I can’t claim this one, I wouldn’t dream of it, although I’ll thoroughly enjoy piggy backing on the culinary expertise of Gill Meller for this flavoursome autumnal dish written for Pipers Farm. The Sixty Sheep recipe is adapted based on lamb rather than mutton but it worked in my opinion just as well.
Not scared to add a side of creamy mash to carb this plate up. I feel the dish is simplicity at its finest, playing on a selection of herbs and spice staples. This blended recipe ties our meat together so beautifully, it is so simple to create and yet, packs a delicious punch with each and every delivery.
‘A perfect blend for a dish of this & a dash of that’
Needs to Knows
- Ensure you have enough stock to keep the chick peas from drying out whilst cooking.
- Dish & dash with flavour to suit your taste buds.
Ingredients
- 1 x full or half shoulder of Sixty Sheep
- 1,600g chick peas (I used Aldis tin cans so 4 of those)
- 500g beef stock
- 2 x red onions peeled and sliced
- 6 large gloves peeled & sliced
- It’s a lengthy one, 4.5-5.5 hours cooking time.
- Check your oven to remain at a consistent 150c.
Ingredients
- 2 large red chilli sliced
- Generous bunch of fresh chopped coriander
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tbsp of chopped parsley
- Splashes of olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
Before you’re ready to cook, drain and soak your chickpeas in plenty of fresh water overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Sit the lamb shoulder in a large, deep roasting tray. Trickle over half the olive oil and season generously with plenty of salt and pepper. Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes so you can see some colour.
In a pan, put the onions & season with a little salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally until the onions are beginning to soften, add the chickpeas and cook together for a further 5 minutes before adding the stock bringing up to a gentle simmer.
Take the roasting tray from the oven and lift the lamb shoulder out onto a plate. Add the soaked chickpeas, stock, sliced onions, garlic, chilli, lemon zest and rosemary sprigs to the baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Give all the ingredients a shake around before adding the lamb back into the center of the tray. Foil the tray over or cover with baking parchment.
‘Turn the oven down to 150C, set the tray in the middle of the oven and cook slowly it’ll take 4 – 5 hours. You’ll know when the meat is cooked as it will lift from the bone and be tender to fork.
Scatter over the freshly chopped flat leaf parsley and the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.’
