Shatta inspired meals…

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It all began when I saw someone talking about ‘shatta’ sauce on Instagram; I, of course, immediately looked it up, and discovered that it’s a middle eastern chilli sauce. I had never heard of it before; I read various recipes and versions of it, then had a play at making a version. 

And boy it was hot! In fact I made two versions, one with red jalapeños (from a jar), and one with milder long red fresh chillies; the one with the jalapeños was the killer! So I added a few other ingredients to flesh it out and take down the rawness of the flavour. In fact I played with both versions and this is what I got…

This one is red jalapeño chillies, fresh parsley & coriander, roasted pumpkin seeds, garlic, dried tomato flakes, cumin, salt, pepper, tomato puree, olive oil & lemon juice.

And this is chopped parsley & coriander, garlic, long red chillies, cumin, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and olive oil, which I added to mashed white beans.

As the week has gone on, the flavours have developed nicely, and I’ve used both concoctions in various ways…

This was a salad of chopped parsley & coriander, bulgur wheat cooked in goats whey, chopped spring onions & chillies, and mixed roasted seeds, with the red jalapeño sauce stirred through it. And serviced with some of the sauce mixed with my red pepper ajvar sauce.

Let’s talk SERIOUS leftovers! This is bulghur wheat, cooked in the whey from making goats curd, and mixed with leftovers of 3 sauces: the red jalapeño sauce; a sauce made by mixing the red jalapeño sauce mixed with some of my red pepper ajvar sauce; and a roasted tomato and chilli ajvar sauce; all stirred together and left to develop lots of flavour. So good heated the next day.

And this was roasted butternut squash wedges filled with a mixture of leftovers of the mashed bean salad mixed together with leftover zaalouk.

So you can see how one idea can lead to so many outcomes, especially in my hands! I know I’ve said it before but I do love chucking stuff together 😉 

Happy Fiesta Friday everyone, and happy weekend x

19 thoughts on “Shatta inspired meals…”

  7. sallybr

    Call me a shatta virgin too, I had never heard of it, and here I was, thinking I know a lot about cooking… a lesson in humility

    I don’t mind spicy as in hot, I suppose my Dad shared his genes on love of peppers with me – he would bite the hottest peppers as if they were apples… pretty funny, actually.

    everything is so colorful! you definitely know how to make food shine!

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    1. Elaine @ foodbod Post author

      Thank you 😊😊 I must admit, I couldn’t believe there was a middle eastern sauce I’d never heard of! If you like the heat, you’ll probably like the more original versions 😄
      I must say, the name did make me giggle…!
      X

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  8. TraceyDelaplainMD.com and WhatsForDinnerDoc.com

    I think jalapeños are my least favorite pepper. They can be really hot (in front of the mouth) and the flavor is too green for my taste. I prefer Serrano which are actually hotter (they are hot on the back of your palate) but are more flavorful. The Vegetarian Times had an interesting article about peppers and why they effect your palate in different places which might explain the differences in preferences. If I find it again I’ll send it to you. Interesting stuff and I know that you like peppers.

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