5 Hours Lamb

It goes well with a strong red wine, e.g. a Rioja, or a rosé.

Attention! Preparation time approx. 6 hours!

Preparation You'll need: A roaster for the oven (with lid) or a tajine A small pan
Ingredients (for 2 persons) 600-800 g shoulder of lamb For the Marinade 4 cloves of garlic 1 TL fennel seeds 1/2 TL thyme leaves 1 TL paprika 1/2 TL turmeric 1 TL chilli flakes 1 TL salt 25 g butter 2-3 EL plain olive oil For the Sauce 1-2 onions (180 g are needed) 10-15 half dried dates (plums also fit quite well) 1 large cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 375 mL white wine and 750 mL water For the very end 30 g whole blanched almonds
Ingredients for the couscous salad (side dish) 175 g couscous 1 tsp salt (for the cooking water) 1 medium tomatoe 1/2 spring onion (complete) 1/4-1/3 cucumber 1/2 pointed pepper (e.g. Sweet Palermo) 2-3 stalks of parsley Some mint 2-3 Tbsp each plain and good olive oil 2-3 EL pomegranate syrup 1/2 lime 1 TL paprika 1/2 EL tomato paste 1/2 EL Harissa
The Marinade Brush the bottom of the roaster with 2-3 Tbsp. plain olive oil. Cut the lamb shoulder on the skin side several times in both directions about 1 cm deep. Place briefly on the side in the roaster. Peel 4 garlic cloves and put them in a suitable cup or bowl - puree all this with a hand blender. Add: approx. 1/2 tbsp thyme leaves, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp salt, 25 g butter. Puree everything finely and then rub well with your hands into the incised top of the lamb shoulder - also into the incisions. Place the lamb shoulder, rubbed side up, in the centre of the roaster and set aside. Preheat the cooker to 190℃ fan oven.
The other ingredients for the lamb and start the roasting process Roughly chop the 2 onions, for 180 g. Spread around the lamb shoulder. Also: 10-15 half-dried dates, 1 large cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves. Add 375 mL white wine and 750 mL water. Cover the roaster and place it in the oven. After one hour, turn the temperature down to 150℃ and continue roasting for another 4 hours (perhaps checking 1 hour before the end to see if you need to add more water. It should not drop below 2 cm in height). I always prepare the couscous salad after the first hour. See next section.
The Couscous Salad Before the salad itself, you can do something for the lamb: in a small dry frying pan, carefully fry about 30 g blanched whole almonds over a fairly high heat until they are medium to dark brown. Put them in a small bowl on the side. You can then use the pan for the salad. Put 175 g couscous in a large coverable bowl. Bring 1/4 litre of water to the boil, add 1 tsp. salt and stir. Now pour enough water over the couscous so that everything is nice and wet, but not floating. Cover the bowl and leave to stand for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime... Chop 1 medium tomato, 1 whole spring onion (only about half is needed, but of everything, mixed), 1/4-1/3 cucumber (peeled) and 1/2 pointed pepper into relatively small pieces (about the size of a hazelnut). Roughly chop the leaves of 2-3 stalks of parsley and some mint. Put everything together on the side for a short time. Put 2-3 Tbsp. plain olive oil in the small pan and heat it. Add: 1/2 Tbsp each tomato paste and harissa, 1 tsp paprika powder. Mix well and fry for 2-3 minutes. Juice half a lime and pour the juice into a little bowl. After 2-3 minutes, remove from the heat, add half of the lime juice and mix well again. Loosen the couscous with a fork and then add the paste. Mix well and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Finally, carefully fold the vegetables into the couscous. Cover and put to one side until you are ready to eat. Important when serving: The salad should then be refined by everyone at the table according to taste with these ingredients: Remainder of lime juice, pomegranate syrup and good olive oil. Simply put it on the table for self-service. Remember to check whether there is still water to add to the lamb. -> With my roaster, the lid doesn't seal so well and I have to add water several times. This may be completely different for others.
Last steps As soon as the 4 hours at 150℃ are up, remove the roaster from the oven and carefully remove the meat (be careful - it falls apart very easily!) and park it on a plate in the oven, still warm but switched off. Remove the cinnamon stick and the 2 bay leaves from the sauce and then (if you have the right roaster, otherwise just tip it into a large pan) reduce the sauce on the hob over a high heat if necessary. You should then have about 300 mL of juice left. To serve, place the meat on warmed plates, pour the sauce over it, sprinkle a few of the almonds on top (place the rest in a small bowl on the table) and serve with the couscous salad in separate bowls (don't forget the olive oil, lime juice and pomegranate syrup).