Roast Shoulder Of Lamb With Couscous And Date Stuffing Food

ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH COUSCOUS AND DATE STUFFING

Steps:

• Put the lamb skin side up in a baking dish or roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in an oven preheated to 475°F for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350°F and cook for 3 hours, until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is juicy and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours.
• For the stuffing, put the couscous in another baking dish, and add the same volume of warm water, about 1¼ cups, mixed with a little salt, the orange blossom water, and cinnamon. Stir well so that the water is absorbed evenly. After about 10 minutes, add the oil, and rub the couscous between your hands to air it and break up any lumps. Mix in the remaining ingredients, apart from the butter, cover with foil, and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes, or until it is steaming hot.
• Before serving, stir in the butter so that it melts in and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous stuffing, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste, if necessary.
• For the garnish, remove the pits from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds. Serve the meat with the couscous stuffing decorated with these dates.

ROAST SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH COUSCOUS-AND-DATE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475. Put the lamb, skin side up, in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven. Immediately lower the heat to 325 and cook for 4 hours or until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is moist and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours and pour in 3/4 cup of water.
• For the stuffing, put the couscous in another baking dish, and add 1 1/4 cups warm water, a little salt, the orange-blossom water and cinnamon. Stir well. After about 10 minutes, pour in the oil, and rub the couscous between your hands to air them and break up any lumps. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the butter, cover with foil and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes or until steaming hot. Before serving, stir in the butter so that it melts and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous stuffing, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste.
• For the garnish, remove the stones from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds. Serve the meat with the couscous stuffing garnished with these dates.

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.