Monday, January 21, 2013

Lamb Shawarma

It doesn't get much better than lamb shawarma. While this isn't quite as good as spit roasted lamb, the marinade is fantastic. The original calls for a leg of lamb, but I tried this with a lamb shank to make the amount of lamb a little more reasonable and it worked. If you go the smaller route, you can cut the cooking time down by an hour or more.

One year ago: Goat Cheese and Roasted Garlic Beehive
Two years ago: Texas Red Chili
Three years ago: Walnut Pesto

Lamb Shawarma (from Jerusalem)
Ingredients
2 tsp black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom pods
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 whole nutmeg, grated
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp sumac
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
25g fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
40g chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 bone-in leg of lamb, 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 lb
1 cup boiling water

1. Put first 8 ingredient in cast iron pan and dry roast over medium-high heat for a minute or two until fragrant. Add nutmeg, ginger, and paprika and toss to warm.
2. Grind spices in a spice grinder and transfer to bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients, except lamb and water.
3. Score leg of lamb. Place in a roasting pan and rub marinade on lamb. Cover with foil and leave aside for a few hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325F.
5. Put lamb in oven with fatty side facing up and roast for a total of 4 1/2 hours. After 30 minutes of roasting, add boiling water, basting lamb every hour or so. After 1 1/2 hours, cover with foil.
6. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

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