Spiced lamb pittas with wild garlic, yoghurt & pickled cucumber
- Prep: 15m
- Cook: 30m
- Serves: 2
Wild garlic has 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. When you wash the wild garlic don’t dry the leaves before cooking. It only takes a short time to cook and the residual water helps it to steam and wilt in the pan without catching, removing the need for oil or butter.
Method
- Mix the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. In a shallow tray or bowl, mix the cucumber with the vinegar. Leave to marinate, turning occasionally.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan until almost smoking hot. If using raw lamb mince, season the lamb with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Fry for 5 minutes, until nicely browned (if using cooked leftover lamb, skip to the next step without this browning).
- Add the smoked paprika, oregano and cinnamon to the lamb. Fry for 1 minute. Tip in the tomatoes and harissa. Simmer for 20 minutes, until thick and glossy. Add a dash of water if it looks like it may dry out too much and start to catch.
- Dress the onion with a little salt and pepper. Add the mint. Preheat your oven to 200˚C/Gas 6.
- When the lamb is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning. Drain the vinegar away from the cucumber slices and mix them with the poppy seeds.
- Warm the pittas in the oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Put a saucepan on the heat. Add the wild garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and let it wilt and collapse. This should take no more than 1 minute.
- Split the pittas open to create a pocket. Divide the lamb between the pittas and stuff in some onion, wild garlic, pickled cucumber and a dollop of yoghurt.
Ingredients
All to be sourced organic where possible
- 2 tbsp cider or wine vinegar
- ½ tbsp light brown sugar
- ½ cucumber, halved, deseeded & finely sliced
- 300g lamb mince, or shredded leftover roast lamb
- Oil for frying
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 1 small red onion, peeled & finely sliced or 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- Small bunch mint, leaves shredded
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 4 pitta breads
- 100g wild garlic, washed well
- 150ml yoghurt
- Salt & pepper
