Lamb shoulder with preserved lemon, fregola, almonds and carrots

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 oyster cut lamb shoulder 1.5kg
Salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp. Toasted coriander, ground
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 (400g) tin san marzano tomato, hand crushed
600ml chicken or lamb stock
2 onion, peeled & quartered
2 bu. Dutch carrots, peeled (large ones split in half but leave most whole)
2 stalk celery, cut into 3 pieces
1 head garlic, split in half
2 tbls. EVOO
3 sprigs fresh rosemary and fresh oregano
10 dried prunes

Salsa verde:

1 small shallot, finely diced soaked in 1.5 tbls. Red wine vinegar
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup evoo
pinch salt

To serve

1/2 preserved lemon rinsed, insides scooped out and discarded, skins sliced thinly
70g toasted almonds tossed with EVOO and salt (toast at 170c for 12-15 minutes)
300g dried fregola or cous cous, boiled or steamed until al dente

Method:

Season the lamb shoulder with salt overnight (or 8 hours). The following day, season it with the coriander seed and black pepper. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 120C.

Heat a large sautee pan over medium high heat. Sautee the carrots, onions, celery and garlic in the olive oil until it starts to caramelise, about 10 minutes.

Add the mirepoix to a roasting pan. Place the lamb shoulder on top with the fat side up. Heat the tomatoes and the stock in the same sautee pan where you cooked the vegetables, until it comes to a simmer. Add the hot stock/tomato mix to the roasting pan. Add in the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, fresh herbs and prunes.

Cover the roasting tray with baking paper and then seal tightly with aluminum foil. Cook at 120C for 8 hours. After 8 hours, uncover the roasting tray and increase the heat to 200C just to brown the meat. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest before serving.

To make the salsa verde, combine ingredients in a small bowl about an hour before serving. Stir to combine.

To serve:

Remove and discard the onions and celery from the roasting tray. Squeeze the garlic into the braising liquid and then discard the skins.

Boil the fregola or cous cous until al dente and add the platter. Pour the broth over this and then top with the lamb and carrots.

Garnish with salsa verde, preserved lemon and toasted almonds. Serve hot.