Meltingly tender slow-roast lamb flavoured with wonderful, fragrant North African spices and served with a Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh, this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb would make an amazing alternative to the traditional Easter roast lamb dinner or a delicious Sunday roast. It also makes great leftovers!
After reviewing Persiana a couple of weeks ago, I ended up with most of a jar of ras el hanout left over and was wondering what to do with it. The recipe I reviewed in Persiana was for Ras el Hanout Chicken Wraps which were amazing and I will almost certainly be making those again. But I wanted to do something different with my jar of ras el hanout and thought it might pair well with slow roast lamb – I was not wrong!
In fact, the only thing I got wrong the first time round trying this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb was I didn’t use enough ras el hanout. The brand I have: Santa Maria Moroccan Ras el Hanout Blend, is quite mild and the long, slow cooking definitely softens the flavours. Plus lamb has a much more robust flavour than chicken, so needs a heavier hand with the spices… Second time round I used 4 tablespoons of ras el hanout and that was just perfect. The flavour of the ras el hanout does not dominate but it complements the lamb beautifully.
Ras el hanout is a traditional spice blend used extensively in North African cooking. Ras el hanout means “head of the shop” in Arabic and is essentially a mixture of the best spices available. For this reason there is no standard composition (it’s a bit like garam masala, in this respect).
The blend often contains over a dozen different spices and each shop or family will have their own blend. Typically it might include: cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander – among others. The blend I bought contains coriander, paprika, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves and cayenne pepper. It’s wonderfully fragrant but not at all hot. It’s widely available in the shops or why not make your own? I found this great recipe for ras el hanout on BBC Good Food.
To go with this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb I have made a version of tabbouleh using quinoa instead of the traditional bulgur wheat. I was first introduced to quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) when I reviewed Jamie Oliver’s Everyday Super Food, back in January. It’s an amazing wonderfood which you will often find in lists of the top 10 superfoods.
It looks like a grain but is in fact a seed. It’s naturally gluten-free and a complete protein, meaning it’s a really useful addition in vegan and vegetarian diets and it is also a great source of fibre, iron and magnesium and has a whole host of other health benefits besides. I promised myself in January that I would eat more of the stuff. What’s great is it is very versatile. You can use it in place of rice, couscous or, as I have done here, bulgur wheat. (If you’d rather serve your lamb with a more traditional style tabbouleh then you can find my recipe for Easy Tabbouleh Salad here)
As well as replacing the bulgur wheat in my tabbouleh recipe with quinoa, I’ve also added in some delicious pomegranate seeds. Not only do they look great, but they also add in extra goodness. They are a source of vitamins A, C and E, iron and antioxidants. Better still, it is claimed that eating pomegranates is beneficial in the prevention of heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers. They also happen to look really pretty and taste fabulous. I’ve been sprinkling them on everything lately!
The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the lamb in about 5 minutes and the tabbouleh in about 20 minutes. Pop the lamb in the oven and the tabbouleh in the fridge and then forget about dinner until you are just about ready to serve. I’ve added in a green salad too for extra flavour and goodness and a little yogurt dip (you can find the recipe for the yogurt dip in my post on lamb koftes) plus some pitta breads to turn this into a mini feast – perfect for Easter Day or as an alternative to Sunday roast! But just the lamb and tabbouleh on their own are enough for an everyday meal.
And don’t forget to make extra for leftovers the next day! The lamb and tabbouleh actually taste better the next day and if you make this as your Sunday roast you can take the leftovers into work the next day and make all your colleagues extremely jealous. The recipe below is for 4 but with enough leftovers for at least 1 person probably 2.
If you don’t fancy serving this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with tabbouleh, it would also go brilliantly with couscous, bulgur wheat, flatbreads or rice. Alternatively it would go brilliantly with my Persian Jewelled Rice or my Classic Tabbouleh. Wine-wise I would serve this with a French Grenache or Spanish Garnacha.
Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1.2 kg lamb shoulder
- 4 tablespoons ras el hanout spice blend
- Salt and pepper
- 300 ml cold water
Tabbouleh
- 100 g quinoa
- 400 ml boiling water
- ½ a cucumber chopped finely
- 2 large tomatoes or 12 cherry tomatoes chopped finely
- 2 spring onions chopped finely
- 4 tablespoons parsley chopped finely
- 4 tablespoons mint chopped finely
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 100 g pomegranate seeds (roughly half a small pomegranate)
Instructions
Lamb
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
- Rub salt, pepper and ras el hanout all over the lamb and place in an oven proof dish or roasting tray.
- Pour 300ml cold water around the lamb (but not over the top or you’ll wash all the spices off!)
- Cover the lamb with the lid of the casserole dish or tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours or until the lamb is meltingly tender and will come away from the bone easily.
Tabbouleh
- As soon as the lamb has gone into the oven, start making the tabbouleh. First rinse the quinoa in a sieve, then place the quinoa into a saucepan. Cover with 400ml boiling water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and herbs finely and place in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus some salt and pepper and half the pomegranate seeds.
- When the quinoa is cooked, drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until completely cold. Drain thoroughly (or your salad will be watery) and add to the chopped vegetables and herbs. Stir well and cover with clingfilm. Put in the fridge until it is needed.
Serving up
- When the lamb is ready, take it out of the oven and remove from the casserole dish /roasting tray from the oven. Take the lamb out of the casserole dish and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then shred using forks and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle over some of the juices that are left in the casserole dish and pour the rest of the juices into a small jug.
- Put the lamb and jug of meat juices on the table together. Remove the tabbouleh from the fridge. Spoon it out into a serving dish and sprinkle over the remaining pomegranate seeds. Serve with the lamb. You could also add a green salad, a yogurt dressing and some pittas or flatbreads if you like.
Notes
- Suitable for freezing (lamb only).
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Love Lamb? Check out my collection of Easy & Delicious Lamb Recipes
Fancy trying something new for Easter? Why not check out my other easy alternatives to traditional Easter lamb?
Pin Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb for later
FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan
Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK HERE to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan today!
Don’t want to miss a thing?
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get delicious, stress free recipes straight to your inbox every week?
Only Crumbs Remain / Angela says
I love the colours in your pomegranate tabbouleh Eb, they’re so cheery and vibrant…….and work so well with your new red cooking pot 😉
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Angela. I LOVE pomegranate seeds – they look fab, taste fab, are super good for you AND they go well with my new pot. What more can you ask for? 😉 Eb x
Louise Fairweather says
This is the kind of dish that I would never think of making but it looks fantastic. I love pomegranates and have recently discovered quinoa. Will have to give it a go #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Louise. Pomegranates are fab, aren’t they? I like to liberally sprinkle them on everything – I even put them on avocado on toast! Quinoa’s great too. I always feel super healthy eating it! Let me know how it goes if you try this 🙂 Eb x
Angela says
This sounds wonderful! My entire family loves lamb, so this will be a great dish to try. I had not heard of the Ras el Hanout blend before, so thank you for sharing the link on making your own! Pinned 🙂
Eb Gargano says
My family too – especially slow roasted or slow cooked! Ras el Hanout is fab…lovely North African flavours which go so well with lamb and chicken (and probably a whole load of other things I haven’t tried yet!) It’s great for easy speedy cooking because you have lots of different spices in one pot. Thanks for commenting. Eb x
Sarah says
Sounds fantastic, Eb. A delightful change from the usual lamb roast. 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Sarah 🙂 It really is…nothing wrong with the traditional lamb roast, mind…but it is nice to have a change! Eb x
Alison says
I never knew how you pronounced quinoa! I have been saying it wrong for ages. This lamb looks lovely
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Alison! Ha, yes I really, really want to call it quin-OH-ah. I often get it wrong and have to correct myself. 🙂
Martin @ The Why Chef says
Ras el hanout is one of my favourite spices to use! Not cooked a tabbouleh before but have always meant to, so this is my excuse to crack it out! 🙂
Eb Gargano says
It’s a fab spice blend, isn’t it – although vary variable. Must try a few other brands and see how they compare…and/or mix up my own! Tabbouleh is awesome!! I usually do it with bulgur wheat but I fancied a change and just knew it would work really well with quinoa and pomegranate. I’m on a mission to eat more of both as they are both so nutritious! 🙂
Martin @ The Why Chef says
I don’t get enough pomegranate in my food! Love the little bursts of flavour when you get a little nugget in a mouthful! 🙂 I have quinoa by the kilo at home so a switch from bulgur saves me a trip to the shops!
