Ingredients
-
2kg lamb shoulder, on the bone
-
1 tbsp olive oil
-
5 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
-
100g runny honey
-
40g fresh ginger, grated
-
2 lemons, their juices and finely grated zest
-
2 oranges, their juices and finely grated zest (or 150ml orange juice)
-
2 tbsp ras el hanout
-
500g small onions or shallots, peeled and halved
-
150g raisins
For the saucy chickpeas
-
500ml lamb or chicken stock
-
11/2tbsp dark soy sauce
-
1tbsp tomato puree
-
2 jars of Queen Chickpeas - with their bean stock
For the mint yogurt
-
4 tbsp thick greek yogurt (or dairy free alternative)
-
A small handful of fresh mint (roughly 15g), roughly chopped
To Serve
-
70g flaked almonds, toasted
-
A small bunch (roughly 15g) of fresh coriander, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
-
Green salad or steamed greens such as broccoli (optional)
Substitutions
-
Ras el hanout - lebanese 7 spice or a moroccan style spice mix
Made with:
Queen Chickpeas
Directions
-
step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
-
step 2
Put the lamb into a deep roasting tin and rub with salt and oil. Roast, skin-side up, for 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate or board. Turn the oven down to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3.
-
step 3
Meanwhile, make the mint yogurt. Combine the yogurt and chopped mint in a small bowl and mix well, then set aside in the fridge.
-
step 4
For the sauce, add the honey, garlic, ginger, the zest and juice of both lemons and oranges and the ras el hanout in a small bowl and mix well.
-
step 5
You will have moved the lamb onto a plate or chopping board at this point. In the same roasting tin that the lamb was cooked in, scatter the halved onions and raisins. Pour the honey and citrus mixture over the top, toss everything to coat and place the lamb back in the centre of the tin. Cover tightly with foil, sealing carefully around the edges. Unless this is tight, the raisins may burn. Cook slowly for roughly 3 1⁄2 hours.
-
step 6
When the lamb has 30 minutes left of cooking time, make your saucy chickpeas: add the stock, soy sauce and tomato puree to a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture has reduced by half, stirring occasionally. At this point, add the chickpeas with their bean stock. Simmer away for another 10 minutes. Keep warm.
-
step 7
After 3 ½ hours, remove the foil - the meat should effortlessly fall apart.
-
step 8
Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark. Baste the lamb with a little of its own cooking juices. Baste the lamb with a little of its own cooking juices and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the top is nicely caramelised.
-
step 9
Remove the lamb from the oven and brush the lamb with some of the sauce of the chickpeas to give it a glossy shine. Find a big wide platter and spread the chickpeas on the dish, laying the lamb on top. Scatter over the toasted almonds and chopped coriander.
-
step 10
Plate up with a dollop of the yoghurt and a side of green leaves or steamed greens for freshness.
Recipe Note
For the mint yogurt, add 5-6tbsp of greek yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, pinch of salt + a large handful of chopped mint to a bowl and stir to combine - dollop this over the finished dish for some real freshness
