Montreal Smoked Meat, Lime Pickle and Avocado Naan Wrap

As I have noted before I think Indian pickle, in its many varieties, is one of the great dishes on the planet.

Here we take an Indian style lime pickle and use it as the foundation for an explosively flavourful wrap.

Lime pickle is wonderfully salty, tangy and slightly spicy and its oils and texture work as a terrific base for a sandwich. I am very fond of lime pickle with ham and cheese on rye.

Here we are going to use mini-naans as a wrap. If you can't find mini-naans simply cut a regular sized naan in half. You can also use garlic naan or any other naan variant instead.

Lightly toast the naan and then top it with a slice or two of old cheddar cheese.

Spoon a layer of lime pickle on top of this. There are any number of lime pickle brands out there though the most common one in Canadian grocery stores is made by Patak's. There are brands I prefer but they are harder to find. As a variation you can also use mango pickle, which is slightly sweeter, instead. Another option, which I most enjoy, is to order an extra side or two of the house made lime or mixed pickle from your favourite Indian restaurant the next time you eat there or get delivery.

Top this with either pastrami or Montreal smoked meat.

Finally, add a slice or two of avocado.

Roll into a wrap and enjoy.

A vegetarian option is to skip the meat and add more cheese and avocado.

Nice with cold beer or even red wine, to me this is an almost perfect lunch treat.

Indian Style Ground Lamb Flatbread Wraps

Today we are going to take a look at an "all purpose" Indian style ground lamb dish that is terrific served on top of rice or, even better, with some other toppings folded into a flatbread like naan or roti to make a simple wrap. It is fast becoming one of my family's favourites.



This recipe is based on Nordic Moon Ranch's Most Excellent Ground Lamb with a few of the ingredients modified. I like mine to be spicier and with more garlic among other things and I also prepare it slightly differently.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground lamb
1 large onion diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Tandoori Masala spice mix (if you cannot find this you can substitute any other curry powder or Indian spice blend of your liking, though I like this one's flavour and kick)
1 tablespoon cumin
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 teaspoons tomato paste or 2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

My kids like it served like a Sloppy Joe on a bun

To begin heat some olive oil to medium-high in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the ground lamb and begin to brown it. As you brown the lamb add the spices/seasonings while blending all together. When the lamb is browned add the tomato paste/ketchup and then add the red wine and beef broth.

Reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 20 minutes until most of the liquid is gone or has thickened.

This dish is great on its own over rice but the way we like to eat it is served on a flatbread like naan or roti with a variety of different toppings.

Served with feta, Indian pickle and mint on top of naan

My favourite is to serve it topped with some crumbled feta cheese, Tzatziki sauce, a teaspoon or two of Indian style pickle (mango or lime) and bit of fresh mint. You then fold the flatbread and eat it almost like a taco or a wrap. This is truly delicious!

Enjoy.

See also: Lamb Keema with Onions

See also: Lamb & Chicken BBQ Burgers

Roti or Naan Bread Pizzas: Fast & Fun!

My son preparing his "Pizza Roberto" for the oven! 

Frozen pizza, with very few exceptions, is fairly terrible. We buy it, when we do, usually because it is fast and easy. When it is on sale it can be affordable, but it is often not. Moreover, it is often made with inferior toppings and sauces that, especially after freezing, just don't taste that good.




While it is not entirely true, many feel that making a pizza from scratch is simply too daunting, especially after a day of work.

But today we are going to do a fast and very fun alternative that uses any fresh toppings of your choosing and that can involve the whole family. This is Roti or Naan bread personal sized pizzas.

Roti or Naan is Indian style flat bread. This is readily available, with the wonderful rise of multiculturalism, in many standard grocery stores or can be sought out in specialty ones.

While store bought roti or naan does not hold up to homemade, of course, it makes an excellent thin style pizza crust.

I like to use Pesto Sauce as a pizza sauce, and if you do you do not need to oil the bread. But if you are using a traditional pizza sauce, passata  or tomato sauce, you should brush on about a half teaspoon of olive oil over the side of the bread you are going to top. If  using the thicker naan, brush the edge of the bread as well.

Then top with your sauce, toppings and cheese or cheeses of choice. I like to spread a nice layer of pesto, top it with spicy soppressata (a type of Italian salami), anchovies,  some unpitted black olives and feta cheese.

Pictured here is a roti pizza with pesto, pepperoni, green olives, mushrooms and topped with mozzarella. But the options are endless. Top with whatever you like. It is really great to use seasonal vegetables, sliced thinly and brushed with oil as toppings. Zucchini for example!

One brand of roti or naan bread

The best part is that it is a great way to involve kids or friends in the making of the dinner. As long as you have a variety of toppings to chose from, everyone can make something they like.



Once you have assembled your pizza, place it directly on the oven rack and place the rack in the middle. If you can cook convection preheat to 375 degrees and cook until the roti or naan is golden brown (or, if you like, a slightly darker brown for a well done, crispy crust) and the cheese nicely melted.For the roti this will take about  3-5 minutes. The slightly thicker naan will take 5-7 minutes.

If you do not have a convection option on your oven, preheat conventional to 400 degrees. Either option, monitor the pizzas closely. Individual appliances really do vary. There is a world of difference between golden brown and black and burnt! After the first couple of pizzas, you will know your oven. As always, practice will make perfect.



So next time you want some fast, fun and actually delicious pizza, with the toppings you want, try this! And watch for a future blog on BBQed pizza!