Slow-Cooked Lebanese Lamb
- 40g pot Cooks&Co dried mixed forest mushrooms
- 1tbsp olive oil
- About 1.1–1.5 kg half leg of lamb
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 3 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tsp sumac
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 500ml carton passata
- 900ml hot lamb stock
- 2 x 400g can Cooks&Co chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 460g jar Cooks&Co roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
- Handful of fresh dill, for garnish
- Handful of pomegranate seeds for garnish
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/160C/140C fan. Put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a large oven proof heavy based casserole dish, add the lamb, season well and cook for a few mins each side until browned. Remove and put to one side.
Add the onion to the pot, season again and cook for two to three minutes until soft, then add the ginger, garlic and lemon zest. Cook for one minute then add the harissa, lemon juice and spices, stir, add the lamb back to the pot then pour in the passata and lamb stock. Drain the mushrooms and add, reserving the juice. Then sieve the juice to remove any gritty bits and add this. Tip in the chickpeas, bring to the boil then put a lid on and put in the oven for about four hours or until the lamb is really tender when poked with a sharp knife. If it starts to dry out at all, top up with a little hot water.
When ready, shred the lamb using two forks to pull it apart then stir though the peppers. Scatter
over the pomegranate seeds and dill to serve. Serve with flat breads if you wish.
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