Spiced lamb pittas with wild garlic, yoghurt and pickled cucumber
Meat mains
Spiced lamb pittas with wild garlic, yoghurt and pickled cucumber
Wild garlic is a brief but abundant season. It carpets the woods surrounding the farm and on a warm spring day there is a palpable pungency in the air. It can be eaten raw, but a slight wilting in the pan mellows the taste.
Cook's notes
Don't overcrowd the pan when you're browning the lamb.
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 300g minced lamb
- oil for frying and roasting e.g. sunflower or light olive
- lamb spice pot:
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 100g wild garlic
- 1 red onion, use ½ if large, all if small
- 15g mint
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- pack pitta breads
- 2 dollops yoghurt
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Wash the cucumber and cut it in half. Keep half for another day. Split the other lengthways and remove the soft seedy core with the tip of a teaspoon. Cut into thin slices.
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Step 2
Mix the vinegar with the sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Mix until the sugar and salt dissolve. In a shallow tray or bowl mix the cucumber with the vinegar. Leave to marinate, turning occasionally.
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Step 3
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the frying pan until nearly smoking hot. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Fry for 5 minutes until it is nicely coloured and browned. Add the spice pot to the lamb and fry for a further 2 minutes.
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Step 4
Tip in the chopped tomatoes and harissa, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes. Add a dash of water if it looks like it may dry out too much and start to catch and burn.
