Recipe: Pickled lemon lamb

Pickled lemon lamb. Photo / Babiche Martens.

PICKLED LEMON LAMB
Serves 6

• 1kg lamb shoulder
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 15g butter
• 1 large onion, chopped roughly
• Salt and pepper, to season
• Zest of 1 orange
• ¼ tsp saffron, dissolved in 2 Tbsp warm water
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Rind of 1 pickled lemon (recipe below)
• 150g green olives
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Remove any excess fat from lamb and cut into four chunks.

2. Heat butter and oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add onions and orange zest and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened.

3. Season lamb, then brown on all sides in frying pan. Place into an ovenproof dish.

4. Add saffron, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, paprika and bay leaves. Mix to coat meat in spices. Add stock. Cover and roast for 1½ hours or until meat is tender. Check the juices don't run dry; add a little water if necessary.

5. Add lemon rind and olives for the last 15 minutes.

6. Serve with hot rice, sprinkled with parsley.

Pickled lemons

• 8 small lemons
• 250g salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 allspice berries
• 10 whole coriander seeds

1. Cut four lemons into quarters, cutting not quite through to the bottom.

2. Using half the salt, sprinkle inside lemons generously. Squash them into a clean preserving jar along with bay leaves, allspice and coriander seeds.

3. Squeeze juice of remaining lemons and pour into jar, along with remaining salt. Seal jar. Turn daily for the first week. Ideally leave up to a month before using, but can be used after one week.

- VIVA