Easy dinners with edible plates
Rosh Hashanah is early this year, so it’s likely to be warm and you will want something easily cookable — pulled lamb salad, with a chicken alternative and couscous salad, for instance. Lamb warms through well on the hot plate and you can add the pomegranate molasses afterwards.
The pulled lamb salad I serve is based on a Nigella recipe but with a few tweaks of my own. One large shoulder is easily enough to feed eight to ten hungry people alongside a chicken dish and enough for four to six greedy eaters if served alone, particularly when accompanied by dips, salads and pitta or flat breads. If you can get lavash or Iraqi pittas, then do, as they make fantastic wraps and delicious edible plates. Leftovers are great shovelled into a pitta with some hummus, lettuce, and chopped spring onion and parsley for freshness and zing. You can find the recipe, along with lots more inspiration, at louismann.co.uk. Here are some other family favourites:
LAMB & ARTICHOKE KEBAB
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil or the oil from the artichokes 1 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp dried oregano
Two cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Three lemons
One small bunch flat-leaf parsley choppped 1kg cubed lamb 16 marinated artichoke hearts Two bunches spring onions
METHOD
Mix the oil, coriander, oregano, garlic, zest of two lemons, chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste and then toss in the lamb to combine. Allow the lamb to marinate for at least two hours and better overnight. Meanwhile, soak the kebab sticks for 30 minutes, so they do not char.
Cut all the lemons in half (including the zested ones) and halve the artichokes too. Cut the spring onions in half lengthwise and then into short lengths.
Thread the meat, artichokes and spring onions on to the skewers and cook on a mediumheat griddle or barbecue until they are as done as you like. We like medium, so I do them about four to five minutes each side. Char the cut side of the lemons for a couple of minutes and then squeeze them over the grilled kebabs.
ORZO AND ROASTED VEGETABLES
Here is one of my “suggest-ipes”, a catch-all recipe and equally delicious as a cold salad or a hot dish. Add and subtract vegetables according to the odds and ends in your fridge — it is a great user-upper of whatever might be a bit too wrinkly to go into a fresh salad. Sometimes I add some sundried tomato paste to the finished dish and occasionally a splash of balsamic vinegar if it is to be served cold.
Orzo is a small pasta shape resembling a large grain of rice. It cooks quickly and can be used in place of rice in many dishes or added to soups and casseroles.
INGREDIENTS
One aubergine, cubed
One or two courgettes, cubed
Two peppers cut into cubes
One to two red onions in large dice
Large handful of cherry or baby plum tomatoes halved
Two to three cloves garlic thinly sliced Olive oil
Salt and pepper
250g orzo
One lemon
Handful of fresh bay leaves
Handful of fresh parsley
METHOD
Line your grill pan with a layer of thick foil and add the vegetables, tomatoes and sliced garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil season with salt and pepper and give everything a gentle mix to coat.
Grill the vegtables for about 20 minutes or roast for 40; give them a shake or stir half way through. You want them cooked but not mushy.
When the vegetables are cooked, take them out of the oven and cook the orzo in plenty of boiling salted water until tender, usually eight to ten minutes.
Drain the orzo and mix with the roasted vegetables; squeeze over some lemon juice (I usually use about half a lemon) and stir through the shredded basil and chopped parsley.
Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary and pile into a serving dish. This will keep warm in a medium oven or can be left to cool completely. I add more olive oil if serving cold, as the orzo tends to suck it up while it cools.