Moroccan Spiced Shoulder of Lamb is a true Foodie delight! It is a lot like pulled pork in consistency and you shred it off the bone when you serve it. It is also all about flavor, flavor and more flavor. It has been a very long time since I have tasted a dish that I just wanted to continue eating, bite after bite.
Tip : This recipe is best made out of the freshest and youngest lamb. The shoulder should not weigh more than about 2 lbs (900g) and should be very light in color. Fiesta Farms has these unusual cuts of meat in Toronto,
Ingredients
Lamb Shoulder
- 2 lb shoulder of lamb
- 2 tbsp Moroccan Spice Rub
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup runny honey
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp grated garlic
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 orange juice and zest
- 3 large shallots quartered, or 6-7 Cipollini onions, peeled
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cooked Farro or Spelt
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Garnish
- a small handful of basil or mint
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Instructions
Gather all ingredients before starting recipe.
- Season shoulder with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Rub 2 tbsp Moroccan Spice Rub all over the lamb shoulder.
- Place in a pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least one hour and up to 2, or refrigerate overnight and remove from fridge about an hour before placing the roast in the oven.
Roasting
- Pre heat Oven to
425 °F - Place lamb in an oven proof pan with a tight fitting lid, add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the pan and drizzle roast with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
- Roast in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Check roast periodically, if the pan looks a little dry, add another 1/4 cup of water, and tilt the pan to let the water cover the bottom. Those juices will add to the flavor of the sauce!
Marinade
- While lamb is roasting, combine, in a small bowl, 1/2 cup runny honey (melt in microwave on high for 30 seconds if too thick), 2 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp grated garlic, 1 lemon juice and zest, 1 orange juice and zest and any Moroccan spice left in the pan used on the lamb.
Braising
- Reduce heat in the oven to325 °F
- Remove lamb from the oven after first 35 minutes and move lamb to a platter.
- Place the roasting pan on a medium high heat and add 3/4 cup raisins and 3 large shallots or Cipollini onions and stir to combine. If the pan looks dry, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté until the onions start to color.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and return the lamb to the roasting pan.
- Generously baste the lamb with the marinade mixture, and pour half of the marinade in the roasting pan.
- Cover the lamb with a tight fitting lid, or cover well with aluminum foil and braise for 90 minutes in a325 °F
- Check the lamb periodically, it will be done when the meat is tender and can be shredded with a fork.
Finishing
- Remove roasting pan and move lamb to a platter.
- Place roasting pan on medium high heat, add the remaining marinade and 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce stir to combine. If the sauce is still a bit pale, add a bit more of tomato paste and soy sauce. The color of the sauce should be a rich red brown.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of cooked spelt and stir to combine with sauce in the roasting pan.
Serving
- Move the contents of the roasting pan to an edged platter, top with the roast lamb and shred some of the lamb on the platter, sprinkle with baby basil leaves and toasted pine nuts.
Author Notes
I first made this dish a couple of years ago and at that time readily found two-to-three-pound lamb shoulder cuts without any problem.
Since then, I have looked for these delectable braising cuts at my normal butcher whenever we went shopping there, but somehow what was common then became very uncommon now. I did actually get a shoulder cut from a whole side of lamb once (the butcher insisted) and it was delicious, but not quite the same. I was looking for that very light pink color associated with very young lamb.
Nowadays, I tend to look at both price and cut. Beef is almost out of reach and somehow is never tender and juicy, so we have been eating a lot of lamb, but Australian or New Zealand lamb. Always young and always tender. I have been buying both loin chops and lamb chops and recently a leg of lamb. I tend to check the meat counter weekly and this week I found lamb shoulder, albeit in three slices, rather than one piece, but it was tender and delicious. and just to switch things up a bit, I served it with fluffy mashed potatoes.
It took the same amount of time to cook as the larger piece so be on the lookout for different cuts to what you might be used to. If you have never tried this dish, you must. It really is all about flavor, flavor and more flavor.
Another tip. I stumbled upon a New Zealand 'square cut' shoulder of lamb at my grocer recently. This is an excellent choice if your grocer already carries New Zealand or Australian lamb. The cut will weigh about 4 pounds, so you would have to increase the braising time proportionately, I would say another 90 minutes. 