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Tunisian lamb with pepper, olive, and chickpea salad

Cooking Method
Cuisine
Courses ,
Servings 4
Description

Pura Vida Pans offer big pan catering for parties, festivals, and markets. They take pride in using fabulous ingredients to produce the very best dishes – from paellas to tartiflette, from chilli to stir frys, from cassoulet to stews, and from stroganoff to tapas. they share their delicious lamb recipe with nourish. https://www.instagram.com/puravidapans/

Chef’s note: Traditionally associated with Tunisia, harissa is an aromatic chilli paste that is found throughout North Africa. Its main ingredients are roasted chillis and peppers, spices, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. The rose harissa in this recipe is made with rose petals for a slightly lighter, more floral flavour. I used a half-leg of lamb for four people in this recipe; however, it works just as well with a shoulder, simply adjust the cooking times.

Ingredients
    for the lamb
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 100 grams rose harissa
  • 100 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 kilogram half-leg of lamb
  • 100 milliliters water
  • 1 lemon (sliced)
  • for the salad
  • 1 jar piquillo peppers
  • Flat-leaf or curly parsley
  • 1 can black olives
  • 2 cans chickpeas
  • sea salt and black pepper (for seasoning, to taste)
Instructions
  1. In a dry pan, gently toast the cumin seeds to help release their oils, then grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. You can always use ground cumin – just don’t toast it.

  2. Mix the salt, cumin, harissa, and extra-virgin olive oil, stir into a loose paste.

  3. Place the lamb in a roasting tin. With a knife, lightly score the lamb and rub the spicy paste all over. You can leave the meat to marinate overnight, but don’t worry if you don’t have the time, it isn’t completely necessary.

  4. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Roast the lamb for 30 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 130°C fan/Gas Mark 2. Cover the meat loosely with foil and return to the oven to roast for a further hour. Baste the lamb, adding the water and lemon slices before returning it to the oven for a final hour, again loosely covered with foil.

  5. While the lamb is roasting, drain the black olives and chickpeas, drain and chop the piquillo peppers, and coarsely chop the parsley.

  6. Remove the lamb from the oven and rest on a warm plate. Spoon out any excess fat from the roasting tin, leaving the roasting juices. Add the black olives, chickpeas, peppers, and parsley. Toss together, bring to the boil on the hob, then season to taste with the salt and pepper.

  7. Spoon the warm pepper, olive and chickpea salad onto a serving plate and place the lamb on top.

  8. To accompany this dish, I like to serve some roasted vegetables such as carrots with cumin seeds, and new potatoes.