When Thomasina Miers met Ottolenghi. Middle Eastern rose scented falling apart lamb with basmati,wild rice and chickpea salad
I saw this lamb recipe in a recent issue of the Times, it's from Thomasina Miers new book Chilli notes.
I thought it would go well with this rice recipe from Ottolenghi. It was a bit carb heavy but delicious. I also served it with a cucumber and yoghurt recipe also from Jerusalem.
If I was going to be picky I think I could probably let it cook for a little bit more as it wasn't quite as 'falling apart' as I would like but I thought that the marinade gave the lamb a great taste.
Middle Eastern, rose scented falling apart lamb
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 shoulder of lamb (about 2kg)
2 heads of garlic
2 tsp cumin seeds
2.5cm cinnamon stick
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp harissa
1 lemon, zested and quartered
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp rose syrup (optional)
1kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into (roughly) 2cm chunks
500ml dry white wine
Method
1 Trim the shoulder of lamb of its outside layer of fat and make incisions all over the flesh. The fat is normally dry and comes away easily with a knife. Cut the heads of garlic in half and slip the cloves from one of the halves out of their skins into a pestle and mortar. Heat the spices in a dry frying pan for a minute or two to bring out their flavour and then add to the pestle and mortar with the salt. Grind to a rough paste before adding the harissa, lemon zest, olive oil and rose syrup, if using.
2 Rub the lamb shoulder with the spice paste and leave to marinate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
3 Four hours before you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Lay the squash out on a deep baking tray with the lemon quarters and the rest of the garlic and place the lamb on top. Roast for half an hour, then turn the heat down to 130C/Gas ½, add the wine and continue to cook the lamb for another 3½ hours or until the meat is falling away from the bone and smells enticing. Serve with pilau rice and raita.
Basmati and wild rice with chickpeas, currants and herbs
Ingredients
50g wild rice
2 tbsp olive oil
220g basmati rice
Salt and black pepper
330ml boiling water
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp curry powder
240g cooked chickpeas (tinned are fine), drained
180ml sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tbsp plain flour
100g currants
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped dill
Method
Put the wild rice in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, until cooked but still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
To cook the basmati rice, pour a teaspoon of olive oil into a medium saucepan and place on high heat. Add the rice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and stir as it warms up. Add the boiling water, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a tight lid and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, cover the pot with a tea towel, then put the lid on top and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the chickpeas. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and curry powder, and after a couple of seconds add the chickpeas and a quarter-teaspoon of salt; act fast, or the spices may burn. Stir for a minute or two, just to heat the chickpeas, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Wipe the pan clean, add the sunflower oil and place on a high heat. Once the oil is hot, mix the onion and flour with your hands. Take some of the mix and carefully place in the oil. Fry for two or three minutes, until golden-brown, transfer to kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Repeat in batches until all the onion is fried.
Finally, add both types of rice to the chickpea bowl, along with the currants, herbs and fried onion. Stir and season to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. •
I thought it would go well with this rice recipe from Ottolenghi. It was a bit carb heavy but delicious. I also served it with a cucumber and yoghurt recipe also from Jerusalem.
If I was going to be picky I think I could probably let it cook for a little bit more as it wasn't quite as 'falling apart' as I would like but I thought that the marinade gave the lamb a great taste.
Middle Eastern, rose scented falling apart lamb
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 shoulder of lamb (about 2kg)
2 heads of garlic
2 tsp cumin seeds
2.5cm cinnamon stick
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp harissa
1 lemon, zested and quartered
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp rose syrup (optional)
1kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into (roughly) 2cm chunks
500ml dry white wine
Method
1 Trim the shoulder of lamb of its outside layer of fat and make incisions all over the flesh. The fat is normally dry and comes away easily with a knife. Cut the heads of garlic in half and slip the cloves from one of the halves out of their skins into a pestle and mortar. Heat the spices in a dry frying pan for a minute or two to bring out their flavour and then add to the pestle and mortar with the salt. Grind to a rough paste before adding the harissa, lemon zest, olive oil and rose syrup, if using.
2 Rub the lamb shoulder with the spice paste and leave to marinate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
3 Four hours before you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Lay the squash out on a deep baking tray with the lemon quarters and the rest of the garlic and place the lamb on top. Roast for half an hour, then turn the heat down to 130C/Gas ½, add the wine and continue to cook the lamb for another 3½ hours or until the meat is falling away from the bone and smells enticing. Serve with pilau rice and raita.
Basmati and wild rice with chickpeas, currants and herbs
Ingredients
50g wild rice
2 tbsp olive oil
220g basmati rice
Salt and black pepper
330ml boiling water
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp curry powder
240g cooked chickpeas (tinned are fine), drained
180ml sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tbsp plain flour
100g currants
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped dill
Method
Put the wild rice in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes, until cooked but still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
To cook the basmati rice, pour a teaspoon of olive oil into a medium saucepan and place on high heat. Add the rice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and stir as it warms up. Add the boiling water, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a tight lid and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, cover the pot with a tea towel, then put the lid on top and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the chickpeas. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and curry powder, and after a couple of seconds add the chickpeas and a quarter-teaspoon of salt; act fast, or the spices may burn. Stir for a minute or two, just to heat the chickpeas, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Wipe the pan clean, add the sunflower oil and place on a high heat. Once the oil is hot, mix the onion and flour with your hands. Take some of the mix and carefully place in the oil. Fry for two or three minutes, until golden-brown, transfer to kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Repeat in batches until all the onion is fried.
Finally, add both types of rice to the chickpea bowl, along with the currants, herbs and fried onion. Stir and season to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. •
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