PULLED TURKISH LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE

SERVES 8 The current fashion for pulled meats certainly removes much of the stress from cooking. Any cut with a good amount of fat such as lamb shoulder will tolerate being cooked until the meat falls from the bone; the fat is essential to keep the meat moist and it helps carry the flavours through the meat. Swathe the shoulder with the aromatic baharat spice blend, a fundamental ingredient in the kitchens of the Gulf states that loosely translates to ‘a flower and seed spice blend’. Cook slowly with onions and juicy sultanas for a charming meal crowned at serving time with a scattering of glorious cerise pomegranate seeds.

BAHARAT SPICE BLEND 2 Tbsp black peppercorns 1 Tbsp coriander seeds 1 Tbsp crushed cassia bark 1 Tbsp whole cloves

¼ cup cumin seeds

1 tsp cardamom seeds 1 whole nutmeg

2 Tbsp ground paprika

PULLED LAMB ½ tsp saffron threads

2 Tbsp homemade baharat spice blend – or use store-bought

Grated rind and juice 1 orange

¼ cup olive oil

1 shoulder of lamb, preferably on the bone

1 onion, finely diced

3 cups lamb or chicken stock – or use water

1 cup raisins or sultanas

½ cup pine nuts, toasted if desired

Seeds 1 pomegranate

Flatbreads or toasted pide bread, and mint leaves, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 140°C.

2 To make the baharat spice blend, grind together the peppercorns, coriander seeds, cassia bark, whole cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom seeds. Grate the nutmeg and mix with the paprika and ground spices.

3 Toast the saffron threads in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat until they become a deep, burnished red. Watch carefully so the threads do not burn. Cool. Crush the saffron to a powder between two spoons.

4 Mix together the saffron, 2 Tbsp baharat spice blend, orange rind and juice and oil.

5 Score the top of the lamb with the tip of a sharp knife. Massage the spice mixture all over the lamb. (At this time the lamb can be wrapped and refrigerated for 1-2 days before cooking, if wished.)

6 Place the lamb into a deep flameproof dish – one that can take direct heat. Scatter around the onion and pour in a cup of the stock or water. Cover with a lid or foil.

7 Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours.

8 Remove from the oven, scatter in the raisins or sultanas and pour in a further cup of stock or water. Cover again and cook for a further hour.

9 Remove the lid or foil and continue to cook for a further hour or until the meat can be pulled easily from the bone.

10 Stand the lamb on a chopping board or platter for about 15 minutes. While the lamb is standing, place the cooking dish over direct heat and warm through the juices inside the dish with the remaining cup of stock or water. It should be quite a thick mix. Add more water if required.

11 Using two forks, pull the meat from the bone and mix with the sultana mixture. It should be moist, but not so moist that the lamb sits in lots of liquid. Season with salt.

12 Serve in a bowl, garnished with the pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve atop toasted pide bread accompanied with fresh mint leaves or, alternatively, place portions of pulled lamb in flatbreads with fresh mint, roll up and serve.