Gourmet Fast Food Episode 3: Lamb Doner 🐑

There’s a time and a place for everything, and when it comes to doner kebab, there’s always the time and you can always find the place, but what if the time was now and the place was your kitchen? Chef Stephen La Rosa brings you the ultimate lamb doner recipe for you to recreate in your homes whenever the craving hits! 🥙

Episode 3 of Gourmet Fast Food on FoodBlog Network gives the humble lamb doner a gourmet makeover resulting in a 7 spice lamb loin served with a sweet and nutty roasted red pepper hummus, a light and fluffy charred cherry tomato tabbouleh, saffron couscous and a generous drizzle of yoghurt tahini sauce to tie it all together. If you think Chef Stephen has outdone himself with this one, you might be right. 👨‍🍳

Our Maltese Twist this week is none other than local extra virgin olive oil! A good EVOO gives a dish its depth and flavour, and local olives provide just that - making our lamb doner even brighter and bolder in flavour! 🤤

Without further ado, let’s take a step into our Fino kitchen, take a look at the ingredients list and get to the fun part: the cooking! 🍳

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

Hummus

• 2x red pepper
• 200g dried chickpeas*
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2tsp baking powder*
• 2tbs paprika*
• 1tsp cayenne*
• 2tsp cumin*
• 2tsp lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic

Tabbouleh

• 1 punnet parsley
• 1 punnet mint
• 30g bulgur wheat* 
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 1 lemon
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil

Couscous

• 250g couscous* 
• 30ml local extra virgin olive oil
• 1g saffron*
• 2g coriander seed*
• 200ml water 
• lemon zest

Lamb

• 2 lamb loin
• 100g plain whole-milk yogurt 
• 1tsp freshly ground black pepper*
• 1tsp ground coriander*
• 1tsp ground cumin*
• 1tsp paprika*
• 0.5tsp ground cardamom*
• 0.5tsp ground cinnamon*
• 0.5tsp ground nutmeg*
• 2 pieces of pita

Sauce

• 50g yoghurt
• 20g tahini
• 15g lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, grated

* all sealed dried ingredients are sponsored Lamb Brand products, each redeemable on the Cook & Exchange Gift Scheme. 

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl x2
• Medium pot**
• Sieve
• Blender**
• Griddle pan
• Measuring cylinder
• Microplane
• Magimix**

** these select pieces of equipment were kindly sponsored by Crosscraft for Episode 3 of Gourmet Fast Food

Method

For the chickpeas:

1. Start off by soaking the chickpeas in 1 litre of water with 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and allow them some time to soak. For best results and a smoother hummus overnight in the fridge works best.
2. When the chickpeas are well soaked, strain into a large pot and add 2 litres of water and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda as well as the onion and half of the paprika, cayenne and cumin. 
3. Bring the pot up to the boil over high heat and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until extremely tender. Check your chickpea with a fork and make sure you don’t cut corners here - a tough chickpea will result in a grainy, lumpy hummus.

Using dried chickpeas will make it worth your while. Trust!

For the peppers:

1. Preheat the grill in your oven or opt to use an outdoor grill set to its highest setting. 
2. Place the peppers on top of  some foil and directly under the broiler or on top of the outdoor grill. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until completely blackened on one side. Don’t be scared of the blackened skin, this is where all the flavour is!
3. Turn over the peppers and repeat the process 1-2 more times until the vegetable is completely blackened. Place the peppers into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Once completely cooled, remove the skin, seeds and stem of the peppers carefully with a small knife.  Be sure to reserve the liquid released from the roasted pepper - it’s full of flavour and you’ll need it for your next step.

Roast those peppers good boi!

To finish the hummus:

1. Combine the reserved liquid with the tahini, remainder of the spices, grated garlic, the juice of 1 lemon and your EVOO. 
2. When the chickpeas are nicely cooked down, strain off and reserve the liquid. Immediately add the chickpeas to a blender and add your seasoning mixture along with the large pieces of roasted red pepper. 
3. Blend until smooth, thinning out the mixture with enough of the cooking liquid. You’re aiming for the consistency of a thick milkshake.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

That local EVOO makes all the difference, flavour, texture, aroma! Ahh!

