PERSIAN LAMB SHOULDER WITH TOMATOEY LENTILS AND TAHINI-ROASTED BEETROOT

These noodles are a great introduction to making them, have a great mouthfeel and the sauce clings nicely to them. It’s important to eat them hot as they can become rubbery when cold. Woolworths’ fresh egg noodles are a good substitution.

Serves 8

A LITTLE EFFORT Preparation: 1 hour Cooking: 5 hours

free-range lamb shoulder on the bone 2.5 kg rosemary 4–6 sprigs garlic 6 cloves, halved cumin seeds 1 t, toasted coriander seeds 1 T, toasted smoked paprika 1T dried chilli 1t olive oil 6T celery 4 sticks, cut into chunks red onions 2, cut into chunks cherry tomatoes 2 x 400 g cans Woolworths lamb or vegetable stock concentrate 2 sticks red lentils 250 g sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Woolworths baby beetroot 650 g sherry vinegar 1T tahini, for drizzling plain yoghurt, for serving lemon, for serving

Woolworths naan bread or pita bread, toasted, for serving fresh mint, for serving

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Make small, deep incisions into the lamb using a small, sharp knife and stuff the rosemary and garlic into the incisions. 2 Crush the cumin and coriander seeds, then mix with the paprika, dried chilli and 4 T olive oil and rub onto the lamb. Season to taste. 3 Place the celery, onions, tomatoes and stock in a deep roasting pan. Top with the lamb and cover tightly with tinfoil. 4 Reduce the oven’s temperature to 180°C and roast for 3½ hours. Uncover and roast for a further 30 minutes, increasing the oven’s temperature to 200°C. Remove from the roasting pan and rest for 30 minutes before serving. 5 Add the lentils to the roasting tray and stir through. Add 1 cup water if necessary and roast for 30–45 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked. 6 Place the beetroot on a sheet of tinfoil, drizzle with the sherry vinegar and remaining olive oil and season. Wrap up and roast for 1 hour. Peel and drizzle with the tahini and scatter with mint. 7 Serve the lamb with the