Name: Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with fig and pistachio salsa
Ingredients: 3 onions (540g), peeled, 1 roughly chopped and the other 2 each cut into 6 wedges; 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped; 30g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; 1½ tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 10g dill, roughly chopped; 10g parsley, roughly chopped; 45ml olive oil; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2kg lamb shoulder, bone in; 3 cinnamon sticks; 12 cardamom pods, roughly bashed open with a pestle and mortar; 100g soft dried figs, quartered; 750ml chicken stock; salt and black pepper; 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges to serve; 50g soft dried figs, chopped into 1cm dice; 40g pistachios, very lightly toasted and roughly chopped; 1½ tbsp lemon juice; 5g dill, leaves picked; 5g parsley, leaves picked

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with fig and pistachio salsa

Main Weekend project

Serves 6 - 8

Prep 25 mins

Cook 4.5 hours

Marinate 3 hours to overnight

Featured in

This is the perfect special-occasion centrepiece, as it’s just a matter of assembling everything in the pan and leaving it to do its thing in the oven. The hardest part is the waiting time, really, as your kitchen is filled with the most tantalising aromas of sweet spices. Get ahead by making the paste and marinating the lamb overnight, being sure to remove it from the fridge a couple of hours before you want to cook it.

Ingredients

3	onions (540g), peeled, 1 roughly chopped and the other 2 each cut into 6 wedges
6	garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
30g	fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1½ tsp	ground cinnamon
2 tsp	ground coriander
½ tsp	ground turmeric
10g	dill, roughly chopped
10g	parsley, roughly chopped
45ml	olive oil
2 tbsp	apple cider vinegar
2kg	lamb shoulder, bone in
3	cinnamon sticks
12	cardamom pods, roughly bashed open with a pestle and mortar
100g	soft dried figs, quartered
750ml	chicken stock
	salt and black pepper
1	lemon, cut into 6 wedges to serve
FIG AND PISTACHIO SALSA
50g	soft dried figs, chopped into 1cm dice
40g	pistachios, very lightly toasted and roughly chopped
1½ tbsp	lemon juice
5g	dill, leaves picked
5g	parsley, leaves picked

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
Put the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, spices and herbs into a food processor and blitz until finely minced. Add the oil, vinegar, 1¾ teaspoons of salt and a generous grind of pepper and blitz into a coarse paste.
Pat dry the lamb and pierce the flesh all over using a small, sharp knife (about 10–12 times). Coat the lamb well with all the paste. You can cook it right away or leave it to marinate, refrigerated, for 3 hours to overnight.
Put the onion wedges, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and figs into a large, ovenproof cast-iron saucepan (28cm in diameter) for which you have a lid. Alternatively, use a large, high-sided roasting tin and some foil to cover. Top with the lamb, fatty side up, then pour the chicken stock into the pan (but not over the lamb) and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Lower the heat to 140°C fan, baste the lamb with the juices, then cover with the lid or foil and roast for 4½ hours, basting 3–4 times throughout. The lamb should be quite tender at this point. Turn the heat back up to 180°C fan. Remove the lid (or foil) and cook for 30 minutes more, or until the lamb is well browned and the sauce has reduced slightly. Check it at the 20-minute mark.
Gently remove the lamb, leaving it to rest on a baking tray. Pour the contents of the saucepan into a large, shallow platter or dish that has a slight lip and top with the lamb.
Make the fig and pistachio salsa. Combine the chopped figs with the pistachios, lemon juice and the herbs. Spoon this all over the lamb and serve with the lemon wedges alongside.