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Middle-Eastern Harissa Lamb Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Baby Carrots
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
 
Adapted from The Engine Room Cookbook
Course: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Servings: 6
Author: Claudia Brick
Ingredients
Lamb Shanks
  • 4 hind lamb shanks
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • a couple of tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 onion , roughly chopped
  • 1 stick of celery , roughly chopped into 1 cm pieces
  • 1 carrot , peeled and chopped into 1 cm pieces
  • a couple of sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1.5 - 2 litres of veal , beef, or lamb stock (homemade if you have it, but I just used store bought and it still worked beautifully!)
  • 2 tablespoons harissa paste (see recipe below)
Coriander Yoghurt
  • 1 cup natural yoghurt
  • 1 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds , crushed with a mortar and pestle
  • salt to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pomegranate Dressing
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 50 ml red wine vinegar (just under 1/4 cup, or 3.5 tablespoons)
  • 20 ml pomegranate molasses (1 tablespoon)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble and serve
  • 30-40 baby carrots (I used 2 bunches)
  • head of 1 medium-large cauliflower , cut into florets
  • olive oil and ground salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups broad beans
  • 2 small fennel bulbs , sliced very thinly
  • 3/4 cup coriander leaves
  • 3/4 cup mint leaves
  • seeds of 1/2 a pomegranate
  • 100 g feta , crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • pomegranate dressing (above)
  • coriander yogurt (above)
  • 1/2 cup harissa , thinned with a tablespoon of olive oil (recipe below)
Instructions
Lamb Shanks
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole dish large enough to fit the four lamb shanks. Season the shanks with salt and pepper then lightly brown all over in the casserole pot (I did this 2 at a time as I couldn’t fit them all on the base of the pan at once). Remove and set aside.
  2. Add the onion, celery, carot, thyme and bya leaves ot the pan with another tablespoon or two of olive oil and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).
  3. Return the shanks to the pan, add the stock and harissa and stir together, making sure that all of the shanks are pretty much covered by the stock. The amount of stock you use here depends on how much you can fit - it is supposed to be 2L, but my casserole dish was not big enough so I just filled it right to the brim, about 1.6L. As long as all the lamb shanks are covered you should be pretty okay, and if you really feel like there wasn’t enough you could add more half way through cooking as some of it evaporates off.
  4. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then place in the preheated oven for 2-3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone (this took about 2.5 hours for me). Allow to cool enough to handle, then remove the shanks and pull the meat apart, setting it aside in a separate bowl or container. Discard the bones and reserve the vegetables and stock for another use.
Coriander Yoghurt
  1. Place the yogurt, coriander and cardamom seeds in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and lemon juice. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until needed.
Pomegranate Dressing
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar nad shake to emulsify. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and vinegar - it should be a balance of sweet, tart and salty
To assemble and serve
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Spread out the carrots and cauliflower on an oven tray in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the carrots are tender and browned and the cauliflower is tender and going crispy at the edges, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside in a warm place.
  2. Turn the oven down to 120-150°. Reheat the lamb in a covered roasting tray in the oven until warm (5-10 minutes).
  3. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, carrots, cauliflower, broad beans, fennel and herbs and gently toss with the pomegranate dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Spread each plate with a spoonful of coriander yogurt as a base for the salad. Divide the salad over the plates, and then add the feta, pomegranate seeds, a sprinkle of sumac and a drizzle of harissa.
  5. Serve with warm turkish bread.