Slow cooked spiced shoulder of lamb wraps with roasted garlic aioli and tomato salsa
The longer you cook this shoulder of lamb the better so don’t worry if it gets an extra hour or so. Obviously if you use a boned shoulder you could reduce the cooking time by approximately an hour. The meat should be so tender that it is easily shredded with a fork. You may have some lamb and aioli left over, they will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
Ingredients
For the lamb: two tablespoons of olive oil; two teaspoons of dried ginger; two teaspoons of ground cumin; two teaspoons of ground coriander; two teaspoons of turmeric; juice and grated rind of one lemon; one small bunch of coriander, leaves picked and stems kept; sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper; one small shoulder of lamb.
For the aioli: one bulb of garlic; 85ml olive oil; one free-range egg yolk; one teaspoon of white wine vinegar.
For the tomato salsa: four ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped; one small red onion, finely chopped; one tablespoon of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; two tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander; one tablespoon of fresh lime juice; one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve with eight large soft flour tortilla wraps, one small cucumber seeded and cut into thin strips and a bowl of green salad.
Method
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3, 160ºC (325ºF ). To prepare the lamb, place the olive oil, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, lemon rind and juice, the stalks of the coriander and a good pinch of salt into a blender and blitz to form a smooth paste. Put the shoulder of lamb onto the two large pieces of foil and make lots of incisions with a knife. Next rub the paste all over. Add a couple of tablespoons of water then seal the foil leaving a little pocket of air above the lamb. Place onto a baking sheet and cook for three hours.
After three hours open the foil and baste the lamb, then reseal the parcel. Cut the tips off the tops of the garlic cloves, wrap the bulb tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook the lamb for another hour until the lamb is meltingly tender and the garlic bulb is soft. Turn off the oven but leave the lamb to rest inside.
Meanwhile, make the salsa. Place the tomatoes in a bowl with the red onion, herbs, lime juice and olive oil. Season to taste and mix thoroughly to combine.
To make the roasted garlic aioli, gently heat the olive oil. Squeeze out the really soft insides of the garlic cloves into a blender. Add the egg yolk and some salt and pepper. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to make a smooth thick sauce. Place into a heavy-based pan so you can heat through before serving (this could also be done in with a small whisk and a bowl ).
To serve, heat the tortillas in the oven by wrapping in a clean damp tea towel. Shred the lamb using two forks, discarding any excess fat and bones. Give each person a tortilla, dot over the garlic aioli, top with some lamb, a good spoonful of the salsa, then finish with some salad and a couple of slices of the cucumber. Wrap and eat immediately. Serve with the green salad.
Spiced meatballs with chilli tomato sauce
The origins of the recipe come from the Middle East, where lamb is plentiful. If you don’t want to use passata (sieved tomatoes ) simply replace with two cans of chopped tomatoes.
Ingredients
One onion, roughly chopped; one teaspoon of ground cumin; one teaspoon of ground coriander; one teaspoon of ground cinnamon; one tablespoon of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 450g lean minced lamb; 50g of pine nuts; sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper; one tablespoon of olive oil.
For the chilli tomato sauce: one red chilli, seeded and finely chopped; two garlic cloves, crushed; 680g jar passata (sieved tomatoes ); one teaspoon of sugar.
Serve with plain boiled rice.
Method
Place the onion in a food processor and whizz to a fine purée. Tip into a bowl with the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, parsley, lamb and pine nuts. Season and work to a paste with your hands. Roll the paste into small walnut-sized balls; you should have about 20 in total. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up if time allows.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200ºC (400ºF ). Toss the meatballs in the oil and place in an ovenproof dish. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.
Meanwhile, place the chilli, garlic, passata and sugar in a jug. Season and mix well to combine. Pour over the meatballs and bake for another 30 minutes, turning the meatballs once until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened. Serve hot with some rice in warmed wide-rimmed bowls.
