Pulled Lamb Flatbread

This is an interesting recipe. I realised as I was crafting it in my imagination that it was a bit of a mish-mash of cultures and cuisines. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t really found a flatbread recipe as good as this one — it’s a bit of a cross between pita and naan bread. I make it the same way as pita, but add some yoghurt before the second rise. This gives the bread a lovely elasticity and puffiness when grilled.

Here I’ve topped it with slow cooked lamb (there’s no real origin to this recipe, just a melange of flavours that go well together), pickled onion, labneh, dukkah, pomegranate and a mint chimichurri.

It’s a busy flatbread, but everything works together well. You have the acidic lime pickled onion; the creamy, salty labneh; the herby chimichurri; the spiced dukkah; the sweet crunch of pomegranate. They all do wonderful things with the warm lamb and the puffy flatbread.

Ingredients: 

Pulled Lamb

• 1 lamb leg or lamb shoulder (roughly 1.3kg or so), bone-in
• 1 tsp each of following spices: sumac, cumin, smoked paprika & cinnamon
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced.
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 1L beef stock 
• 1 cup of red wine 

Mint Chimichurri 

• 1 cup mint leaves 
• ½ cup coriander leaves 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• Juice of ½ lime 
• Dash of sherry vinegar
• Dash of olive oil  
• Sprinkle of sugar, salt, pepper & cumin

Flatbread
(makes 5 or so)

• 1 sachet (7g) dried yeast 

• 1 cup of warm water 

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

• 3 tablespoons Greek Yoghurt 

• Good sprinkle of salt 

On top: 

• Labneh, either homemade or purchased 

• 1 pomegranate 

• 1 red onion, cut into rings, pickled with juice of ½ lime 

• Good quality sesame dukkah 

• Tablespoon of good quality EVOO 

• Fresh mint leaves 

Method: 

First, start preparing the lamb. Mix diced garlic, spices, chopped anchovies with oil and smother over the lamb. Seal the lamb in a hot pan for a couple of minutes each side before adding to the slow cooking with a litre of beef stock and a cup of red wine. Slow cook for 6-7 hours. 

Next, begin the flatbread. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar to a large mixing bowl with warm water. Stir in 1.5 cups of flour and stir the mix together briefly. Wait for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate and begin bubbling. Next, add the remaining flour, olive oil, yoghurt and salt, and add to a mixer with a dough hook for 6-7 minutes (or by hand). Let rise out of the fridge for a couple of hours, and then divide into smaller balls (4-5). Place in a container with a touch of olive oil to avoid the dough sticking and place in the fridge until you’re ready to roll out and grill the flatbread. 

To make the mint chimichurri, place ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. 

Before serving, cook your flatbread in a pan with oil and butter until cooked on both sides. Add the flatbread to a plate and drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with dukkah. 

Add lamb from the low cooker, and top with labneh, pomegranate, mint chimichurri, pickled onion, fresh mint and extra dukkah. 

You could pair plenty of wines with this, but I’m thinking a dark and fruit forward shiraz, one with some herbiness and spice.

Enjoy!