Spiced “Lamb” Flatbread

Happy Monday to everyone! Are you on the ball and already done with your meal-planning for the week? Or, are you like me this Monday, and wondering what you are going to cook for dinner because you spent the weekend playing in the finally-arrived(!!) Seattle sunshine instead of doing anything productive like grocery shopping or laundry? Ugh. Well, if you are in the latter group, we have a quick and delicious idea dinner recipe for you that will hopefully make your Monday a little easier: Metropolitan Market’s Spiced Lamb Flatbread. Yum!

Living only a few blocks away from Sandpoint’s Metropolitan Market, this grocery store is a frequent stop if we are missing an ingredient or two OR a great place to grab food if we failed to meal plan ahead of time. Some of our favorite products include their garlic croutons, Burrata cheese, wine selection(!), pita bread (which they recently relocated to their bread aisle from their deli which completely threw me for a loop!), the bakery’s rosemary bread, and, of course, The Cookie (which, they now also sell just the cookie dough in pre-apportioned chunks?!?!). But did you know Metropolitan Market also has a large collection of recipes on their website?

Metropolitan Market’s lamb flatbread recipe has been a “go to” in my kitchen for a years now. (And, if you are a fan of lamb, you should also try PCC’s pre-made lamb burger patties. They are also delicious and perfect for a summer evening on the grill!) Growing up, our mother did not serve lamb, so I am rather new to cooking it. We had good friends with a sheep farm that lived down the street and our mom said she could not cook lamb without thinking of Salt & Pepper (two lambs we were particularly fond of). So whether you struggle to cook lamb (like our mom!) or because ground lamb is on the pricier side, I also tried making this dish with ground turkey and it was delicious! Ground chicken would work too. Just make sure to add a little extra olive oil to the skillet when you cook the meat! The lower fat content of the turkey/chicken requires a little extra so it doesn’t turn out dry.

INGREDIENTS

Metropolitan Market pita bread
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided (add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet if you use ground turkey or chicken)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 lb ground lamb (Or ground turnkey or chicken)
1 cup traditional/plain hummus
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh mint (or basil or parsley), finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the lamb (or ground turkey/chicken): In a large bowl combine tomato paste, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and pepper. Add the lamb and blend with the spices, being careful not over mix. (Meat can be prepared up to a day ahead; cover and chill until ready to cook.)
Heat oven to 350°F. Brush pitas with 1 Tbsp oil and place on baking sheet. Bake the oiled pitas until toasty, about 7-8 minutes.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil to skillet. (Note: I find 1 Tbsp of olive oil a little too much for 1 pound of ground lamb and not enough for 1 pound of ground turkey/chicken. Suggest reducing to 1/2 or 3/4 Tbsp if cooking lamb and increasing to 2 Tbsp if cooking turkey/chicken). Add the seasoned meat and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through, crumbling it with a wooden spoon to small, bite-sized pieces. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Leave warmed pitas whole or cut into wedges. Spread hummus on pitas, followed by cooked lamb mixture. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of lemon juice and chopped mint/basil/parsley.

Recipe Credit: Metropolitan Market’s Spiced Lamb Flatbread with Fresh Mint

We also currently have copious amounts of sweet onions coming out of our garden, so I plan on trying this Metropolitan Market recipe soon. Any other Metropolitan Market recipes you recommend we try? What are your favorite Metropolitan Market products? We would love to hear (and likely purchase because, if I am being honest, I will probably stop by on my way home from work tonight)!

We also want to update everyone on our new posting strategy for Lets Wine About It Sister. With COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc on our daily schedule (e.g., no camp and limited childcare), our plan moving forward is to post on the Lets Wine About It Sister blog three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) but increase our presence and the frequency of our posts on Instagram (@letswineaboutitsister). So if you are not already doing so, please follow us there!

Please let us know if you try making Metropolitan Market’s Spiced “Lamb” Flatbread by taking a picture and tagging us @letswineaboutitsister.