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MOROCCAN SPICED LAMB SHOULDER

My first memories of lamb shoulder are of the amazing aroma coming from my granny’s oven one Sunday morning when I was young. I was so curious about what could possibly be cooking in the oven to create such a tantalising smell. My granny – always eager to encourage my taste buds – sliced off a chunk, much to my granddad’s horror, and sent me home with it. It didn’t get that far, because I unwrapped it in the back seat on the car ride home and guzzled the lot! Lamb shoulder really needs to be cooked at a low heat for a long period of time to make the most of it. This spiced version is delicious, but for a more traditional flavour you could simply stud the lamb with garlic and rosemary.

SERVES 6

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground turmeric

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Small bunch of coriander, leaves picked and stalks roughly chopped

1.5kg (3lb 5oz) lamb shoulder

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Couscous and lemon wedges, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3.

Place the olive oil, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, lemon zest and juice, chopped coriander stalks and a good pinch of salt into a mini blender. Blitz to form a smooth paste, or use a pestle and mortar.

Put the lamb shoulder onto two large pieces of foil and make lots of incisions in the meat with a knife. Rub the paste all over. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, then seal the foil around the lamb, leaving a little pocket of air above it. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 4 hours.

After this time, open the foil and baste the lamb with its juices. Leaving the foil open, cook for a further hour, by which time the lamb should be meltingly tender. Turn off the oven but leave the lamb inside to rest.

Serve in slices with plain couscous (or you can add some chickpeas and possibly feta for extra flavour and texture) garnished with coriander leaves, as a tasty spring/summer Sunday dinner, with a lemon wedge on the side.