Mezze with roast shoulder of lamb

Posted by petra08 on March 2, 2017 · 11 Comments 

There is something so comforting about a Sunday roast. In our house we are spending a little bit of extra time together and if we are lucky it is time to catch up with friends as well.

I  went to the Saturday market to get a chicken but I got side tracked and came home with half a shoulder of lamb. There was only three of us for dinner but left over lamb is always welcome as a Monday treat.

 

Slow roast shoulder of lamb 

preparation time 10 minutes 

cooking time 5 hours 

resting time 30 minutes 

oven 140C or 285F

serves 4-5 

Ingredients

• 1/2 shoulder of lamb
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 heaped tsp cumin
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix the oil, spices and crushed garlic. Stab the shoulder of lamb with a knife and rub it with the spice mix. Place the lamb in a deep oven tray and roast for 5 hours. If it looks like the spices are burning cover loosely with tinfoil.

Let the lamb rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Before serving shred the lamb, the meat should fall off the bone.

 

 

I did rosemary and sesame seed roast potatoes to go with the lamb.

 

 

A cold pesto sauce and a tomato and feta cheese salad completed dinner.

 

 

The winds outside were cold and and it was the perfect evening for a hearty dinner and a proper catch up.

 

A friend of mine was talking about Middle eastern food and by the time I got home I knew I wanted to make a mezze, including the left overs of the shoulder of lamb I cooked the day before.

 

This was not a strictly Middle Eastern mezze but it was my inspiration.

 

Bulgur wheat and lentil herb salad 

preparation time 10 minutes 

cooking time 35 minutes 

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 dl or 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup mung dal yellow, dried, split lentils
• 4 dl or 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup fine sliced leek
• 1  dl or 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup chopped coriander
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup cubed courgette/zucchini
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup cubed pepper
• a pinch of sea salt

Dressing

• 1 tbsp date molasses
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Bring the bulgur wheat and lentils to a boil in the chicken stock. Boil for 10 minutes, turn the heat off but keep the lid on and let stand for another 20 minutes or until the bulgur wheat and mung dal yellow lentils are cooked through and the water has soaked up.

Mix the remaining ingredients along with the dressing.

 

 

When the bulgur wheat and the mung dal yellow are cooked through mix them with the rest of the salad.

 

 

No Middle Eastern meal in my opinion, is complete without hummus. Sometimes I will buy ready made hummus but making your own is easy.

 

Spicy hummus 

preparation time 5 minutes 

cooking time 0 minutes 

serves 3-4 

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 heaped tbsp tahini
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for serving
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (or according to taste)
• a pinch of sea salt
• a little water
• sesame seeds for serving

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, including a couple of tbsp of water. Mix and if the hummus is too solid add a bit more water or olive oil to loosen it up.

Add olive oil and sesame seeds before serving.

 

 

There wasn’t enough lamb left over so I used up some prawns as well. I had some pancetta and I wrapped some of the prawns in the pancetta with hoisin sauce. I added sumac, a pinch of salt and sesame seeds to the remaining prawns and baked them under the grill in the oven. I think they will be delicious on the barbecue in the summer, maybe with a little spring onion.

 

 

I mixed some pesto with creme fraiche and low fat yogurt and served on the side together with pita bread.

 

 

It was a great way to transform leftovers even if I didn’t actually do anything to the cold roast lamb but it did make for a great mezze, a brilliant Monday evening dinner.

 

 

I think my next mezze must include chicken shawarma, it is wonderful with hummus ad it is an other dish for the barbecue I think. What is your favorite mezze dish?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed under Allotment/Veg, Bulgur Wheat, Bulgur Wheat, Courgette, Fish & Seafood, Garlic, Herbs, Lamb, Leek, Lemon, Main course, Meat, Pepper, Pork, Prawns, Recipe, Side dish, Snack, Starter, Tomatoes · Tagged with mezze