Name: Braised lamb with maftoul and chickpeas
Ingredients: 8 lamb chops, on the bone; 2 tbsp olive oil; Salt and black pepper; 3 medium onions, one peeled and quartered, two peeled and cut into 0.5cm slices; 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces; 2 sticks celery, cut into 3cm pieces; 40g parsley leaves, plus 1 tbsp extra, chopped, for garnish; 2 cinnamon sticks; 20 whole allspice berries; 10 black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; 300g maftoul or couscous; 200g cooked chickpeas; 150g Greek yoghurt

Main Weekend project Spring

4 people

This is a pretty substantial dish, full of wonderful meaty and sweet-spiced aromas. Save it for a Sunday lunch, as an alternative to the traditional roast.

Ingredients

8	lamb chops, on the bone
2	tbsp olive oil
	Salt and black pepper
3	medium onions, one peeled and quartered, two peeled and cut into 0.5cm slices
2	large carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
2	sticks celery, cut into 3cm pieces
40g	parsley leaves, plus 1 tbsp extra, chopped, for garnish
2	cinnamon sticks
20	whole allspice berries
10	black peppercorns
2	bay leaves
300g	maftoul or couscous
200g	cooked chickpeas
150g	Greek yoghurt

Method

In a large bowl, mix the lamb chops with a tablespoon of the olive
oil, a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper, and rub
everything together well. Place a medium stockpot on high heat, add the
chops and sear for two minutes on each side, until golden-brown. Add the
quartered onion, carrots and celery, pour in a litre and a half of cold
water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, skim the surface and add the
parsley, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and bay leaves. Leave to
simmer for an hour and a half, skimming occasionally and topping up the
water if it gets low, until the lamb is tender.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a medium frying pan. Add the
sliced onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until
caramelised and brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When the chops are soft, remove them from the stock and set aside.
Strain the stock and measure out 900ml (or 700ml if using couscous
instead of maftoul); reserve the carrots to serve with the lamb, if you
wish. Top up with water if necessary. Return 700ml of the liquid to the
pot (500ml if using couscous), bring to a boil, add the maftoul
and cook on a low to medium heat, stirring often, until al dente –
about 10 minutes. (If using couscous, pour it in, cover the pan, remove
from the heat and set aside for five minutes.) Stir the chickpeas and
cooked onion through the maftoul, add a quarter-teaspoon of salt and
warm through. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and keep somewhere
warm.
Just before serving, reheat the last of the lamb stock. Add the lamb
and gently stir until warmed through. Pile the warm maftoul on a large
serving platter, put the lamb chops on top, spoon over some of the hot
stock and the yoghurt (you may need to loosen it up first by whisking it
a little), sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.