Levantine Lamb Dumplings in Warm Garlic Yogurt (Shish Barak)

What you need

• 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp salt, for the dough, plus more to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g (10 oz) ground lamb
• 40 g (1/4 cup) pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 kg (4 cups) plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp dried mint
• 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Mix the flour, yolk and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add about 100 ml (1/3 cup) cold water a little at a time and knead for 8 min into a firm, smooth dough.

2. 2

   Wrap the dough in a damp cloth and rest for 30 min.

3. 3

   Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and golden, 6-8 min.

4. 4

   Add the lamb and break it up with a spoon. Cook until browned and cooked through, no pink left, 6-8 min.

5. 5

   Stir in the pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 min, then cool completely.

6. 6

   Heat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and line a tray with baking paper.

7. 7

   Roll the dough out thinly on a floured surface and cut 6 cm (2 1/2 in) rounds.

8. 8

   Put 1 level tsp of filling on each round, fold into a half-moon and press the edges firmly shut. Wrap the two corners around your finger and pinch them together.

9. 9

   Bake the dumplings on the tray until pale gold, 15-20 min.

10. 10

    In a wide pot, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water, then whisk in the yogurt and 250 ml (1 cup) water. Add 1/2 tsp salt.

11. 11

    Heat the yogurt over medium heat, stirring constantly in one direction, until it just starts to bubble. Lower to a gentle simmer.

12. 12

    Slide the baked dumplings into the yogurt and simmer, stirring gently now and then, until the dough is tender and the sauce is thick, 15-20 min.

13. 13

    Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Fry the garlic with the mint until fragrant, about 1 min.

14. 14

    Ladle the dumplings and sauce into bowls, spoon the garlic and mint butter over the top and finish with pepper. Serve at once.

Imported from buonissimo.it. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.