A Passover Shoulder of Lamb

This is a dish that belongs to Passover in the deepest sense — slow-cooked, perfumed with warm spices, and sweetened with dried fruits in the Moroccan tradition. A shoulder of lamb braised with apricots, prunes and almonds until the meat falls from the bone and the sauce becomes rich, dark and fragrant. It asks very little of the cook and gives everything at the table.

Ingredients — serves 6

1 whole lamb shoulder, approximately 2 kg. 2 red onions, finely sliced. 4 garlic cloves. 100 g dried apricots. 100 g pitted prunes. 50 g blanched almonds. 2 tablespoons honey. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. 1 teaspoon ground ginger. 1 teaspoon ground cumin. A pinch of saffron. Olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method

Rub the lamb shoulder generously with the spices, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Leave to marinate for at least two hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, colour the lamb on all sides in a little olive oil. Set aside. In the same pot, soften the onions and garlic over low heat until golden. Return the lamb, add the saffron, dried fruits, honey and enough water to come halfway up the meat. Cover and cook over very low heat for 2 to 2h30, turning the lamb once halfway through.

In the final 15 minutes, remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce and deepen. Toast the almonds separately in a dry pan and scatter over just before serving.

From our kitchen to yours

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Chag Pessah Sameach.