Lamb Rump, Salsa Verde & Chickpea Flatbreads

Serves 6

For the lamb

3 lamb rumps 

For the chickpea flatbreads

15g fresh yeast

15g sugar

200-225ml hand-hot water

450g strong bread flour

15g salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds, dry roasted and crushed 

1 tbsp of nigella seeds

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 × 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For the tomato and cucumber salsa 

2 tomatoes 

¼ cucumber, de-seeded, diced 

½ small red onion, finely diced 

1 clove garlic, crushed  

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 tsp red wine vinegar 

Pinch of sugar 

Fresh parsley, chopped 

Mint, chiffonaded  

Sea salt  

For the salsa verde

Large handful flat-leaf parsley  

Small handful of mint  

Small handful of basil or tarragon  

1 garlic clove  

1 anchovy fillet in oil  

1 tbsp capers  

1 tsp Dijon mustard  

About 75–100ml olive oil  

Red wine vinegar 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

To serve

300g Greek natural yoghurt

Method

1. For the flatbreads, cream together the yeast with the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water. 
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the yeast mixture, oil and sufficient water to make a soft but not sloppy dough. Knead for 3 minutes. 
3. Put the chickpeas into a magi mix and blend to a rough paste, stir in the cumin and coriander and nigella seeds. 
4. Mix the chickpeas and spices with the dough and knead for another 2 minutes or until springy and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl or bag and allow to double in size. 

1. For the salsa verde, pick the herb leaves off the stalks and chop roughly. You will need about 4 tablespoons of parsley and 1–2 tablespoons of a selection of the remaining herbs. 
2. Peel and crush the garlic. Drain and roughly chop the anchovy fillet. Rinse and drain the capers. Add these ingredients to the herbs. 
3. Either chop the mixture further by hand or briefly pulse in a food processor. Don’t over-process as the salsa needs to have some texture. Transfer to a small bowl if you have chopped the mixture by hand. 
4. Stir in the mustard, season well with salt and pepper and then whisk or pulse in the olive oil. Add red wine vinegar to taste.  
5. Salsa verde is best used on the day it is made, but it can be kept in the fridge for a day or two. It is particularly good with grilled or barbecued meats or fish. 

1. For the salad, quarter and deseed the tomatoes. Chop into small uniform dice. 
2. Prepare the cucumber, red onion and garlic as stated above.
3. Mix prepared tomato and cucumber in a bowl and add only enough of the rest of the ingredients to ensure a balanced flavour profile.
4. Season with sea salt and allow flavours to marinate before serving. 

1. For the lamb, preheat an oven to 180C. 

1. For the flatbreads, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces and roll out on a floured surface to rough oval shapes about ½ cm thick. Heat a large non-stick pan on a medium heat until very lightly smoking. 
2. Cook each flatbread for 1-2 minutes on each side. You may need to lower the temperature when cooking the second side. Keep wrapped in a tea towel whilst cooking in batches. Keep warm until serving.

1. For the lamb, preheat an oven to 180C, score the fat side of the lamb rumps in a crosshatch pattern with a ½ cm gap between the scored lines being careful not to cut into the flesh of the lamb. Turn over and remove the sinew from the bottom of the rump. 
2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a low heat and season the lamb all over with salt.  
3. Place the rump fat side down in the pan to render the fat. Keep the heat relatively low to prevent the fat from burning (you may need to pour away the excess fat during the rendering process).  
4. Once the fat is rendered and golden, brown the rump all over and transfer to a small baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 8-12 minutes until medium – fibres should be set and pink.  
5. Rest for 10 minutes before carving against the grain of the meat. This will help to tenderise the lamb rump. 
6. Assemble the flatbreads with yoghurt, salad, lamb and salsa verde and serve immediately.

You can master more dishes like this on the Leiths Culinary Diploma.