4

Lamb shawarma
SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 4 HRS 40 MINS (PLUS MARINATING)

“I love a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb, cooked until the meat is falling of the bone,” says Hafner.
“The shoulder has more fat than the leg so I like to cook it until it’s well-done and the fat’s rendered
out, which moistens the meat. Always rest it covered and in a warm place to allow the meat to relax.
I like this lamb flaked into large pieces with a sprinkle of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of
the fatty juices from the pan. Serve it with flatbread and a crisp salad – something with a bit of acid
to contrast the rich meat, like orange, shaved fennel, rocket, sumac and red onion.”

1 lamb shoulder (about 2kg),
bone in
Lemon halves, for
squeezing
Salad of orange segments,
fennel, rocket, sumac and
red onion, dressed with
lemon juice and olive oil,
to serve
Toasted flatbread, to serve
SPICE PASTE
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon quill
Seeds from 6 cardamon
pods, husk discarded
6 cloves
1 tbsp paprika
1 cup (loosely packed)
coriander, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil, for drizzling

GARLIC YOGHURT

220 gm Greek-style yoghurt

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

1 For spice paste, dry-roast

whole spices in a frying pan

until fragrant (30-40 seconds;

see cook’s notes p176). Cool,

then finely grind in a spice

grinder or with a mortar and

pestle. Stir in paprika, coriander

and garlic, then stir in enough

oil to loosen and form an easily

spreadable paste.

2 Place lamb in a non-reactive

container (see cook’s notes

p176), rub paste all over lamb

and refrigerate to marinate

(4-6 hours or overnight).

3 Preheat oven to 160°C.

Season lamb with salt and

place in a roasting pan with

1.5cm water. Cover with a layer

of baking paper, seal tightly with

foil, then braise in oven until

lamb is very tender (3½-4 hours;

it should feel soft to the touch

through the foil). Remove foil,

increase heat to 180°C and

roast until lamb is golden brown

(25-35 minutes). Remove from

oven and loosely re-cover with

foil to rest (20-30 minutes).

4 For garlic yoghurt, combine

yoghurt and garlic in a bowl,

season to taste with lemon juice,

and refrigerate until required.

5 Squeeze lemon over lamb,

top with pan juices, season with

salt flakes and serve with salad,

garlic yoghurt and flatbread.

Wine suggestionSpicy

young syrah.●