Persian-spiced lamb with pomegranate pilaf
Created by Jane Asterley, from the Oxton Slimming World group in Merseyside.
Serves 4
Ready in 3 hours 45 minutes, plus chilling
800g lean lamb leg steaks, all visible fat removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
500ml lamb or chicken stock
FOR THE MARINADE:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 level tsp sweetener
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 red onions, chopped
FOR THE PILAF:
250g dried bulgur wheat and quinoa mix
2 vegetable stock cubes
4 green cardamom pods, roughly bashed
1 tsp ground turmeric
200g mangetout, halved diagonally
200g fresh pomegranate seeds, reserving some to serve
200g radishes, finely sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
10g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, reserving some to serve
1 Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lamb and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2 When ready to cook, put the lamb and marinade, and the stock in a medium, lidded saucepan and season. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 2-3 hours, or until the lamb is tender and starting to fall apart, stirring often. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 20-30 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
3 Meanwhile, for the pilaf, rinse the bulgur wheat and quinoa, then put in a large saucepan with the stock cubes, cardamom, turmeric and 1 litre cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Drain off excess liquid, discard cardamom and set aside.
4 Boil the mangetout for 2 minutes, then drain. Add to the bulgur wheat mixture with the pomegranate seeds, radishes, spring onions and lemon zest, and juice.
5 Stir the parsley through the lamb. Divide the lamb and bulgur wheat mixture between 4 plates. Scatter over reserved pomegranate seeds and parsley to serve.
TIP: You can also make this in a slow cooker. In step 2, tip the lamb and marinade into your slow cooker pot, and cook on low for 4-6 hours until the lamb is tender.