This week's French Garden recipe

People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.

01/25/2011
Lamb sandwich on flatbread with harissa mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Some leftover leg of lamb, thinly sliced
1 homemade flatbread or storebought pita for each sandwich
Arugula leaves, washed and dried
For the harissa mayonnaise:
 2 very fresh raw eggyolks at room temperature
a few grains of sea salt (not too much as harissa is usually quite salty)
1 to 1 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil (the exact amount will depend on the size of your egg yolks)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1-3 tsp.  harissa (Tunisian hot pepper and spice paste; storebought is fine), to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.  Wrap the lamb slices in foil and put them in to warm slightly.  Warm the bread for 5 minutes just before serving.

Make the mayonnaise:
Place the yolks and the salt in a mortar and combine with the pestle.  Start adding the oil drop by drop as you turn the mixture with a circular motion of the pestle, holding it by the end and swiveling your wrist.  The mixture will begin to make a snapping sound and slowly thicken.  After a couple of minutes, you can begin adding the oil in a very thin stream, turning all the while.  Continue adding oil and turning until the oil hesitates a second before blending in.  The pestle will stand straight up in the mayonnaise if plunged in vertically.  Mix in the lemon juice and the harissa to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Spread each pita with the harissa mayonnaise.  Pile with warmed lamb slices and a bouquet of arugula.  Let your diners wrap their own sandwich.  Place the mortar with the remaining harissa mayo on the table for anyone who would like more.

Note:  This delicious combination was born of a stack of semolina flatbread I'd baked on the woodfire, leg of lamb leftovers, and large dollop of inspiration.  It's too delicious!  Any leftover mayo will keep in the frig for a day, stored in a sparkling clean jar.

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Products of Interest:
Provençal mortar and pestle
Olive oil dispenser

Try some of our past French garden recipes:

Appetizers and small dishes

Basics

Beef, pork, lamb, and veal