Lebanese-flavoured lamb with chickpeas and mushrooms recipe
Packed with heady, aromatic flavours, warming spices and masses of texture, this Lebanese-inspired lamb dish is a total treat and takes mere minutes to prepare.
Perfect for a low effort but seriously tasty weekend feast, once you pop the casserole dish in the oven you can forget about it for the next few hours – although that might prove difficult as your kitchen slowly fills with gorgeous aromas.
When it comes accompaniments for the meltingly tender lamb, it’s really up to you: a pile of warm flatbreads, fresh, flavourful tabbouleh salad or platter of pomegranate molasses–drizzled roasted cauliflower would all be lovely, as would a bowl of Greek yogurt spiked with a swirl of tahini and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Things to note:
This dish can also be made in the slow cooker, just leave to simmer away for eight hours.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
- 40 g dried mixed mushrooms (we like Cooks&Co)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.3 kg half leg of lamb
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 3 cm piece ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 tsp sumac
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 500 ml passata
- 900 ml hot lamb stock
- 2 x 400g tinned chickpeas, drained
- 460 g jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 handful fresh dill, to garnish
- 1 handful pomegranate seeds, to garnish
Details
- Cuisine: Lebanese-inspired
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 240 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/gas mark 3. Tip the mushrooms into a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Set a large, ovenproof, heavy-based casserole dish with the oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the lamb, season with salt and black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned all over. Remove the lamb from the dish and set aside.
- Add the onion to the casserole dish, season and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Stir in the ginger, garlic and lemon zest.
- Cook for 1 minute, then add the harissa, lemon juice and the spices. Stir well, return the lamb to the pan and pour over the passata and the hot stock. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Add the mushrooms to the dish. Stain the reserved mushroom liquid to remove any gritty bits, then pour in.
- Tip in the chickpeas, stir the mix well and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven for 4 hours, or until the lamb is tender to touch. If the dish starts to look like it is drying out, top up with a little hot water.
- When ready, use 2 forks to shred the lamb into pieces and stir in the peppers. Garnish with the dill and pomegranate seeds and serve with warm flatbreads.
Adapted from a recipe supplied by Cooks&Co.
You might also like:
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with spiced rice
One-pot harissa chicken and apricot pilaf