More than 3 hours
Serves 6
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Recipe supplied by Lamb & Mutton SA.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) olive oil
- 1.5 kg lamb neck, shoulder or knuckles
- 1 tsp (5ml) salt
- Milled black pepper
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 cup (250ml) white wine or juice of one lemon
- Juice and grated peel of one lemon
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 8 cloves, whole
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 blade mace (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 cups (500ml) beef or lamb stock
- 2 cups (250g) butternut, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 beetroots, roasted, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) fresh mint, chopped
- ¼ cup (60ml) fresh parsley, chopped
- 5 discs (200g) feta cheese, roughly chopped
Pastry:
- 10 sheets phyllo pastry
- ¼ cup (60ml) butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) flaked almonds
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) pomegranate rubies
Roasted lemon sauce (optional):
- 3 lemons
- ½ tsp (3ml) salt
- Milled pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 5 Tbsp (75ml) olive oil
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) fresh oreganum, finely chopped
Method
- For the lamb filling, heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan.
- Trim and cut lamb into 5cm pieces. Season.
- Cook in batches for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
- Add onion and cook until transparent, about 8-10 minutes.
- Return lamb to saucepan and pour wine and lemon juice slowly over it.
- Add lemon peel, Worcestershire sauce, cloves, cinnamon, mace, bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Add stock and bring to the boil.
- Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1½ hours, until the lamb is tender.
- Add vegetables and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 20-30 minutes until almost tender and reduced.
- Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves, and remove the bones from the meat if desired.
- Add the mint and parsley and mix gently. When slightly cooler, add feta.
- Leave filling to cool in a large oven-proof dish while preparing the pastry.
- For the pastry, preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Open pastry and brush one sheet at a time with butter.
- Scrunch up and place on top of meat. Continue with remaining sheets until casserole dish is covered.
- Drizzle with remaining butter and scatter with almonds.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden.
- Scatter with pomegranate rubies just before serving.
- Serve with roasted lemon sauce, if using.
- For the sauce, preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Place oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Halve and deseed lemons.
- Place cut-side up in a small baking dish and season.
- Add garlic and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Roast until lemons are soft and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and leave to cool. When lemons are cool enough to handle, squeeze the juice into the baking dish.
- Pour contents of baking dish into a blender and add remaining olive oil and oreganum.
- Blend until completely pureed and sauce has a thickened consistency. Season.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.