Recipe: Pulled lamb bruschetta with salsa and mint yoghurt

Ingredients

Lamb
125g plain low fat/Greek yoghurt
60g tomato paste
30ml (2 tbsp) barbecue spice
30ml (2 tbsp) fresh oregano, finely chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) garlic, finely chopped
5ml (1 tsp) sugar
2 (750g) lamb shanks
125ml (½ cup) red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tomato salsa
150g tomatoes, finely chopped
½ (60g) red onion, finely chopped
5ml (1 tsp) red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mint yoghurt
180g plain low fat/Greek yoghurt
45ml (3 tbsp) fresh mint, chopped
7,5ml (1½ tsp) red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bruschetta
80ml olive oil
10ml (2 tsp) garlic, finely chopped
12 (450g) slices ciabatta bread
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Spinach and feta topping
20ml (4 tsp) olive oil
200g spinach, finely chopped
2 (50g) spring onions, finely chopped
10ml (2 tsp) garlic, finely chopped
100g traditional feta, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mint leaves, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. For the lamb, whisk the 125g yoghurt, the tomato paste, barbecue spice, oregano, garlic and sugar together. Pour the marinade over the lamb shanks and refrigerate, 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the shanks and the yoghurt marinade in a roasting dish and pour in the red wine. Cover with foil and roast, 3 hours.

3. Once the meat has cooled down, remove it from the bone and shred into threads. Season to taste.

4. For the tomato salsa, stir all of the ingredients together and season to taste. Refrigerate until needed.

5. For the mint yoghurt, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth purée. Season to taste. Refrigerate until needed.

6. For the bruschetta, preheat the ovento 200°C. Whisk the 80ml olive oil and the garlic together. Brush the garlic oil on both sides of each ciabatta slice and arrange on a baking tray. Season to taste. Bake, 10 minutes. Turn each slice over and bake, another 5 minutes.

7. For the spinach and feta topping, heat the 20ml (4 tsp) olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach, spring onions and garlic and sauté, 2 minutes, until wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Crumble in the feta and remove from heat. Season to taste.

8. To assemble, spoon a dollop of the warm spinach topping onto each bruschetta. Add the warm pulled lamb on top and a drizzling of the mint yoghurt. Finish it off with a teaspoonful of the salsa and garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

Notes: The bruschetta toppings also work well as a filling for wraps, toasted pitas, omelettes and sandwiches. Follow your heart and change it up according to your theme.

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