There is little as pleasing to cook in the depths of the winter as a pot of enticingly fragrant, slow-braised meat. A shoulder of lamb is one of my favourite cuts; you, or a friendly butcher, will need to trim away its excess fat, a job that will reward you with an exquisite flavour that marries beautifully with bold spicing. Here, we travel to Morocco, with sweetly aromatic ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, and follow that with cardamom, cream and rhubarb for pudding. A sumptuous, colourful feast to stave off any February blues.
Moroccan lamb filo pie with honeyed carrots and almonds (pictured top)
Many elements of this dish, with its falling apart, richly seasoned lamb and carrots encased in crisp, golden pastry, can be made the day before. The flavours will be much improved for it, too.
Prep 15 min
Cook 3 hr
Serves 6-8
1 large boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
60g butter, or oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 scant tsp ground ginger
1 scant tsp cinnamon
1 scant tsp turmeric
2 large pinches saffron strands
650g carrots, scrubbed (or peeled) and cut into thick, slanted chunks
1 heaped tsp honey
To finish
80g blanched almonds
50g butter
270g packet filo pastry
Use a sharp knife to cut the meat into six to eight pieces, trimming away any further excess fat revealed when doing so.
Season the lamb pieces generously with salt and pepper. Put a casserole on a high heat and, when it’s hot, add a third of the butter (I like to add a dash of olive oil, too, to stop the butter burning). Brown the lamb pieces in two batches for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned and caramelised. Set aside in a bowl, then turn down the heat to medium.
Add a third more of the butter to the pan, tip in the onions, season well with salt and lots of pepper, then stir in the ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and saffron, and sweat gently, stirring often, for 10-12 minutes, until the onions are translucent and soft.
Return the lamb to the pan, pour in enough water almost to cover the meat, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer very gently for 90 minutes, turning the lamb a couple of times.
Meanwhile, put a large frying pan on a high heat and, once hot, add the last of the butter. Saute the carrots for four to five minutes, seasoning generously with salt and pepper, add the honey and cook for a few minutes more, until caramelised and fragrant.
Once the lamb has had its 90 minutes, add the carrots to the mix and simmer, uncovered, for a further 30-60 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and the carrots are just cooked. (This can now be set aside to finish the next day.)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and toast the almonds inside while it’s heating up. Melt 50g butter in a pan, then use a pastry brush to grease a large ovenproof dish and the pastry, layering it up to four sheets deep in the pan. Tip in the lamb, top with the toasted nuts, then fold over the overhanging pastry and brush with more melted butter. Top the pie with a few extra scrunched-up filo sheets, brush with melted butter, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot and golden. Serve with greens.
Cardamom panna cotta with baked rhubarb
Prep 10 min
Infuse 30 min
Cook 40 min
Chill 3 hr+
Serves 4
450ml double cream
100ml whole milk
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
100g caster sugar
1 tsp green cardamom pods
2½ 2g fine-leaf gelatine sheets
200g greek yoghurt
For the rhubarb
400g rhubarb, wiped clean and cut into 3cm lengths
100g caster sugar
Juice of 1 orange
2-3 tbsp Pernod
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and add the orange zest and sugar. Bash open the cardamom pods with a rolling pin, then add them, too. Put the pan on a medium heat and warm gently until a few tiny bubbles break the surface. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for half an hour.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Lay out the rhubarb in a single layer in a large baking dish. Sprinkle over the sugar, orange juice and Pernod, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until tender to the point of a knife but still keeping its shape. Taste and adjust the sweetness if the rhubarb is very tart.
Submerge the gelatine in a bowl of cold water, leave to soften for five minutes, then drain and squeeze the water from the gelatine and put it in a bowl. Once the cream has infused, reheat it gently, then strain through a sieve into the gelatine bowl. Whisk until it melts, then beat gradually into the yoghurt. Pour into four small moulds, glasses or ramekins, then chill in the fridge for at least three hours, until set.
To serve, dip the base and sides of the panna cotta moulds into boiling water and loosen with a palette knife. Turn them out on to plates and spoon the rhubarb around the creams.
