By Christine Salins.
Being unable to dine out over the past few months inspired us to cook creatively at home even more than we normally would. It lifted our spirits and offered a creative outlet during the long days of isolation. I made it a mission to work through the huge collection of recipes amassed over a lifetime of drooling over food – so many recipes clipped from magazines and downloaded from the Internet I couldn’t hope to cook them all, even if I cooked a new recipe every day for the rest of my life.
At least I’ve now made a dent in the collection – and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. The recipe here was inspired by one from www.taste.com.au It’s a slow-cooked dish and was an absolute triumph, the spices and aromatics working their magic almost as soon as they were rubbed into the lamb. The kitchen smelt divine even before the pan went into the oven.
I used a boned lamb shoulder that was already tied up when I bought it. I didn’t bother unrolling it. Instead, I rubbed the marinade all over the outside and simply pushed the marinade into the inside bits as much I could. I didn’t have pomegranate molasses on hand so I used a blend of vincotto, spicy grape sauce and cherry finishing vinegar, all products I had in the pantry.
Once cooked, the meat fell apart on the fork and tasted superb. We enjoyed it with a Spanish Tempranillo, Campo Viejo 2017, from Rioja, a perfect match.
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with butter beans, Moorish spices and buttermilk
Serves 6
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 anchovies, chopped
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 orange
1.2 kg boned shoulder of lamb, butterflied
Olive oil
1 large onion, cut into quarters
2 carrots, cut in half
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves
300ml red wine
200ml pomegranate molasses or vincotto
400g can butter beans, rinsed, drained
200ml buttermilk
Put garlic, anchovies, spices and orange zest in a mortar and crush with a pestle. Place lamb in a large bowl and rub all over with oil then the ground spice mix. Allow to marinate in fridge for a few hours.
Roll up lamb and tie to hold it together. Preheat oven to 150°C. Put lamb in an ovenproof casserole dish and cook over a medium heat on the stove. Brown on all sides then remove from the dish. Add onion and carrot and cook for a few minutes to brown. Return lamb to the dish, placing it on the vegetables along with thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Cover dish and transfer to oven to cook for 2½ hours or until lamb is tender.
Take dish out of oven and set aside, still covered, to cool for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove lamb and vegetables from the dish and set aside. Place the dish with cooking juices on the stove, add the red wine and pomegranate molasses, and boil until liquid is reduced to a sauce consistency.
Place the lamb and vegetables back in dish to warm through along with the butter beans. Simmer for a few minutes then serve at the table with the buttermilk on the side to spoon over each portion.
