Moroccan Rosh Hashanah Lamb with Prunes, Apricots & Honey - Recipe by Ellie Bouhadana

Ingredients

2.5 kg lamb shoulder, off the bone (ask your butcher to keep the bones)
5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, ?nely chopped
8 garlic cloves, ?nely chopped
1 Tbs minced ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbs ground coriander
1 Tbs baharat
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp allspice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
375mL red wine
500mL chicken stock
2 Tbs honey
200 g pitted prunes
200 g dried apricots

Method

Look over the lamb shoulder and if there are any gristly bits, trim them off. Season the lamb shoulder generously with salt (about 2–3 tablespoons), a few big grinds of black pepper and about 60mL of the olive oil. Rub this all over the lamb. You can leave the lamb to rest overnight in the fridge at this point if you want to let the ?avours set in, but it is not essential if you are in a rush.

If the lamb has rested overnight, take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking to bring the shoulder to room temperature.

Warm a tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy-based ?ameproof casserole dish, then brown the lamb shoulder on all sides over a medium–high heat. Make sure the dish is big enough that the shoulder can lie open and ?at so it browns evenly.

Remove the browned lamb from the dish and set aside. Sear the leftover lamb bones, then set them aside as well.

Add the onions to the casserole dish and sauté over a medium heat until they are golden, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the spices to the onion mixture and stir so that they toast and become fragrant.

Add the lemon juice and deglaze at a gentle simmer, using a wooden spoon to loosen and scrape up any bits caught on the bottom of the dish. Pour in the red wine and let it whoosh up, then stir and bring to a fast simmer.

Nestle the lamb shoulder into the casserole dish, folding it back into the shape it was before it was deboned. Put the bones into the braising liquid too. Pour in the chicken stock and the honey and bring the liquid back to a fast simmer, then reduce to a low heat. Cover with baking paper that is cut into a circle slightly bigger than the circumference of the pot, tucking in the edges. This will really help to seal in the steam. Cover with a lid and keep at a soft simmer for an hour.

After an hour, add the prunes and apricots and turn the lamb so that the other side is immersed in the liquid. Cover the dish with the baking paper and lid and keep simmering over a low heat for another 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. If it looks dry at any point, pour in a little more stock or water.

By the end of the braise, the meat should be incredibly soft but still holding its shape and sweet and almost sticky from the prunes and apricots. Taste the braising liquid towards the end of the cooking time (my Mum and I usually check a couple of times to get the right balance). Sometimes it can be too salty or not sweet enough. If it tastes too salty, add a little more water, another small handful of apricots and a tablespoon or so of honey and simmer further until the fruit has broken down and soaked up some of the salt.

Serve the lamb and all its thick sweet juice straight away, or leave it to rest and then carefully reheat before serving.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Ellie’s Table by Ellie Bouhadana, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally from 1 May 2024. Photography by Lucia Bell-Epstein. RRP $55.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Ellie’s Table by Ellie Bouhadana, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally from 1 May 2024. Photography by Lucia Bell-Epstein. RRP $55.