Friday recipe - Moroccan Roast Lamb

This was the recipe on Friday 3rd November 2006

1 Boned Shoulder of Lamb (about 1kg)
50g couscous or wholemeal bread crumbs
Olive Oil for frying the onion
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic (crushed)
125g Ready to eat Apricots roughly chopped
1 tbspn Pine Nut Kernels
Seasoning (to taste)
1 tspn Ground Cinnamon
1 tspn Ground Cumin
1 glass red wine

1. Make the stuffing by putting the couscous in a bowl and covering with boiling water - allow it to absorb the water and fluff with a fork. If you can't get couscous you can use bread crumbs - but use something with a bit of substance to it - whole grain or something like that as bread tends to go mushy.

2. Fry the onion in a pan until soft and then add the garlic.

3. Add the couscous, pine nuts, cinnamon, cumin, apricots and seasoning, stir and allow to cool a little before using. It doesn't need to be stone cold.

4. Open out your lamb shoulder and spread the stuffing over it. Carefully roll it up and secure with cooking twine. This can be a two handed job if you're not used to it.

5. Roast the joint in a medium oven (about 180C - 375f for our American friends) for about an hour.

6. Remove from the oven and add the red wine to the pan and return to the oven for another half hour or so.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a quarter of an hour before carving.

8. Meanwhile prepare the gravy. Transfer the roasting pan to the hot plate and skim the excess fat from the roasting pan and reduce the remaining stock on a high heat. You can thicken if you like - but it's fine as it is.

Serve with your favourite veggies - I suggest zucchini, roast capsicum, long green beans and potato wedgies. A nice bottle of something crisp - chardonnay or alternatively if you prefer red something with plenty of fruit - cabinet sauvignon.

Enjoy with plenty of friends and family.