LAMB SHAWARMA

SERVES 4–6

I suggest doing this with a small leg of lamb, as you get the best results by laying the meat as flat as you can in the base of the slow cooker. This allows the braising liquid to come up the sides so that the glorious spicy crust can be maintained. Obviously, slow cooking a lamb leg is a far cry from roasting it on a rotisserie, but the spice-addled preparation is the same, and the end result is freaking delicious. I love serving this as part of a spread with flatbreads,

• 2 tsp black peppercorns

• 6 cloves

• 1 star anise

• 1 tsp cardamom seeds

• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds

• 1½ tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• ½ tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

• ½ tbsp sumac

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1–1.2 kg lamb leg, bone in

• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock, or enough to come three-quarters of the way up the side of the lamb

TO SERVE

• tahini • pomegranate arils • finely sliced red onion (optional) • flatbreads • mint and coriander leaves

Add the peppercorns, cloves, star anise and all the seeds to a frying pan, and briefly dry-roast over medium-high heat until the spices pop and become fragrant. You can also do this in your slow cooker if you have it nice and hot. Grind them in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. Add to a bowl with all the remaining ingredients, except the lamb and stock, and stir to combine.

Score the lamb leg in several spots. Rub the spices into the skin and top of the leg, then set aside to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Set your slow cooker to low. Add the lamb, then gently pour in the stock, being careful not to pour it over the top of the lamb; you want to keep as much of the spice mixture on the meat as possible to form a crust. Cover and cook for 10 hours. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before serving with tahini, pomegranate arils, red onion, if using, flatbreads and herbs.