Recipe of the week: Spiced pomegranate Scotch Lamb
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If you'd like to use some delicious Scotch Lamb this Christmas, this leg of lamb with a spiced pomegranate twist will do just the trick.
Ingredients
2kg Scotch leg of lamb, trimmed
A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
A few fresh bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
300g red onions, peeled and thickly sliced
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
600ml 100% pomegranate juice
Method
Put the lamb on a board, season lightly and rub all over with the allspice. Leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C, 170C fan oven, gas 5. Put a few bay leaves and rosemary sprigs in a roasting tin just big enough to fit the lamb and add the onions.
Sit the lamb on top. Mix the pomegranate molasses and oil together and brush over the lamb.
Pour 300ml pomegranate juice into the tin. Cover the tin with foil and cook for between 2 and 2½hrs, until cooked to your liking. Baste the lamb occasionally during cooking and remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking to brown the meat.
Drain the lamb, reserving the cooking juices and onion, and discard the herbs. Cover the lamb lightly with foil and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
While the lamb is standing, remove the fat from the cooking juices and pour the juices into a blender. Add the reserved onions and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and stir in the remaining pomegranate juice. Heat, stirring, until boiling, then simmer for five minutes until slightly reduced and thickened. Cover and keep warm.
To serve, arrange the lamb on a serving platter. Garnish with fresh herbs and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve with the pomegranate and onion gravy and accompany with honey roasted carrots and baby parsnips.
Pomegranate molasses is a thickened, reduced form of pomegranate juice with a sharply-sweet flavour, and is used in sweet and savoury Middle Eastern recipes. If preferred, replace with 1 tbsp clear honey and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Red grape juice would make a tasty alternative to pomegranate juice if preferred.
Leftovers can be made into a curry pie. Finely chop or mince leftover cooked lamb and mix with cooked chickpeas and a curry sauce. Cover with mashed potato and carrot top and bake until golden and piping hot. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with salad.
- For more recipes visit www.makeitscotch.com
