Four fully loaded flatbreads (plus a basic base recipe)

The flatbread recipe here is quick and short on ingredients – it plays the role of perfect vehicle for getting glorious toppings from plate to mouth. If you are short on time and motivation, you can sub in many a store-bought spice blend. Heck, you can even sub in some store-bought flatbreads and focus on the toppings.

All topping recipes serve 4-6

Flatbread

This is the cheat's version of flatbread – no yeast required.

INGREDIENTS

• 2¼ cups self-raising flour, plus extra to dust the bench
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp sea salt, plus extra to sprinkle
• 1¼ cups Greek-style natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp olive oil

METHOD

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix briefly to combine, then add the yoghurt, milk and oil. Mix with a dough hook for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until the dough is smooth and coming away from the sides of the bowl – this can also be done by hand by kneading for 5 minutes.
2. Tip the dough out onto a well-floured bench and knead a little more so that the dough is soft but not too sticky. Roll into a log about 25cm long and cut into 4-6 pieces. Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball, cover with a tea towel and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
3. Take each ball and either gently roll with a rolling pin or flatten with the heel of your palm into a rough oval about 1cm thick, but really, any round shape is fine. Sprinkle with a little extra salt before frying.
4. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and dry-fry the bread in batches for 1 minute each side or until puffed, golden and cooked through. (For a crisper texture, add a small drizzle of olive oil to the pan before adding the bread.)

Makes 4-6

Coffee spice-rubbed lamb with honey and feta

This spice blend makes more than you need for this recipe but it's well worth having on hand for marinating all manner of protein and veg before roasting. The coffee element is subtle but adds an almost smoky flavour.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lamb backstrap (about 250g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• ½ cup Persian-style feta
• ½ cup semi-dried tomatoes
• ½ cup loosely packed soft herbs such as basil, oregano and flat-leaf parsley
• fresh honeycomb to serve (optional)

Coffee spice blend

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp salt flakes
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground coffee

METHOD

1. Prepare the flatbreads as above.
2. Combine the coffee spice blend ingredients in a bowl.
3. To a separate bowl, add the lamb, olive oil and two tablespoons of the spice blend. Turn the lamb to coat then pop in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate (this is an ideal – not a must do – it doesn't matter if you need to cook it immediately). Store the remaining spice blend in a screwtop jar for another use.
4. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
5. Drizzle the honey onto the lamb and turn to coat. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, then brown lamb all over (2-3 minutes). Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until cooked to your liking (4-5 minutes for medium-rare). Transfer to a plate or tray, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
6. Warm the flatbreads. While hot, immediately dollop the feta over the base so it warms and spreads. Scatter with a few semi-dried tomatoes. Slice the lamb and arrange on the flatbreads. Top with the herbs, season generously with salt and pepper then add a small piece of fresh honeycomb, if using. Best served warm.

Eggplant, harissa capsicum with tahini yoghurt

I love the smoky drama of this emerging on a flatbread. All the colours and textures, the sauces and the fresh herbs are nothing short of glorious. While you might think you can't be bothered slowly charring some eggplant, once you do, you will never want to cook it any other way. For a busy weeknight you could use store-bought flatbreads and make the capsicum harissa ahead of time – it holds wonderfully in the fridge for up to a week.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small-medium eggplants
• mint leaves and chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Harissa capsicum

• ¾ cup roughly chopped red capsicum (from about ¾ of a capsicum)
• 1 tomato, cored, chopped
• 1 tsp harissa (or to taste)
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper to season

Tahini yoghurt

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tbsp tahini (or to taste)
• squeeze of lemon juice

METHOD

1. Make the flatbreads as above.
2. Preheat a barbecue grill scorching high – as high as it will go. Prick the eggplants in a few places then place on the grill. Leave them for 15 minutes or so, before turning and leaving again. Turn them every 15 minutes to char evenly all the way around – cook until the skin is black, and the pulp is beginning to collapse. This can take up to 40 minutes depending on your heating element.
3. Very carefully and gently, remove the eggplant from the heat and place on a drip tray in the sink. Allow to cool and drain completely – those residual juices are often quite bitter.
4. Once cool, carefully peel away the burnt exterior, trying to keep the eggplant shape intact. If you love things extra smoky, reserve the burnt skin to blend through the tahini yoghurt.
5. For the harissa capsicum, add the ingredients to a blender and blitz to a runny, sauce-like consistency. Set aside until ready to use – this can last in the fridge in a screwtop jar for 1 week.
6. To make the tahini yoghurt, combine the garlic, yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk with a fork. (If you decide to use the reserved burnt eggplant skin, blitz all the ingredients in a blender instead. It will look black and grey in spots.)
7. Warm the flatbreads. Gently smear the base with the tahini yoghurt and place an eggplant onto the yoghurt, trying to keep its shape. Drizzle with the harissa capsicum mixture and season generously. Scatter with mint and parsley and serve.

Grilled chermoula chicken with charred lemon, dates and tzatziki

Feel free to substitute the chermoula paste with a store-bought version for a speedier dinner option. I prefer to make my own; I'll often make a double batch and keep the leftovers in a screwtop jar in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken thighs
• ½ lemon, sliced into thin rounds
• 6 dates, pitted and finely sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp finely chopped herbs, such as coriander, to scatter

Chermoula

• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ¾-1 cup olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tsp Aleppo pepper or red chilli flakes
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 preserved lemon

Tzatziki

• 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• ¼ cup finely chopped herbs (I used mint, dill and coriander)
• ½ clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to season

METHOD

1. Make the flatbreads according to recipe above.
2. For the chermoula, add everything except the preserved lemon to a blender, starting with ¾ cup of the olive oil, and adding more if needed. Rinse the preserved lemon, scrape off and discard the pulp then roughly chop. Add this to the blender and blitz until combined but still a little chunky.
3. Add the chicken to a bowl and spoon the chermoula over. Toss until the chicken is well coated.
4. If time allows, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional).
6. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over high heat, drizzle chicken with extra olive oil and fry until browned (2-3 minutes each side). Add the lemon slices, put in the oven and roast until cooked through (3-5 minutes), then transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
7. While the chicken is resting, make the tzatziki by combining the ingredients in a bowl.
8. Warm the flatbreads then generously smear the tzatziki across the base. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Top bread with the chicken and charred lemon slices then scatter with chopped herbs and sliced dates. Season generously and serve. Best eaten warm and on the day the breads were made.

Hot-smoked salmon with coriander dressing, greens and cashews

If you have made the flatbreads and the dressing ahead, this is a quick throw-together meal. It's bright and fresh. And above all, easy.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g hot-smoked salmon, flaked into pieces
• 1 medium Lebanese cucumber, sliced into ribbons using a peeler
• 1 cup loosely packed mixed herbs, leaves picked (I used coriander and Thai basil)
• ½ cup Thai coriander dressing (recipe here)
• ½ cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
• ½ red onion, very finely sliced (optional)

METHOD

1. Make the flatbreads as above.
2. Add all the ingredients except for the dressing and cashews to a bowl. Using your hands, toss gently to incorporate. Slowly drizzle over some of the dressing and toss again. You may not need all the dressing – the aim is to have everything just coated rather than drowning.
3. Warm the flatbreads. Scoop the salmon mixture onto the flatbreads and scatter with cashews and onion just before serving.

Note: If you don't have the coriander dressing to hand, you can make a quick little dressing with the juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam, the zest of 1 makrut lime and half a teaspoon of fish sauce, or to taste.