Home-made Shawarma

One of our all-time favourite snacks is definitely a proper Shawarma.
According to Wikipedia, Shawarma (Arabic: شاورما‎) is an Arab meat preparation originating from Lebanon, where lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants), and may be grilled for as long as a day. Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit. Although it can be served in shavings on a plate (generally with accompaniments), shawarma also refers to a sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat. Shawarma is usually eaten with tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, pickled turnips and amba. It is similar to Turkish döner kebab and Greek gyros.

Why not make your own Shawarma to your own taste? 
It's really not hard work at all and the whole family is bound to love them.
The spice blend really gets the authentic taste and is everything you would expect of a proper Shawarma. Use you favourite meat; beef, lamb or chicken. It doesn't matter. It all tastes really good. It's the perfect cure for a hangover, excellent for fighting your cravings for dodgy fast food and a great, healthy and tasty lunch snack. All done and dusted in no time. 
The reason Shawarmas are so yummy? The secret's in the spices.

Shawarma meat - spice blend:

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp paprika / preferably smoked (called 'pimento' - you can get it in M&S) or noble sweet
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp vinaigrette or vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g meat - thinly sliced - either beef, chicken or lamb.

Veg for the Shawarmas:
8 cherry tomatoes
1 romaine or iceberg lettuce
1 cucumber 
1 red or green bell pepper 
1 red onion.

Tahina/yogurt-dressing:
1 1/2-2 tbsp Tahina
250ml (half a pint) plain low-fat yogurt 

Harissa/chili-sauce:
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp water
1 tsp crushed chili flakes
1 tsp salt

Method:

Prep the veg and chop/dice everything finely. Arrange on a plate so they are easy to add to the Shawarmas.

Tahina-yogurt dressing: 
Mix Tahina with yogurt and add salt to taste. Tahina is a liquid paste made from ground sesame seeds. You can find Tahina in most supermarkets dealing with arabic food. Go for the Middle Eastern-pale type made from non-rosted seeds. Keep the Tahina in the fridge after opening. 

Harissa-sauce:
Mix tomato puree with salt, water and olive oil. Add chili to taste. Add a tiny amount of ground cayenne pepper if more spicieness is required. You'll have a fine Harissa-sauce.

Shawarma Meat.
Blend the spices with the meat. Peel the garlic cloves and the onion and chop them very finely. Mix the meat and spices with the garlic, onion, 1 tbsp oil and vinegar and leave it to marinate for an hour at room temperature.

Heat-up a large cast iron pan, skillet or wok until it is sizzling hot. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and wait for it to heat up. Fry the meat at 3/4 heat for 3-4 minutes till it is fried thoroughly. Stir occasionally, but leave the meat time to get good contact with the pan so it can take colour and become somewhat crispy. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Serve immediately in Arabic bread or pita bread with the chopped vegetables and Tahina/yogurt-dressing (and Harissa/chili-sauce if you like a bit of a hot kick). 

All sorted and they taste really yummy. Enjoy.

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Danish pork meatballs

Danish pork meatballs (frikadeller) is one of the most popular traditional dishes in Danish households. An absolute favorite with both children and adults.


Ingredients: (4 persons)

500g minced pork 
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 medium-sized onion, chopped thinly1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tsp coarse salt (preferably sea salt)
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp bread crumb (non-flavoured)
1 tbsp porridge oats
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp smoked paprika (can be omitted as it can be hard to find it - or use noble sweet regular paprika instead)
1 egg
25ml skimmed- or low-fat milk
15g Butter
1 tbsp olive oil

If you purchase pork already ground at the supermarket, be sure that it is not seasoned pork sausage. 

Combine the ground pork with the flour in a bowl and mix well. Add the onion, crushed garlic, allspice, bread crumb, oats, salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs and then the milk with a spoon. Add a bit more milk if the dough is too firm. It should still feel fairly easy to work through with the spoon, but should also be firm rather than runny. 
Spoon the mixture into a deep plate and chill in the refrigerator for min. 1 hour for seasoning and easier shaping.

Add enough equal parts butter and oil to a skillet to measure 1/4 inch in depth. Heat over medium heat. Hold the dish with the meatball mixture in the left hand and spoon the pork mixture carefully into the pan with a soup spoon, shaping it into balls with the spoon. Dip in the butter/oil mixture every time you have placed another meatball on the pan. This prevents the dough from sticking to the spoon.

Cook the meatballs until brown on both sides, turning once.

Remove the meatballs to a plate. 

Serve warm with pickled Red Cabbage and Caramelised Potatoes or serve as a light lunch with 

Potato Salad.

Tip: Danish Meatballs can be frozen and reheated in the oven or microwave. They also last well for up to three days when covered in the fridge and are absolutely gorgeous eaten cold as a snack, sliced on a piece of rye bread or with cold red cabbage.


Tip: Use a mixture of butter and olive oil for frying as it prevents the "squirting" from the pan that you will usually experience if you use either pure butter or oil. Preferably, you should use Lurpak Butter - slightly salted - when frying to get the authentic taste.

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