Baking
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This recipe has done the rounds! From my work offices, to friends, and family – who have all passed it on further too! It is so divine and so easy. This is a technique for cooking lamb that all food lovers should know. Lamb cooked on the bone, low and slow – for tender, falling apart lamb.
I think of this recipe whenever I see a pomegranate in season – it reminds me of how great this meal is, the salad and flavour combinations are so good.
You could vary it too - studding the lamb with garlic and rosemary, wine or stock as the liquid, and serve with the traditional sides of roast potatoes and peas. Or a spicy version using the sauce as a marinade in the harissa lamb recipe .
I found this recipe in the newspaper, many years ago by chef Andrew McConnell.
Serves 4-6. Lamb is GF and DF, decide on the sides. Freezes well.
Pictured: 7 Hour Lamb with Pomegranate Labna and Harissa Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 shoulder of lamb on the bone, around 2.5kg (You can use a smaller shoulder of lamb, or two, as long as it is on the bone)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
- 2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
- 2tsp sea salt
- Olive oil
- Labna or yoghurt cheese * – can be found in most grocery stores now, or see labna recipe below to make your own which is very simple and much cheaper!
- Handful mint leaves, torn
- 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 Spanish/red onion sliced thinly into rings
- To serve-
- Harissa sauce – 1 tbsp harissa mixed with 3 tbsp olive oil
- Israeli couscous, cooked as per packet instructions for the number of guests
- Salad (Coban Salatasi) – mix 1cm large diced ½ cucumber, 3 tomatoes, 4 radishes with fine diced 4 spring onions and 3 green long chillies. Add ¼ bunch parsley plus a handful pitted green olives – all chopped. Toss the salad in a simple dressing of ½ lemon juiced, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil – season with salt and pepper.
- NB - You can flavour the lamb however you like if you follow the cooking methos below.
Method
Place the lamb in a snug roasting dish, cover with oil, the spices and salt. You can prepare this the day before, allowing it to marinate for a few hours or overnight would be perfect. Cover with cling film if you do.
Preheat the oven to 150°C, add 1 cup water and cover tightly with foil – begin the roasting times –
1 hour covered at 150°C
5 hours covered at 110°C
1 hour uncovered at 110°C
Once the lamb is cool enough to handle, shred onto a large platter. Scatter the accompanying ingredients all around – the labna, mint, pomegranate seeds, onion, and lemon quarters.
Serve with the harissa sauce, Israeli couscous, and the salad.
* Labna Recipe - Suspend your favourite Greek yoghurt in a colander lined with cheese cloth or muslin wrap, over a bowl to catch the whey, covered in fridge overnight. That is as simple as it gets - labna is yoghurt with the whey drained out. Flavour with salt and garlic for this dish, you can leave plan and slightly salted if you like.
Pictured: Pomegranate Seeds
