1 red capsicum 4 tbsps pure olive oil 1 small onion, chopped. 2 tbsps pine nuts 1 clove garlic, part-crushed, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp chopped parsley 1 tbsp chopped coriander salt and pepper 500g lean lamb mince 1 egg, lightly beaten with fork 4
mini pita loaves 4 tbsps hummus, store-bought or home-made 1D2 cucumber
Blacken the skin on the capsicum by burning it in a flame if you have gas, or grilling it, then place in a paper bag. Heat half the oil in a frypan and cook onion until it is translucent, then add the pine nuts. Brown them slightly, then stir in the garlic, cumin, chopped herbs and seasoning and cook for a further 30 seconds. Stir this mixture through the meat with the beaten egg and fry a bit to check seasoning. While you heat the remaining oil in a frypan form the mixture into four balls, tossing them from hand to hand. Place in the pan, flattening slightly in the process, brown on both sides then lower the heat and continue frying until they are cooked through but still slightly pink in the middle. If they brown too quickly complete the cooking in a 180?C oven. Scrape the blackened skin from the capsicum and discard with the stem, seeds and ribs. Cut into 1cm-wide strips. To serve, split each pita loaf by holding flat on a board and slicing horizontally with a sharp knife. Carefully open to form pockets. Place a tablespoon of hummus in each half, then stuff with half a meat pattie and strips of capsicum.
Makes 4
