This are 2 dishes I wanted to try since a long time, but I got a hard time finding Sumac.

Sumac is a turkish spice which has a tangy lemony taste.

Oriental Meatballs

Ingredients:

400 gr of ground lamb and beef (in my case I used 300 of Lamb and 100 of beef).

salt

2 tsp ground cumin (to be divided)

2 tbsp ground sumac (to be divided)

2 tbsp chilli pepper flakes

1.5 tbsp cold water

1 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 cup of parsley (chopped to be served on the side)

 

Combine half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons sumac and 1 tbsp pepper flakes. Mix well and add in a bowl with the meat. Mix well before adding the water. Knead more until the mix gets a little sticky. Let to rest in the fridge for at least 30 min.

Mix 2 teaspoons sumac with the onions and set aside to be served.

Now mix the remaining spices, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoon sumac, 1 tablespoon pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Now make some even balls with the meat (with wet hands it will be easier). If you want to put them on the bbq, you can do some skewers instead.

Cook them in a warm skillet with some oil and sprinkle with the remaining spices mix.

 

Oriental Eggplants with Tomatoes

I loved this recipe, will certainly cook it again.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

250gr Datterini tomatoes (or any other cherry tomatoes)

50gr tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (put them in the wine)

250 ml sake (I used it to give some sweetness, you can use any white wine)

1 red onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves (pressed or chopped)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp pimentón de la vera ( a smokey paprika)

125 ml olive oil

First of all cut the eggplant in 1/2 cm slices and put them in a ziplog bag with the tomato paste and the olive oil. Massage the ingredients well so that the eggplants are well coated.

Put a skillet on a medium heat and golden the eggplants on both sides.

Put them on a serving dish nicely spread out.

Now put some olive oil in the skillet and golden the onions and the garlic.

When the onions are soft add the cumin and the pimentón.

Coat well everything for about 1 minute and now add your datterini tomatoes cut in half.

Cover with a lid and let cook for about 8 minutes. Add the wine and the saffron and quickly bring to boil. Put the mix on the eggplants and your are ready.

 

Serve with some flatbreads and enjoy!