Ottolenghi’s Shawarma Meatloaf with Caramelised Onions
With all of the complex, aromatic layers of flavour of a shawarma in simple meatloaf form, this delicious dish from Ottolenghi is a perfect alternative Sunday lunch centrepiece. As seen on Sunday Brunch.
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Introduction
Meatloaf: is it the texture that makes it so comforting, the memory so many of us have of eating it as kids, or the relative ease – mix it all together and bake – with which it’s made? As ever, it’s a little bit of everything. This particular meatloaf is a bit of a double-whammy for Yotam in terms of food-as-memory-as-comfort. As well as eating a lot of meatloaf growing up, he also ate a lot of lamb shawarma. With all the flavour of a lamb shawarma but in easy meatloaf form, the result is a complete trip down memory lane.
Getting ahead: The meatloaf can be made up and sitting packed in the tin for up to a day before baking, if you want to get ahead. Once baked, it keeps for a couple of days in the fridge: bring it back to room temperature or warm through before serving.
Ingredients
| For the meatloaf: | |
|---|---|
| 2 large (265g) | onions, grated |
| 3 | eggs |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 tbsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tbsp | paprika |
| 1½ tsp | ground allspice |
| 1¼ tsp | ground turmeric |
| ¼ tsp | cayenne |
| 125g | bulgur |
| 750g | minced lamb (or beef), 20% fat |
| 1 large (200g) | courgette, grated |
| 15g | coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped, plus 5g extra to serve |
| 15g | mint leaves, finely chopped, plus 5g extra to serve |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| salt and black pepper | |
| For the caramelised onion topping: | |
| 60ml | olive oil |
| 3 (480g) | onions, thinly sliced |
| 1 tsp | caster sugar |
| 2 tbsp | pomegranate molasses |
| ½ tsp | ground cinnamon |
| ½ tsp | ground allspice |
| For the pomegranate yoghurt: | |
| 1 tbsp | pomegranate molasses |
| 300g | thick Greek-style yoghurt |
| 2 tbsp | pomegranate seeds, to serve (optional) |
Essential kit
You will need: a 28cm cast iron skillet.
Method
To make the meatloaf, put the onion, eggs, garlic, spices and bulgur into a medium bowl. Set aside in the fridge for an hour, to soak and ‘bloom’. Add the lamb, courgettes, coriander, mint, oil, 1½ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper and mix well to combine.
Meanwhile, make the caramelised onions. Put 3 tablespoons of oil into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until slightly caramelised. Add the remaining topping ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Swirl the pomegranate molasses into the yoghurt and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
Place a 28cm cast iron skillet on a high heat and, when hot, add the final tablespoon of oil and the meatloaf mixture. Using your fingers or a heatproof spatula, quickly pat the mixture down and immediately place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Spread the caramelised onion topping evenly on top and bake for a further 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 30 minutes, to rest.
Sprinkle over the extra mint and coriander leaves and the pomegranate seeds, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the pomegranate yoghurt alongside.
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