Musakhan

Chop six to eight medium onions into medium cubes and set aside.

Cut another onion into large cubes; trim and lightly crush four garlic cloves to peel; snip the tips off five cardamom pods; break a large chicken into two breasts and two thighs.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot over medium heat and melt two pieces of mastic.

Add bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, the cardamom and half a teaspoon of black peppercorns; cook a minute or two until fragrant.

Add the large-cubed onion and cook a few minutes until just turning translucent.

Stir in a teaspoon of baharat or allspice and half a teaspoon of cumin until the onion is coated.

Push the onions aside, add the chicken skin side down and sear a minute or so per side until coloured; mix with the onions.

Add boiled water to submerge the chicken, bring to a boil on high and skim off the scum, which would cloud the stock and make it gritty.

Add 2 teaspoons of salt (and a vegetable stock cube if wanted), then simmer on low about half an hour until the chicken is fork tender; adjust seasoning.

Pour 350 ml olive oil into a heavy-bottomed pot on low heat, add the chopped onions, half a teaspoon of pepper and one and a half teaspoons of salt; cover and confit 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 100 g sumac, cover and cook another 20 minutes until the onions and oil turn deep purple.

Tear or cut the flatbread to fit a couple of large pieces side by side in an oven tray or baking dish; spoon about half a ladle of stock onto each.

Spread a generous helping of the sumac onions with some of their oil over each piece, dividing evenly; repeat with a second layer of bread, stock and onions.

Set the chicken on top and spoon sumac oil over each piece.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until the chicken is golden brown.

Scatter a handful of toasted pine nuts and a handful of fresh coriander leaves; serve a flatbread with a piece of chicken on each plate.