Slow Roasted Lamb with Lemon and Olive Cous Cous Recipe
Cooked slow and low, this melt-in-your-mouth lamb dish is the ultimate winter warmer and makes even better sandwiches and salads the next day.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tbsp ras el hanout
1.5kg whole lamb shoulder
2 spanish onions, sliced into thick rings
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated, not peeled
1 cup verjuice
Lemon and Olive Cous Cous
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
250g pearl cous cous
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup pitted Sicilian olives, squashed
with heel of palm
½ preserved lemon, finely diced
½ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup mint, shredded
80g Persian feta
½ pomegranate, seeds removed
Method:
Combine the olive oil and ras el hanout. Rub over lamb, season then cover lightly with plastic. Chill and allow to marinate for minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 150˚C. Line a large roasting pan with baking paper. Place onion and garlic on the base. Place lamb on top, pour verjuice and 1 cup of water into the base of the pan. Cover with a sheet of baking paper, and a double layer of foil. Cook for 4½-5 hours or until lamb is tender enough to pull with a fork. Uncover and bake for a further 30 minutes to brown slightly.
To make cous cous, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan, cook onion for 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in cous cous, tossing to coat. Pour in stock, (add ½ cup of pan juices for added flavour if you like) cover, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and cous cous is tender.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Gently toss in the olives, preserved lemon, parsley and mint. Scatter over feta and pomegranate seeds.
To serve, pull chunks of lamb
with a fork, serve with cous cous,
onion and garlic cloves, and drizzle
with pan juices.