Yanyana Tavası (Next-To-Each-Other-Traybake)

 

Ok, what are you having for dinner tonight because I really think you should be making my Yanyana Tavası. When I first travelled to Türkiye as a little girl with my family, we went on an excursion to Kemer and had lunch in a very traditional restaurant by the side of a mountain; we sat on the floor on carpets, and were served a huge tray of Etli Yanyana Tavası (an oven-baked dish made with small pieces of lamb and vegetables cooked together, yanyana (next to each other)), which was placed in the centre of the table, with nothing other than bread to collectively tuck into it with. Ensure to use a BIG shallow tray for this one so that everything crisps up rather than stewing. 

As Cypriots, we often slow-cook meals like this with bone-in joints of meat, such as lamb shanks or lamb neck on the bone, but Turkish Tava and Güveç are traditionally made with“kuşbaşı” (bird’s head size - teeny tiny) pieces of lamb. I use a similar milk-based marinade here to the lamb chop recipe in my cookbook. 

Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tbsp tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste

50ml milk 

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp ground pul biber  

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp dried mint 

600g boneless lamb shoulder / neck fillet, cut into tiny pieces

10 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole 

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes

3/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper 

2 onions, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces

1 large courgette, chopped into 2cm pieces

1 medium aubergine, chopped into 2cm pieces

2 romano/ medium red bell peppers, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces

2 large Charleston/ medium green bell peppers, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces

700g Maris piper potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes 

4 tomatoes, chopped into 2cm pieces

2 Bay leaves 

Method

In a large baking tray, whisk together the tatlı biber salçası, 2tbsp olive oil, the milk, all of the paprika, smoked paprika, pul biber and dried mint and 1 tsp of the oregano to for a smooth paste. 

Add the lamb pieces and garlic cloves to the tray, mix the lamb really well, ensuring each piece is fully covered in the marinade, then cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour, or up to four, to marinate. 

Preheat oven to 180c fan / 200c. 

Take the tray out of the fridge, and season the lamb and garlic cloves with 1 tsp of sea salt and 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper. Mix together well. Place the lamb in the centre of the tray.

Arrange the vegetables in the tray “yanyana” )”(next to each other), in sections. Brush the tops of the vegetables with the remaining olive oil, nestle in the bay leaves, and sprinkle over the remaining oregano, sea salt and coarse black pepper. Cover the ingredients snugly with a piece of parchment paper, and then tightly cover the entire tray with foil. 

Place in the preheated oven for an hour. After an hour, turn the heat up to 210c fan / 230c and take the tray out of the oven (so that the oven can heat up further while you baste the vegetables). 

Carefully remove the parchment paper and the foil from the tray, and baste the vegetables and lamb with the juices from the bottom of the tray. 

Pop the tray back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes until beautifully caramelised.

Serve with fresh bread, salad and yoghurt.