12-hour roasted lamb with pistachio and green olive tabbouleh

At the restaurant, Shane marinates the lamb for three days to increase flavour and tenderise the meat. If you don’t have the time, marinate the lamb overnight for this Middle Eastern recipe.

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  12 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 12 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 lemons, zested
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 2 x 1.5 kg lamb shoulders with foreshank attached, bone in
• lemon cheeks, to serve

Pistachio and green olive tabbouleh

• 100 g coarse burghul (cracked wheat) (see Note)
• 150 g (1¼ cups) green olives, seeded
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
• ½ cup mint leaves, chopped
• 185 g shelled pistachios, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lemon, zested, juiced
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

Marinating time overnight (or up to 3 days if you can)

Standing time 50 minutes

Drink 1999 Chateau Musar Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Beqaa Valley, Lebanon

Instructions

Using a mortar and pestle, grind garlic, cumin, lemon zest, sumac and 1 tbsp sea salt flakes to a paste. Score lamb skin and rub lamb with the paste. Place in a greased roasting pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes to stand at room temeperature before cooking.

Preheat oven to 100°C. Remove and discard plastic wrap and roast lamb, basting occasionally with juices, for 12 hours or until browned and sticky. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, to make tabbouleh, stand burghul in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes. Drain. Using the flat side of a knife blade, press on olives to crush. Place in a bowl with burghul, herbs, pistachios, garlic and lemon zest. Just before serving, toss with lemon juice and oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Using 2 forks, roughly shred lamb. Serve with the tabbouleh and lemon cheeks.

Note

• Burghul (cracked wheat), available from supermarkets, delis and health food shops, is whole wheat that has been partially boiled, cracked and dried.

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 9, pg93.

Photography by Derek Swalwell

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.