, Step by step

Chermoula and Harissa marinated BBQ lamb

Finish the lamb on the barbecue at home and serve with simple salads and great wine.

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service.

Preparation Time: 2 days

Cooking Time: 90 mins

Serves: 10

Ingredients

1 x leg of lamb or boneless shoulder
20g chopped shallots
2 tsp harissa paste
½ bunch parsley
½ bunch coriander
4 cloves of garlic
10 mint leaves
2 x lemons zested and juiced
100ml olive oil

Method

Step 1

First, make the Chermoula; in a blender add all the ingredients and blend to a rough paste and season with salt and pepper.
Step 2

Rub half the Chermoula into the outside skin of the lamb. Now make small incisions into the flesh and place slices of fresh garlic deep into the meat. Marinate in the fridge for two days covered in cling film.
Step 3

Place the rest of the Chermoula into an earthenware dish in the fridge.
Step 4

Take the lamb out of the fridge at least 2 hours before cooking - this stops the meat going tough. Roast in the oven for approximately 1½ hours until pink or a temperature above 63°C is achieved (use a thermometer to test). If you use shoulder of lamb roast at 120°C for 3 hours to slow roast and it will be lovely and tender. Also, shoulder is a little cheaper to buy.
Step 5

When cooked, take the lamb out of the oven and rest for 20 minutes. Place the dish of Chermoula on a large chopping board. Carve some slices off the leg and serve the leg and slices on the chopping board next to the Chermoula.

Nutrition

Mark’s great recipe this month uses both Harissa and Chermoula to create a North African inspired dish.

Harissa originates from Tunisia, but is also used in Algeria, Libya and Morocco. Recipes vary between different regions and individual households. Generally though harrissa paste is made from different types of chilli peppers combined with garlic and spices, including coriander and caraway, all mixed in oil.

Chermoula is the name for a marinade used to flavour meat or fish in Moroccan and Tunisian cookery and again its constituents vary according to region, although garlic and coriander are important ingredients. The Moroccan version includes parsley and this is the one that Mark has used here. Lentils are particularly rich in protein, and also provide lots of fibre, vitamin B1, folate and minerals including zinc and iron.

Both the Harissa and Chermoula use lots of garlic. Garlic has long been associated with good health as well as warding off vampires! Current scientific evidence suggests that garlic may have positive effects on helping fight infection and keeping the arteries healthy but whether this turns out to be the case or not it certainly helps to make this lamb dish tasty!

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST