Warm Lamb And Couscous Salad With Pomegranate Molasses Food

POMEGRANATE-MARINATED LAMB WITH SPICES AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Whisk pomegranate molasses, coarsely chopped garlic, olive oil, ground ginger, cinnamon, 1 3/4 teaspoons cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat. Cover and marinate 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving marinade. Pat lamb dry.
• Heat heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add meat and bones, if using, and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes total per batch. Return all lamb and bones to skillet. Add reserved marinade and 1/4 cup water. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 1 cup water and chicken broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add couscous and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, then stir in butter until melted. Divide couscous among plates and top with lamb, pomegranate seeds, and basil leaves, spooning remaining sauce over lamb.
• A thick pomegranate syrup; available at some supermarkets, at Middle Eastern markets, and from adrianascaravan.com.

SLOW-ROAST PERSIAN LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. In a small bowl, mix the molasses with the cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Scatter the onion over a casserole dish or a deep roasting tin. Place the lamb on top of the onions. Pour the glaze over the lamb. Rinse the bowl out with about 200ml water, then pour it around - not over - the lamb.
• Cover the dish with a lid or the tin with a large piece of foil. Roast the lamb, undisturbed, for 3 hrs, then remove the lid or foil and continue to roast for 30 mins to give the lamb colour. When the lamb has had its time, pour off the juices, remove as much fat as possible, then pour the juices back over the lamb.
• Just before serving, gently toss all the salad ingredients together. Serve the lamb with its sauce, the salad and some warmed flatbreads.

GRILLED LAMB WITH POMEGRANATES AND ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the infused olive oil: In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil with the garlic and lemon zest and cook over medium heat until the garlic just begins to brown and the oil is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
• For the Israeli couscous: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread the slivered almonds onto a sheet tray and toast until golden, 5 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the infused oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the Israeli couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, covered, until the water is absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pomegranate, golden raisins, mint, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and toasted almonds. Stir to combine and season with more salt to taste.
• For the lamb chops: Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking.
• Dip the rosemary into the infused oil and brush both sides of the lamb chops with the oil. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place onto the grill pan fat-side down and cook for 2 minutes. Cover with a metal bowl to trap the heat and continue to cook, turning on all sides, until medium rare, about 10 minutes. Set aside to rest. Place the lemon halves onto the grill and cook until caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes.
• To serve, slice the lamb into single chops and plate on top of the couscous. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses over the lamb chops and garnish with torn mint. Serve with the grilled lemon.

WARM SHREDDED LAMB SALAD WITH MINT AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 140C/ gas mark 1.
• On the hob, brown the lamb, fat side down, in a large roasting tin. Remove when nicely browned in the middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the vegetables briefly. Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with salt, gently for a couple of minutes. Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up. Let the liquid in the pan come to a bubble, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.
• Now just leave it there while you sleep. I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it's perfect by lunchtime the next day. But the point is, at this temperature, nothing's going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.
• If you want to cook the lamb the day you're going to eat it, heat the oven to 170C/ gas mark 3 and give it 5 hours or so. The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you.
• About an hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the tin to a large plate or carving board; not that it needs carving: the deal here is that it's unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds at the touch of a fork. This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavour is deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
• I get on with the vegetables while the lamb's sitting meekly, but you could equally well have done this earlier. But to finish the lamb salad, simply pull it to pieces with a couple forks on a large plate. Sprinkle with more salt and some freshly chopped mint, then cut the pomegranate in half and dot with the seeds from one of the halves. This is easily done; there's a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jewelled pips with a safety pin ever again. Simply hold the pomegranate half above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it. Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith. In a short while the red glassy, juicy beads will start raining down.
• Take the other half and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat. Take to the table and serve.