.
Ingredients:
For the slow cooked lamb:
- 3 onions, sliced into 1 cm thick rings
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2kg leg of lamb
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 250ml red wine vinegar
- 250ml Vegetable stock
For the flatbreads:
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried yeast
- 1 ½ tbsp nigella or black onion seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 310ml cool water
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2cup water
- 6tbsp sugar
- 1/4tsp salt
- 3tbsp white vinegar
- black pepper
To make the lamb:
1. Preheat the oven to 170ºc, gas mark 3. Scatter the sliced onions and garlic in to the bottom of a roasting tin.
2. Mix the cumin, coriander, garam masala, chilli flakes and chopped rosemary together with the salt and pepper. Rub this onto all surfaces of the lamb, including the sides and the base. Sit the lamb on top of the onions. Pour the vinegar and stock into the base of the tray.
3. Cover with parchment and foil, then place in the preheated oven and cook for 3 – 3 1/2 hours. Uncover and return to the oven and cook for another 45 minutes, or until the lamb is falling off the bone.
4. Using two forks, pull the lamb away from the bone and shred the meat. Toss it with the onion and any juices. Serve with flatbreads and coleslaw and cucumber salad.
To make the flatbreads:
1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the Nigella seeds, the oil and 200ml of the water. Use the fingers of one hand to mix the ingredients together.
2. Add the remaining water a little at a time until you have a soft, sticky dough and all the flour is incorporated. You may not need all the water.
3. Oil a clean work surface. Tip the dough onto the oil and knead for 5-10 minutes. The dough will become less sticky and feel smooth and silky when ready.
4. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover until the dough has doubled in size. This will take between 1-3 hours.
5. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 18cm in diameter.
6. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry each flatbread for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and puffy. If the heat is too high, the outside of the bread will burn and the inside will be raw. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
- Peal the cucumbers, and in a bowl grind them with cheese grader, ( large holes or really thin slices).
- Stir in salt, mix and let rest for 5 minutes. The cucumber will release it’s own juice.
- Add sugar and mix till the sugar dissolves, and than add water, vinegar, and pepper.
- Mix well, cover, and place in a fridge.