Articles FoodSalads & Stir friesWarm Salad of Eastern Pulled Lamb and Chickpeas
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Warm Salad of Eastern Pulled Lamb and Chickpeas

By Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor Feb 21, 2018

This delicious and wonderfully substantial warm salad with Eastern pulled lamb and chickpeas is perfect for the weekend or a relaxed family meal.

The sweet and sharp raspberry dressing brings to life the flavours of the lamb. Give it plenty of time to cook and marinade and you’ll have a flavourful, meltingly tender meat.

It’s a great dish to get started in the oven before you go for a weekend walk or spend the day pursuing your favourite hobby.

Serves: 6 – 8   Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours marinating    Cook time: 6 hours

You’ll need:

For the lamb

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1tbsp cumin seeds, roughly ground
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1tsp grounded cinnamon
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 2kg bone-in lamb shoulder
  • 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained & rinsed

To serve

  • 235g salad spinach, washed & well drained
  • 225g punnet raspberries
  • 150g pecans

For the dressing

  • 225g punnet raspberries
  • 100ml water
  • 3tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil with the garlic, cumin, thyme, cinnamon and smoked paprika and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a sharp knife, pierce 1 centimeter deep holes all over the lamb – this will help the spice flavour to get deep inside the meat.
  2. Rub the marinade all over the lamb, pushing inside the holes you have made. Place the lamb in a large baking tray, cover with cling film and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
  3. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/130ºC fan/gas 2. Remove and discard the cling film and pour 200ml cold water into the roasting tin. Cover tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 5 hours – it won’t need checking or turning so it’s fine to leave it undisturbed.
  4. After the lamb has had its 5 hours cooking, remove from the oven and discard the foil. Increase the oven temperature to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4. Using a large metal spoon, spoon off and discard as much fat as possible – providing you don’t stir the sauce it will be floating on top. Stir the chickpeas through the remaining juices, and return to the oven, uncovered, for a further hour.
  5. Whilst the lamb is in the oven for the final hour, make the dressing by placing all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Set over a medium high heat and bring up to the boil. Boil steadily for about 5 minutes until the raspberries have broken right down and you are left with a shiny, deep coloured sauce. Taste to check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired and a little more honey if it is too sharp. Strain through a sieve to remove the pips and set aside to cool.
  6. Toast the pecans in a dry frying pan until they are deep golden brown and smell lovely and nutty. Tip onto a board and roughly chop. Set aside.
  7. After the final hour in the oven, take the lamb out and transfer to a large plate or board. Using 2 forks, flake the meat into bite sized pieces.
  8. To serve, divide the spinach leaves between individual plates and scatter over the raspberries and pecans. Spoon the shredded lamb and some chickpeas over the top and drizzle on a little dressing. Serve the rest of the dressing alongside in a small jug.

 

Recipe courtesy of BerryWorld

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Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor

Hello there! I’m Rachel and I’m the Assistant Editor for Silversurfers. I work behind the scenes to bring interesting, informative and entertaining subject matter to the Silversurfers community. I hope you enjoy the features we have shared with you. Please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts with us, we love to hear from you!

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