For the tabbouleh:

1. Preheat your broiler or overhead grill of your oven to its highest setting. 
2. Soak the fine bulgur in a small bowl of water for 15 minutes, strain off any excess liquid.
3. Place the whole cherry tomatoes on a baking tray lined with foil. Season lightly with salt and your local olive oil and place under the preheated grill. 
4. Char for 5 minutes and shake the pan to allow the skins to colour evenly. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the tomatoes are well charred to your liking.
5. Add the charred tomatoes and their juices to a mixing bowl and place in the fridge to cool down. 
6. Once it’s cooled, add the chopped herbs and the bulgur wheat to the bowl and stir to coat evenly.  
7. Season with the lemon juice, add a generous lug of olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt  - this is where all your flavours will pop!
8. Season to taste one last time. Tabbouleh should be nice and sharp with plenty of lemon. And served at room temperature for maximum flavour.

Add mint to this tabbouleh to compliment your lamb - Chef Stephen’s on it!

For the couscous:

1. Bring a pot of water up to a boil, add coriander and saffron to the pot and allow to steep for 20 minutes off the heat.
2. Massage EVOO and salt into dry couscous, 
3. Add saffron stock to your bowl of seasoned couscous, mix and cover in cling film.
4. Let the bowl sit for 5 minutes and fluff it up with a fork to loosen the grains and improve the texture. Add lemon zest for a vibrant touch.

Massaging your food might sound odd, but it makes sure all your ingredients are happy together! Give it a try.

For the lamb:

1. Combine the spices and the yoghurt to create the marinade for the meat. Pat the lamb tenderloin dry and season liberally with salt and generously coat the lamb with the marinade. Store in the fridge for 2-8 hours.
2. While the lamb is marinating, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small mixing bowl. 
3. When you are ready to cook, remove the lamb from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. 
4. Preheat your grill or pan, depending on what you have in hand.
5. Lightly oil the grill or add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Gently shake off any excess marinade clinging to the lamb and place onto the grill.
6. Cook each side well for 1-2 minutes until the whole fillet is nicely browned and a good medium rare.
7. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes minutes. Toast the pita on the grill or oven until warm and pliable. 

Lamb and doner go hand in hand, but try using other meats to mix it up a little.

Final steps:

Mix all ingredients listed for the sauce in a small bowl until they’re all incorporated nicely and all your cooking and prep is done! It’s now finally time to start plating! 🍽️

Start off by laying your toasted pita on a wide flat plate, slap some hummus in the centre of the bread and cover the surface with a thin, or thick - depending on your vibe, layer of your freshly prepared hummus. Carefully place some seasoned saffron couscous onto the hummus and follow with your minty tabbouleh feat. charred cherry toms. 🍅

Place your yoghurt grilled lamb loin slices onto the pita and get a good whiff of the local olive oil that browned your lamb steak to perfection. Top with a drizzle of the tahini-yoghurt sauce you just made and get ready for a delicious meal that’s definitely going to be a weekly favourite. 😗👌

Pair your lamb doner with a Farsons Classic Brews Blue Label for the perfect flavour mesh. The amber ale’s rich profile of malt and hops will accentuate the charred flavours of the lamb and provide a lovely caramel overtone. Serve ultra chilled for that smooth and creamy finish. 🍺

Nothing like a Blue Label after all that kitchen time! Cheers!

Check out our last two episodes and keep your eyes on FoodBlog’s Instagram and Facebook for more info on our Maltese Twist in Episode 4 of Gourmet Fast Food, coming soon to FoodBlog Network and ready to make you drool with a trip to crisp town, for a fried sensation that will cure any of our mid-week blues with a fun trip to Asia's quarters. 😋