SPICED LAMB PIZZA

This is a sort of greek inspired pizza that came from what I had in the fridge when I first made it.  It's now become a regular feature at dinner time in our house.  I've replaced the tomato base with humous and finished it off with feta cheese instead of mozzarella.

You could also make it into calzone if you are using a proper pizza dough but for speed I'm going with Jo Wheatley's flat bread recipe.  You really can't go wrong with this, I use it all the time.

For a bit of colour I've added some Roquito peppers so they add some heat too. I really love those, especially the ones you get stuffed with feta at the deli counter.  I've just discovered these mini versions in Tesco.  If you prefer less spice just swap them for chopped red peppers.

300g Plain Flour

300g Natural Yoghurt

1 Onion, chopped

1 tbsp Oil

400g Lamb Mince

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

Large Bunch Fresh Coriander roughly chopped

200g Humous

2 tbsp Pinenuts

100g Feta Cheese

Mini Roquito Peppers to Finish

Make the bases first.  Combine the flour and yoghurt in a bowl till it comes together to form a soft dough. Knead it a little so it becomes nice and smooth then divide it into 4 and roll each one out to the thickness of a pound coin.  Place the bases onto baking sheets lined with parchment and leave to one side.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion.  Cook till soft then add the minced lamb.  Cook on a medium heat till it has just started to brown.  Add the ground cumin and 2/3 of the coriander.  Cook till the coriander has wilted.

Divide the humous between the bases and spread to cover leaving a slight crust.  Now cover with the mince. Sprinkle on the pinenuts and dot with the peppers. Lastly crumble on lumps of the feta cheese.

Bake the pizza's at 160C for 20-30 minutes.  Once the bases have cooked through, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the remaining coriander.

GREEK COUS COUS SALAD

Couscous is such a simple thing to make, you don't need fancy steamers or special cooking devices, just a bowl and some hot water.  It doesn't have a strong taste so it's great for adding flavours to.  I often make it with some piri piri seasoning or a little ground cumin and coriander.

This salad is a twist on the traditional greek salad.  It's easy to transport for picnics and the perfect accompaniment for barbecues this summer.

I've also made Tzatziki to go with it, all you need now are a couple of kofta kebabs from the barbecue and you're good to go.

200g Couscous
350ml Hot Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Dried Thyme
Small Bunch Fresh Mint
6 Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 Cucumber
200g Feta Cheese
1 Small Red Onion
Black/Green Olives

TZATZIKI

200g Greek Yoghurt
Small Bunch Fresh Mint
1/3 Cucumber
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper

Put the couscous in a bowl and add the dried thyme.  In a jug add the olive oil and lemon juice to the stock and pour over the couscous.  Leave this to stand for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid.

While you are waiting, cut the cucumber into chunks and the tomatoes into quarters.  Cut the feta cheese into cubes and chop the mint finely.  Cut the onion in half then slice very thinly.

Once the stock has soaked in, fluff the couscous with a fork to break it up and leave to stand till it has cooled completely.  Once cooled you can add the remaining ingredients to make your salad.  Stir them all in with a fork till everything is evenly distributed.

To make the tzatziki, chop the mint finely and add to the yoghurt along with the lemon juice.  Peel the cucumber and slice it lengthways.  Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from the middle.  This will stop it from adding extra liquid and making your tzatziki watery.  Chop the cucumber into small pieces and stir through the yoghurt.  Season to taste and serve with the couscous.