Braised Lamb With Preserved Lemon Recipes

TENDER LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Pour the dried chickpeas into a 30cm x 40cm roasting tray.
• Quarter the preserved lemons and trim away the seedy core, then finely chop the rind and add to the tray with a good splash of liquor from their jar.
• Roughly chop the tomatoes, adding them to the tray as you go.
• Drizzle the lamb with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then rub all over with the ras el hanout and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• Sit the lamb in the tray, pour in 1 litre of water, cover tightly with tin foil and place in a cold oven.
• Turn the temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and leave the lamb in there for 6 hours, or until the chickpeas are cooked through and the lamb is pullable - after 3 hours, stir a splash of water into the chickpeas, covering tightly again with foil.
• To serve, taste the chickpeas, season to perfection, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then pull the lamb apart with two forks.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole that can be covered later, and turn heat to medium-high. Add shanks, sprinkling them with salt and pepper. When pieces are deeply browned on one side, add thyme, garlic, onion, half the celery and half the carrots, and more salt and pepper to skillet. Continue to brown, stirring occasionally.
• Add wine, and let mixture bubble for about a minute; cover and adjust heat so that mixture simmers steadily. Cook for about an hour.
• Add remaining vegetables to pan; zest lemon, and add zest as well. Continue to cook until lamb is very tender and vegetables soft, another 30 to 45 minutes. (You can prepare dish up to this point in advance; let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and proceeding.)
• When lamb is done, juice lemon, and add juice to sauce. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve, garnished with parsley.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH OREGANO AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• 1. To make the marinade, crush the garlic and oregano leaves in a mortar and pestle to form a rough paste. Rinse the preserved lemon and cut away and discard the inside flesh. Chop the rinsed skin, add to the mortar and crush everything together. 2. Sprinkle the lamb shoulder with 1 tbsp salt and season with black pepper, then rub the marinade all over both sides of the shoulder. Refrigerate on a baking tray, covered, for at least 8 hours or overnight. 3. The next day, remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Cut the potatoes in half and place in a deep roasting dish where all the ingredients will fit snugly in one layer. Set aside. 4. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat and cook the onion until deeply caramelised, about 10-15 minutes. Pour the onion and oil mixture over the potatoes. Add tomato, garlic cloves and herbs to the roasting dish. Drizzle the lemon juice over everything. 5. Add the stock to the same frypan with the extra ½ tsp salt and bring to a boil. Place the lamb in the centre of the roasting dish, moving some of the potatoes aside so it sits on the bottom of the dish. Pour the stock over the potatoes - add just enough to come three-quarters up the sides of the potatoes. 6. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 1½ hours. Flip the shoulder over, re-cover it with foil and continue braising for another hour (you may need to add more water or stock to the pan if it looks like it's drying out). Pull the meat out of the oven and take a look at it. If it still feels tough, cook for another hour, covered. Once it is starting to become tender and the bone is loosening, remove the foil and return the lamb to the oven, presentation side up, and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes to brown everything and get the meat meltingly tender. 7. When the meat and potatoes are browned, remove the lamb from the tray to rest for at least 15 minutes. If you want to brown the potatoes further, pour off the braising juices into a small pot and continue roasting the potatoes while the lamb rests. 8. To serve, place the meat on top of the potatoes. Taste the juices, adjust seasoning if needed, and warm. Serve juices in a gravy dish on the side so each guest can add more to their plates if desired. Serving suggestion: with my roasted carrot salad on the side and salted caramel mousse for dessert. Tips: *If you can't find preserved lemon, use the fine zest of a fresh lemon. These flavours are Mediterranean but use whatever herbs and spices you prefer. Keep an eye on the lamb shoulder as it cooks. You want the meat to be fall-apart tender before removing the foil to brown at the end.

BRAISED LAMB WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin and onion, and cook 4 minutes, until limp.
• Add lamb and cook 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.
• Add preserved lemon, mint, bay leaves, cinnamon and beef stock; cover and simmer 40 minutes.
• Add eggplant and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve over couscous, with a dollop of yogurt on top of each serving.

SLOW-BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND SPICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to its highest setting. Gently heat the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes until they start to pop and brown. Cool a little, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder/pestle and mortar.
• Put the cumin in a food processor with the preserved lemon, onion, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, 1 tbsp of the oil and some salt and pepper, then whizz to form a thick paste.
• Make slashes in the lamb skin about 1cm deep. Rub the spice mix over and into the slashes, then put the meat in the casserole. Add the pomegranate molasses, remaining 1 tbsp oil and 150ml water. Put a sheet of baking paper on top of the lamb, then a sheet of foil. Add the lid to cover as tightly as you can.
• Transfer the dish to the oven and turn the heat down to 130ºC fan/gas 2. Cook for 3½ hours. Remove the lid, foil and baking paper and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove from the oven - the meat should be falling from the bone (see Know How). Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat together all the ingredients for the tahini sauce and season to taste.
• Serve the lamb with the tahini sauce, extra coriander and, if you like, lemon wedges on the side.