As with all good marinades, time is the key. If at all possible, make the chermoula and marinade the meat one day ahead - it will unlock incredible depth of flavour. It’s also worth making the labneh at the same time.
While we often think of red wines with lamb, this is truly a dish for Cloudy Bay Chardonnay.
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a snack
Chermoula marinade:
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chill flakes
½ cup chopped coriander
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp flaky salt
Labneh:
500 g unsweetened Greek yoghurt
½ tsp salt
Olive oil and sumac to sprinkle
Slaw:
2 tbsp white balsamic or chardonnay vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
granny smith apples: 1 finely julienned, 1 thinly sliced on a mandolin
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tbsp dill sprigs
Lamb shoulder:
1 x Te Mana Lamb Oyster Shoulder
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 bulb garlic, cut in half
1 ½ cups beef or lamb stock
To serve:
Milk buns or mini hamburger buns
Best made the day before you serve
1) Place the cumin seeds and coriander seeds into a small frying pan and toast over medium low heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
2) Transfer to a food processor along with the remaining chermoula ingredients. Process until the mixture is well combined.
3) Rub the chermoula all over the lamb shoulder, so all sides are covered. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Best made the day before you serve
1) Line a fine sieve with a piece of muslin or a double layer of paper towels and place over a deep bowl.
2) In another bowl, combine the yoghurt and salt. Pour into the cloth-lined bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
3) Discard the whey left in the sieve. Place the labneh into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
1) Preheat the oven to 140°C (280°F) fan bake.
2) Place onion wedges and garlic bulbs into the centre of an oven dish. Sit the lamb shoulder on top of the garlic and onion. Pour the stock around the lamb.
3) Cover tightly with foil and cook for 4 hours. Remove the foil, increase the heat to 180C and cook for a further 1 hour until the lamb is very tender (it will easily pull away from the bone) and the top is caramelised. Add a little extra stock or water if necessary.
1) Combine the vinegar, olive oil and honey in a small jug. Place remaining slaw ingredients into a bowl.
2) Just before serving, toss dressing through the slaw.
1) To serve, drizzle labneh with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac. Use two forks to pull the lamb directly in the cooking dish, incorporating the pan juices, onion and garlic as you go.
2) Serve the lamb in milk buns with the slaw and labneh.