brought to you by Al Alali Tuna..

A spin on the classic Shawerma

I was so excited when Al Alali got in touch me and informed me about their plan to launch a new flavoured Shawerma line. They told me they are bringing 3 amazing new flavours of shawerma to the market, one of which is Shawerma Tuna, the second Kapseh Tuna and also the Curry Tuna. As you can see they have chosen 3 very delicious flavours, all of which are very dear flavours to this part of the world. I was instantly excited and definitely on developing recipes for them as requested. I of course chose Shawerma flavour 🙂 Shawerma is an amazing flavour and I am all for  bringing new to the old and building on tradition. So while I shared with you the recipes of the traditional Meat & Chicken Shawerma in my book Plated Heirlooms, this tuna shawerma was going to complete that set, so we have shawerma of all the main meat types. What is not to love! As such and since we are bringing new to the old, I thought why not experience the shawerma flavour in a totally new context, different from the most associated form of having Shawerma (as a sandwich), and go instead for a warm, comforting, tuck into type of dish. And what better way to do this than with a hot pie, kind of like the comfort of a fisherman’s pie. Since shawerma is a Middle Eastern flavour, I had kept true to Middle Eastern ingredients, flavours and to the original Palestinian baked potato pie method and ingredients. The only difference here, is instead of the classic meat filling (recipe on this link), I had gone with the shawerma tuna. It really turned out amazing, just look at the picture (above) of the filming crew eating this after we finished shooting!

This right here is a flavorful spin on the classic shawerma by all means. One that highlights the new and delicious Alali Shawerma Tuna. I am not just saying this, I really enjoyed the flavour of the shawerma tuna, Al Alali did a great job there.

I have made this in ramekins for individual servings, and have later made it into a big pie. Both work fabulously of course and it just depends the feel you are after and how you want to serve this. It is an easy, fuss-free, comforting and absolutely delicious dinner to tuck into after a long day at work, so do give it a try and see how you will love it.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans Al Alali Shawerma Tuna
  • 1 tbsp DS Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 200 g fresh/frozen peas
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 yellow capsicum, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup pine nuts. toasted
  • 4 large potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender, then drained
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • ½ clove garlic crushed
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (recipe on this link)
  • 1 bunch dill, chopped

Start by boiling the potatoes until tender. Then drain them and mash them.

Add the yogurt to the mashed potatoes and season with salt, black pepper and paprika. Mix all well together, then fold in the chopped dills. Set aside until ready to use.

Drain the tuna.

In a skillet, sauté the onion and minced garlic in olive oil until translucent, add the chopped capsicum and sauté until softened. Add the drained tuna and mix well until heated through.

Remove from heat and mix in the pine nuts and frozen peas. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Brush the ramekins with olive oil, then fill halfway with the tuna and vegetables mixture.

Top with a layer of mashed potatoes making sure to seal in the tuna mixture. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. And bake in a 370F -200C oven for 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

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