Rolled shoulder of lamb with a pistachio and sour
cherry stuffing and a lamb pan and port sauce
Click here for the downloadable recipe
INGREDIENTS
Lamb
1,5 kg Boneless shoulder of lamb
Bones and off cuts from deboned shoulder of lamb
1 Lemon, quartered and pips removed
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Gelatin, powdered
2 Red onions, peeled and quartered
½ liter Sour cherry juice or another berry juice
2 cups Boiling water
2 tablespoons Pomegranate molasses
Stuffing
1/3 cup Couscous
½ cup Vegetable stock, hot
1/3 cup Pistachios, chopped, shelled & unsalted (Karoo Pistachios)
1/3 cup Sour cherries, pitted, drained [keep juice for cooking lamb in]
100 ml Vegetable stock
4 tablespoons Fresh mint, finely shredded
2 Spring onions, chopped, include the green stems
1 Orange, zest, and juice
Sauce
½ cup Red wine
½ cup Port
1 cup Chicken stock
½ teaspoon Salt
½ cup - 1 cup Pan juices from roasted lamb
METHOD
Marinate the lamb:
1. Place the lemon, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and oil in the blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a large Ziplock bag.
2. With the tip of a sharp knife score the outer layer of skin and fat of the lamb, but do not cut into the meat, cross-hatching the entire surface of the lamb.
3. Place the lamb in the large Ziplock bag with the marinade, seal tightly and shake the bag around so that the entire lamb shoulder is covered with the marinade. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours or up to 2 days.
4. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Prepare the stuffing:
5. Prepare the stuffing; place the couscous in a large bowl and add the hot stock and leave for 5-10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Loosen with a fork and set aside to cool.
6. Stir in the chopped pistachios, drained sour cherries, mint, spring onion, orange juice and zest. Mix well together.
Prepare the lamb:
7. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
8. Remove the meat from the marinade. Place the meat on a chopping board, meaty side up. Sprinkle the gelatin over the meaty side. Spread the stuffing evenly over the lamb shoulder, be careful to not overfill. Roll up and secure with butcher’s twine.
9. Spread the remaining marinade over the rolled-up lamb. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
10. Place the quartered onions and lamb bones in a large oven roasting pan. Place the lamb on a rack that fits over the pan and add 2 cups of boiling water and the drained cherry juice to the pan. Cover the meat with a tinfoil tent. Place the rack in the bottom half of the oven. Roast for 2 hours.
11. Remove the foil, carefully pour the meaty cherry juices from the pan into a large saucepan and add the pomegranate molasses. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C, recover the lamb and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
12. Boil the meaty cooking liquid over high heat until reduced, thick, and syrupy. about 15-20 minutes. Pour the thick cherry glaze over the lamb and onions and return to the oven for another 10 minutes uncovered until the glaze is bubbling and starting to char, and the lamb is tender. Remove the lamb from the oven, transfer the roasted lamb to a warm platter and rest for 15 minutes covered with foil whilst making the sauce.
Prepare the sauce:
13. Pour the red wine and port into the roasting pan in which the lamb was cooked.
14. Place over medium heat, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring until liquid has reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 10-12 minutes. Skim the fat of the surface if required.
16. Strain the sauce into a gravy boat and serve hot with the sliced lamb. Serve with yogurt, mixed with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves on the side.
