Midweek meal: Tamal Ray’s recipe for lamb and halloumi flatbreads

These lamb flatbreads are an ode to a Cypriot-style pizza I had years ago in a tiny restaurant in London. At the time, I was blown away by the combination of flavours: the sweet cinnamon and currants balanced perfectly with the earthy lamb and salty halloumi. Here, I’ve used shop-bought flatbreads, but pittas would also work well.

Lamb and halloumi flatbreads with salad

Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 4

For the lamb
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium white onion (150g), peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g lamb mince
¼ tsp each table salt and black pepper
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
50g raisins or currants

To assemble
4 flatbreads, or pittas
250g mascarpone
2 tsp dried mint
225g halloumi, coarsely grated

For the salad
400g cucumber, chopped into 2½cm chunks
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into 2½cm chunks
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Pour the oil into a large frying pan on a high heat, then fry the onion, stirring, for a minute or two, until it’s starts to brown at the edges. Add the garlic, lamb, salt and pepper, fry for a couple of minutes, then turn down the heat to medium and cook for another three minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, cook for two to three more minutes, by which time most of the liquid will have evaporated and the sauce thickened. Take off the heat and stir in the cinnamon and the raisins.

Arrange the flatbreads on a large oven tray. Spread the mascarpone over one side of each of them equally, followed by a sprinkling of dried mint and then the lamb mixture. Scatter over the grated halloumi, then place under a hot grill for five to six minutes, until the edges of the bread are toasted and the cheese is starting to brown.

Meanwhile, make the salad by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Serve with the hot flatbreads.