By Jared Kaufman

Serves 4

If you’ve read my recipes for this blog, you might gather that I’m obsessed with the New York Shuk line of Middle Eastern condiments and spices. They recently released their take on matbucha, a North African roasted tomato and pepper sauce, to which they’ve added olives and mint. It’s fantastic, and makes the perfect base for this Moroccan-inspired kefta (meatball) tagine dish.

I served this with Israeli couscous and honey-glazed carrots roasted with Moroccan spices. But you can get creative — we have a fantastic Tunisian couscous from Mahjoub in the shop, which you can prep with almonds and herbs to match the flavors of this dish. Or just grab one of our Rose Street Patisserie baguettes and dig right in!

From France 44:

· 1 lb. ground lamb

· 1 jar New York Shuk matbucha with olives and mint

From your pantry:

· 8 oz. can tomato sauce

· ½ a yellow onion, minced

· 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

· 1 tbsp finely chopped mint

· 1 tsp sweet (hungarian) paprika

· 1 tsp cumin

· ½ tsp cinnamon

· ½ tsp coriander

· ½ garlic powder

· Olive oil

· Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Start the tomato sauce. In a wide saucepan over medium heat, pour in the jar of matbucha. We’re cooking it down a little to concentrate the flavors. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile...

2. Make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, parsley, mint, and spices. Mix with your hand or a spatula just to blend, but do not overwork the meat or your meatballs will be tougher.

3. Form small, quarter-sized meatballs.

4. Meanwhile… into the pan with the matbucha, add the can of tomato sauce and stir well to combine. Drop the heat to low, so it sits at a nice simmer.

5. Sear the meatballs. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in a little olive oil. Drop in the meatballs and briefly sear them. We’re not cooking them through yet — just getting a little texture and flavor. (You can sear them in batches while you’re forming them!)

6. Poach! Remove the meatballs from the pan and drop them into the tomato sauce to finish cooking. Simmer together for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Jared’s Street Shawarma

Serves 4

This easy lamb shawarma is inspired by classic street food you can find all over the Middle East, from Egypt to Israel to Palestine. The yogurt marinade adds the perfect tangy tenderness to the lamb, and don’t skip out on the cornichon pickles — they cut through the richness and brighten up the whole party.

This recipe also makes laffa, an Iraqi-Israeli flatbread to wrap up your shawarma, and tzatziki sauce, which pairs wonderfully with the Mediterranean spices. (And it’s convenient, because you’re already using many of the ingredients for the shawarma meat and toppings, too!) Hummus and amba, a fermented mango sauce, are other traditional spreads you could use as well. And in Israel, they’ll throw French fries in your shawarma too — feel free to go wild with toppings!

Ingredients:

From France 44:

· 1 lb fresh F44 lamb (chop, sirloin, shoulder steak, or T-bone are all fine!)

· 2 T New York Shuk Shawarma spice blend

· ¾ cup Kalona Greek yogurt, divided (¼ cup for marinade; ½ cup for tzatziki sauce)

· Cornichon pickles

· Essex Lesbos feta cheese

· 2 balls of F44 pizza dough, thawed

From your pantry:

· 1 cucumber, cut in half (you’ll need both halves!)

· 2 cloves of garlic

· 1 T lemon juice

· 2 tsp olive oil, plus a little more for cooking

· 1 tsp dill

· 1 tomato

· Kosher salt & pepper

1. Remove lamb bones (if necessary) and cut meat into small pieces, about 1 inch wide and ½ inch long.

2. Combine ¼ cup yogurt, spice blend, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in a bowl. Add lamb and coat well with the yogurt marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

3. Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki sauce: Grate or mince half the cucumber (no need to peel it) and squeeze it out well. Grate/mince garlic.

4. In a medium bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, and a pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors combine while you keep cooking — this can be done the day before, too.

5. To cook the lamb: Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the meat. (If all you have is table salt, use ½ teaspoon.) Put about a teaspoon of olive oil into a frying pan over medium heat and add the lamb. Don’t rub off extra marinade; leave it on so it caramelizes.

6. Saute, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through (at least 145ºF) and very crispy but not charred, around 10 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, prepare flatbread: Split both pizza dough balls in half. You can sprinkle a little flour if you need. Stretch out each piece until it’s approximately dinner-plate-sized, making sure not to poke any holes.

8. Heat a large frying pan on medium-low. Working one flatbread at a time, drizzle a little olive oil on the pan and place the dough into the pan to fry.

9. Flip when it becomes golden with a few brown spots — about 2-3 minutes per side. Store covered under a towel or in a warm oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

10. Prepare fixings: Chop cornichons, tomato, and the other half of the cucumber.

11. Assemble: Lay out a flatbread on a plate and spread a layer of tzatziki. Add lamb down the center, and top with chopped cucumber and tomato, lots of cornichons, and crumbled Essex feta. Roll up in tin foil and enjoy!