Pulled Lamb Shoulder With Sticky Pomegranate Glaze Food

PULLED LAMB SHOULDER WITH STICKY POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Put the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and lemon in a blender with 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp black pepper. Blend until smooth. Put the lamb in a large roasting tin and tip the marinade over the top. Massage all over the lamb and leave for 24 hrs in the fridge, or up to 2 days.
• Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hr before cooking. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Scatter the onions around the lamb, tucking some underneath, then pour over the pomegranate juice. Cover the lamb with foil and cook for 4 hrs.
• Remove the foil, carefully pour the meaty pomegranate juices from the tin into a large saucepan and add the honey. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, re-cover the lamb and continue cooking for 30 mins. Meanwhile, bubble the cooking liquid over a high heat until reduced, thick and syrupy - this may take up to 30 mins.
• Pour the sticky pomegranate glaze over the lamb and onions and return to the oven for another 30 mins, uncovered, until the glaze is bubbling and just starting to char, and the lamb is really tender. Mix the yogurt, most of the pomegranate seeds and mint leaves in a small bowl. Shred the lamb at the table and serve with the sticky onions and the minty pomegranate yogurt. Scatter over the remaining pomegranate seeds.

LAMB BRAISED IN POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Generously season lamb chops with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Place lamb chops in Dutch oven and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
• Stir onion and a pinch of salt into the Dutch oven; cook until onions are slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Pour pomegranate juice into the Dutch oven and scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot. Pour in balsamic vinegar, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.
• Stir rosemary, mint leaves, and red pepper flakes into pomegranate juice mixture. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven, spoon pomegranate mixture over lamb, and cover.
• Cook in the preheated oven until meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. Transfer lamb to a plate and set Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat. Bring pomegranate mixture to a boil; cook, skimming any fat that accumulates, until liquid is reduced by 1/3, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in honey and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Return lamb to the Dutch oven; stir to combine. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, sliced mint leaves, and pumpkin seeds.

PULLED LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Combine grated garlic cloves, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, paprika powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the lamb with it and marinate for at least a couple of hours (up to 24 hours). Remove from the fridge one hour before roasting.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius/ 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the lamb with the fat side up in a roasting pan and arrange the sliced onions around it. Pour the water around it. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 4 hours.
• Turn the heat up to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste the meat with the juices from the pan, cover again and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. The meat should be really tender.
• Remove the foil, baste well again and roast for another 30 minutes to get a nice crust. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve the juices for drizzling over the shredded meat.
• While the meat rests shortly make the mint and pomegranate yogurt.
• Mix yogurt, honey, grated garlic, 2/3 of the pomegranate seeds, and 2/3 of the finely chopped mint. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
• Shred the lamb with two forks and serve drizzled with the roasting juices and sprinkled with the remaining pomegranate seeds and mint.
• Serve with mint and pomegranate yogurt.

LAMB SHOULDER WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Make deep incisions all over the lamb. Stuff a sliver of garlic into every incision then a few leaves of rosemary. Rub olive oil all over the shoulder and into the incisions. Put in a roasting tin, cover loosely with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a few hours to marinate. When ready to cook, bring the lamb to room temperature. Heat the oven to 180C. Spread about half the pomegranate molasses on the bottom of the lamb and season with salt and ground black pepper. Turn over and spread the top with the rest of the molasses, pushing it into some of the incisions, and season. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven to 160C and roast for another 1.5 hours. After 1 hour, add the wine and sherry, pouring them around the joint. When the lamb is cooked, put it on a warm platter then cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes while you finish the sauce. Put the roasting tin over a medium heat and add the stock. Bring to the boil and cook until it is reduced a little (not too much or it will be too salty). It doesn't matter if it's quite thin, the flavour is the important thing. Strain the sauce through a sieve before serving it with the lamb. Suggestion: Serve with Frank's potato and celeriac gratin Tip: Leftover lamb is great in sandwiches or crunchy vegetable salads to have the next day for lunch at work, a tasty reminder of the weekend.

SLOW-COOKED PULLED LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C. Combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, lemon juice, zest and salt in a small bowl. Place the onion wedges in a large roasting dish and place the lamb on top of them. Pour over the pomegranate juice. Spoon the garlic mixture over the lamb. Cover the lamb with foil and roast it in the preheated oven for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the foil, carefully pour the juices from the roasting dish into a large pan and add the honey.
• Increase the oven temperature to 220°C, recover the lamb with foil and cook it for a further 20-30 minutes to brown. Watch the lamb carefully after 20 minutes to ensure it doesn't over-brown.
• Meanwhile, reduce the juices in the pan over a high heat until they are thick and syrupy. This will take around 25-30 minutes. Pour the syrup over the lamb when it comes out of the oven.
• Combine the yoghurt, cucumber and mint and season to taste with salt and pepper. Shred the lamb and serve it with the cucumber sauce. Lemon couscous makes a delicious accompaniment to this dish.