Roast Lamb Couscous Red Onion Recipes

SLOW ROAST RAS EL HANOUT LAMB & COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Using a pestle and mortar or a mini chopper, mash or chop the garlic with a generous pinch of salt, then add the lemon juice, ras el hanout spice mix and olive oil, then pound or chop to a rough paste. Use a small knife to make small incisions all over the lamb. Sit the lamb in a large, shallow casserole dish or deep roasting tin, then rub the paste all over the lamb and into the cuts. Leave at room temperature for 1 hr, or better still cover and chill overnight.
• When ready to cook, heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Scatter the onion wedges around the lamb, then cover the dish with a lid or tightly with foil and roast for 3 hrs. Remove from the oven and uncover. Stir the onions and baste the lamb in the juices, then turn the oven up to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to roast the lamb, uncovered, for 25-30 mins until browned.
• Lift the lamb and onions onto a board to rest and put the kettle on. Stir the couscous and raisins into the lamb dish so they're coated in the roasting juices. Pour over enough boiling water from the kettle to just cover the couscous, then cover the dish and leave for 5 mins. Uncover and fluff the couscous up with a wooden spoon, then stir through the chickpeas, chopped herbs and preserved lemon or lemon juice, and season to taste. Bring the lamb, onions and the couscous to the table to serve.

CURRIED BRAISED LAMB SHANK WITH THREE ONION COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Season the shanks well with salt and pepper. Mix flour with curry, chili, fennel, and coriander. Completely coat shanks in mix. In a hot casserole lightly coated with canola oil, sear shanks and color on all sides. Set shanks aside and wipe out casserole. Saute onions, celery, carrots, garlic and ginger until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze casserole with red wine and reduce by half. Stir in thyme. Add soy sauce, banana, kaffir lime and chilies. Add shanks and completely cover with water. Check for seasoning. Slowly bring to a boil then cover tightly with foil or lid. Roast in a 325 degree oven (at a simmer) for at least 3 hours. The meat should fall off of the bone. Remove shanks and reduce sauce until thickened slightly. Remove kaffir lime leaves and puree sauce using a hand blender. Check again for seasoning.
• THREE ONION COUSCOUS: In a hot saute pan, add canola oil and caramelize onions with the scallions. Season. Remove to a large bowl. Add olive oil, currants and couscous. Boil water and add exactly 6 cups to bowl and quickly stir together. Immediately cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand 30 minutes. With a fork, fluff couscous and check for seasoning.

ROAST LAMB, COUSCOUS, RED ONION

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice the onion, then let it soften in a little olive oil over medium heat, stirring from time to time. It is ready when soft and golden. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour over the water, and leave for ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains. Stir in the softened onion, the raisins, and the spices. Season generously, then stuff the mixture into the pocket inside the lamb. Pull the meat over the stuffing and seal with a skewer or tie with string.
• Place the meat in a roasting pan, scattering any spare stuffing around the outside, and rub a little olive oil over the fat. Pour a glass of water into the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast the lamb for twenty minutes, then decrease the heat to 400°F (200°C) and continue roasting for forty minutes, until the fat is crisp and golden and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a skewer. Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes before carving.