Meat dumplings in yoghurt sauce (Shish barak)

1. Knead the flour with the water, oil and salt into a smooth dough and rest, covered, for 30 minutes.

2. For the filling, fry the finely chopped onion in the oil, add the minced lamb and fry until crumbly; stir in the toasted pine nuts, season with salt and pepper and cool.

3. Roll the dough out thinly, cut 6 cm rounds, put 1 tsp filling in the centre of each, fold into a half-moon, then press the two corners together to form a little ear; bake at 200 °C for 10 minutes until pale golden.

4. In a pan whisk the yoghurt smooth with the cornflour dissolved in the water and the salt, and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly in the same direction (so it doesn't curdle).

5. Add the dumplings and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until tender.

6. Sizzle the crushed garlic and finely chopped coriander in the butter, pour over the dish and serve warm.

Tip: Shish barak, dumplings cooked in yoghurt, is the Sunday special of Levantine grandmothers. When cooking yoghurt, cornflour and constant stirring are the secret, otherwise it splits. You can make the dumplings ahead and freeze them.