Nigel Slater’s version of a 16th-century Persian recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 kg middle neck of lamb
- 3 tbsps olive oil sp
- 3 large onions
- 6 plump cloves garlic
- 3 tsps mild curry powder
- 2 tsps black pepper
- 2 tsps ground turmeric
- 1 litre water
- 2 pinches saffron stamens
- 30 g butter
- 500 ml thick yogurt
- large handful shelled pistachios
- a handful dried sour cherries
Servings:
Instructions
- Brown the lamb in the oil in a large, deep casserole then transfer to a warm plate. Pour two-thirds of the fat from the pan into a small bowl and set aside.
- Peel and roughly chop 2 of the onions, add to the pan and cook over a moderate heat for about 25 minutes. Peel the garlic, slice thinly then add to the onions when they have been cooking for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the curry powder, black pepper and turmeric and cook for a few minutes then return the lamb to the pan and pour in the water. Turn to a low simmer, partially cover, then cook for 3 hours, until the lamb almost falls off the bone.
- Steep the saffron in 50ml of water for 10 minutes. Peel the remaining onion, cut in half then into 1cm-thick slices. Warm the reserved lamb fat in a heavy, shallow pan, add the butter and onions and cook over a low heat for about 25 minutes.
- Using a draining spoon, lift the lamb pieces out on to a warm serving dish. Turn up the heat under the lamb liquor and boil to reduce by half. Put the yogurt in a large bowl, pour in the saffron liquid (holding back the stamens if you wish) whisking continuously.
- Pour the reduced liquor from the lamb into the yogurt, beating with a wooden spoon, then spoon over the lamb. Finish with the fried onions, pistachios and sour cherries.
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