All recipes serve four
CHARGRILLED SEA BREAM, TABBOULEH AND SPICED YOGURT
4 sea bream
100g bulgar wheat
juice of 2 lemons
olive oil
6 tbsp finely chopped parsley
4 tbsp finely chopped mint
3 spring onions, most of the green part included, finely sliced
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 tbsp cumin seeds
200ml yogurt
Add the bulgar wheat to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain it and refresh under cold water, then pat it dry and transfer to a bowl with the lemon juice. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes. Add six tablespoons of olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir in the herbs and spring onion and scatter the chopped tomato over it.
Leave the scales on the fish, but cut two or three slashes in each side. Preheat the grill or chargrill. Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper and grill for 15 minutes, turning two or three times, or until the fish is cooked. Remove and keep in a warm place.
Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a hot dry frying pan until they just start to colour. Add to the yogurt. Serve the tabbouleh (bulgar wheat) in a mound in the centre of each plate, with the fish on top and a dollop of yogurt on the side.
SPICED PEA SOUP WITH MINT AND YOGURT
3 tbsp vegetable oil
half tsp turmeric
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 chilli, finely chopped
500g frozen peas, defrosted
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp roughly chopped mint
1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion
4 tbsp full-fat yogurt
Heat the vegetable oil in a casserole and when it is hot add the turmeric, cumin and chilli. Stir it once and then add the peas, then stir to mix and add enough vegetable or chicken stock to cover it, plus one centimetre. Season with salt and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and then liquidise the mixture. You may need to add a little more water to get the correct consistency.
Remember it will become more liquid when you heat it up.
Combine the mint and spring onion with the yogurt. Reheat the soup, spoon into bowls and add a scoop of yogurt.
SPICED LAMB, YOGURT AND PILAF
olive oil
400g cubed shoulder of lamb
40g butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 carrots, trimmed and cut into 6cm chunks
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes, drained
1 large stick cinnamon
250ml yogurt, stirred
Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and brown the meat in batches, removing it with a slotted spoon. In a clean pan heat the butter and two tablespoons of olive oil and gently saute the onion for 20 minutes, or until it is soft but not coloured. Add the meat to the onion, along with the carrots and cook for five minutes, ensuring everything is coated in oil. Add the tomatoes and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
PILAF
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves
4 star anise
4 cardamom pods
1 cup rice
Heat the oil and when it is hot add the whole spices. As soon as they start to pop, add the rice and stir for three minutes so it is well coated in oil. Add cold water to just cover the rice, season with salt, cover and steam it for 10 minutes. Remove and rest for five minutes, with the cover still on. Fluff up and serve with the lamb and yogurt.
Blend yogurt with ice cubes and a pinch or two of sugar. If you can get a ripe mango, blitz the flesh with 150ml of yogurt and some ice cubes. Tinned mango is an acceptable substitute. Half a teaspoon of toasted cumin seeds added to a similar quantity of yogurt, and seasoned with a pinch of salt and sugar, is surprisingly refreshing, too.