Slow down & TUCK IN!

Spiced lamb shoulder with punchy zhoug dressing

Every now and then you try something new that blows your mind. I first tried zhoug when I was a guest judge on MasterChef in 2019. It was expertly paired with a beautifully cooked rack of lamb by a contestant called Amal Hassan. I couldn’t believe the flavour of this punchy green sauce, and once the show had aired I contacted Amal to beg her for the recipe. Luckily for me and for you, sharing is caring, so here’s my take on Amal’s fabulous dish.

Serves 4

80g breadcrumbs
80g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
1 heaped tbsp ras-el-hanout
1.3kg boned and rolled shoulder of lamb
1-2tbsp olive oil (slow cooker method only)
400ml water
salt and pepper

for the zhoug dressing:

1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1tsp caster sugar
½tsp chilli flakes
½tsp ground coriander
½tsp ground cumin
juice of 1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil, to loosen

to serve:

6 heads of baby gem lettuce, halved
1 large bunch of asparagus