15 Apr A Lamb for all Denominations (Vegans too!)
Here’s a great dish if you’re entertaining over the long weekend. The lamb can be prepared and left to steep in the spices overnight before cooking up the next day, a perfect dish for helping the host to stay relaxed.
Vegan option: substitute aubergine and chickpeas for the lamb.
Ingredients for 4-6 portions
1kg lamb shoulder
2 onion
8 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
1 orange
1 apple
50g preserved lemon
100g prunes
100g dried dates
50g corriander
2 litres beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons Raz el Hanout
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Method Season lamb with salt and pepper , seal in a heavy base pan and set aside in casserole dish. Do not wash pan. Saute roughly chopped vegetables until tender, add to lamb. Do not wash pan, cook tomato paste on low heat until beginning to brown, add beef stock. Stir until pan is clean. Add half the dates and prunes to casserole dish, the orange cut into 1/8ths, grated apple, raz el hanout, combine well and add the beef stock. Cook at 220 C for 45mins then turn down to 160 C and cook for 90mins. Finish with remaining dates and prunes. Preserved lemon and freshly chopped coriander to garnish.
To make you own Razel Hanout
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon black pepppercorns
3 cloves
2 small dried chilli
2 tablespoon cumin seed
2 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1 tablespoon fenugreek
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon dried tumeric
Toast all seeds, cloves, anise, cinnamon for 10mins, allow to cool, grind into fine powder and add powdered spices.