Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The new crowd pleaser (recipe below)





ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER WITH FREEKEH

Freekeh (Firkir) is a Middle Eastern grain made from wheat that is harvested green.  The chaff is gently burned off and the wheat is then dried in the sun.  It has a slightly smoky flavor and is delicious.  This simple one-dish meal is easy and delicious.  I served this along with a yoghurt sauce.      


1.5 kilos - Lamb Shoulder

1 tablespoon - Coarse Salt
1 tablespoon - dried Oregano
1 tablespoon - chopped fresh Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon - ground White Pepper

3 - medium Onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 - head of Garlic with the cloves separated, but not peeled

200 grams - Freekeh
250 grams - fresh shelled Peas, or frozen


Serves 4


Two hours before cooking, slash the top of the shoulder deeply (around 1/2”) with parallel cuts roughly 3/4” apart.  Place in a large baking dish and rub the mixture of salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary into the cuts and over the top of the shoulder.  Tuck the loose flaps of the shoulder underneath it.  Let rest at room temperature for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (with fan).  Place the lamb on the middle rack of the oven and roast for thirty minutes (it should be getting golden).  Add the onion and garlic and continue to roast for another ten minutes.

While the onions and garlic are roasting bring two cups of water to a boil.  After the vegetables have roasted for ten minutes pour the boiling water over the lamb and vegetables.  Cover the ban with heavy duty tinfoil and reduce the heat to 180 degrees.  Roast for one hour.

Add the freekeh around the roast.  Add more water if the freekeh isn’t covered.  Reduce the heat to 160 degrees and roast uncovered for forty minutes.  

Mix in the peas into the freekeh and roast for another twenty minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven, cover with tinfoil and let rest for fifteen minutes.

Cut off pieces of the lamb (it will be very tender, so will come apart more in chunks) and serve with the freekeh and peas on the side.

 
    
Notes:  
For the yoghurt sauce I whisked together one cup of Greek yoghurt, one tablespoon of lemon juice, one tablespoon of olive oil around a teaspoon of sumac and some salt and pepper.  Serve at room temperature.

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