Slow-Cooked Honey Spiced lamb
A dressed-up version of string meat, adapted from Kitty Morse's
classic cookbook, "Cooking at the Kasbah."
Ingredients
- 2 pounds leg of Soay or other mild-flavored lamb, cut into large chunks*
- 2 Tblsp ras el hanout spice blend**
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups water, depending on whether you like your string meat fairly dry or juicy
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
Directions
- Put water, oil, and honey in your Crockpot or other slow cooker
- Rub the spice mixture into each piece of meat, using your hands if you like to get the meat nicely coated
- Add the meat to the cooker and stir gently
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the meat falls off the bones or starts falling apart
- Transfer meat to another dish with slotted spoon
- Strain the fat off the remaining liquid and place the liquid in a saucepan big enough to hold the meat
- Add raisins to liquid and cook over high heat, stirring until sauce thickens a little and glistens, but not so long that it boils away (10-12 minutes)
- Add meat back in and stir to coat and reheat. I mush any big pieces of meat against the side of the saucepan so nobody has to use a knife to cut the meat
- Serve with almost any starch -- plain or flavored rice, noodles, pita bread, a loaf of dark bread, or even on a hamburger bun
A surprisingly adaptable and truly delicious recipe that should end up a lovely dark mahogany color. If you use a conventional oven, cook the meat in a tightly-covered casserole at 325°F for 3-4 hours.
*This recipe serves 4-6 hungry people, but takes up less than half a regular sized Crockpot. You can easily double the recipe and it should still fit in the cooker. You can also use a lesser cut of lamb, like shoulder roast or whatever you happen to have in your freezer.
**If you do not have a ready source of freshly-made ras el hanout, you can substitute your own blend of as many of the following as you have on hand: black pepper, ground ginger, sweet paprika, ground turmeric, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, saffron, ground mace, ground cinnamom, ground cardamom
Bon appétit!