Eb Gargano says
Pomegranates are so fab – yes it’s exactly that, “the little bursts of flavour”, that I just love about them! Haha – glad I’ve saved you a trip to the shops – is there a particular reason why you have so much quinoa? 🙂
Martin @ The Why Chef says
A mix of trying to eat much healthier, and learning to use a new ingredient to its full potential! Exactly how this recipe is doing 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Wow – I admire your dedication to quinoa 🙂 Have fun! I look forward to seeing the results on your blog 🙂
Corina says
This is a lovely recipe for Easter Day. I actually am not keen on lamb unless it it cooked with spices and then it becomes one of my favourite meats. I’d certainly enjoy this!
Eb Gargano says
Oooh that’s very interesting – clearly the perfect recipe for you! I am much keener on lamb slow cooked/roasted than fast cooked…in fact I’m coming to the conclusion that’s the case for pretty much all meats – something magical happens when you cook meat slowly! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Mandy says
What a lovely healthy dish! I bet it tastes delicious. Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare this week x
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Mandy. It really was…still is in fact – there’s a little bit left in the fridge! Thanks for hosting! 🙂 Eb x
Charlotte Oates says
Oh yum again! Now I don’t know which one to make as I can’t sneak two lamb dishes onto the dinner menu without leaving a decent gap in between 🙂 decisions, decisions – help me choose 🙂
Eb Gargano says
I like them both (obviously – or I wouldn’t have put them on my blog!) but if I had to just choose one it would be the Greek-style traybake. The flavours are just fabulous. It’s my favourite dish at the moment and is amazing reheated the next day too. x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Wow! Loving this! I visited Morocco a few years ago and loved the combination of spices they use. Ras el Hanout is is good!
It’s great to see that you have used quinoa in your tabbouleh…… I was so relieved when I discovered that I could use it to substitute for both cous cous and bulgar wheat…….!
Eb Gargano says
Oooh whereabouts did you go? I love North African flavours – I have a cupboard full of cumin, coriander, etc. I really like quinoa, but it must be so useful if you GF. And it’s so healthy! Definitely trying to include more quinoa in my diet 🙂 Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
We travelled all over…. starting in Rabat…. through Fez…. in a big loop through the mountains down to Essouira and then up to Marrakesh….. Loved it! The colours, the smells, the flavours…. I would thoroughly recommend a trip that way!
Eb Gargano says
Wow, sounds amazing! I’d love to go one day 🙂 Eb x
jenny walters says
Gosh this looks wonderful! What a fabulous Easter Lunch, perfect for a crowd too.Right up my street-wonderful,help yourself food x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jenny – I’m a big fan of help-yourself food 😀 Eb x
Jo Allison - Jo's Kitchen Larder says
What a delicious lamb roast Eb! I like the tabbouleh as a side instead of traditional roasties too especially with lovely pomegranate. I think it would make gorgeous Easter lunch next week! x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jo – the tabbouleh really does go so well with the spicy lamb 😀 Eb x
Corina Blum says
This looks so good Eb! There looks to be loads of flavour in that lamb, which is great. Ras el hanout is one of may favourite spice blends and I use it a lot at the moment – on meat or stirred into couscous or yoghurt. It’s just so tasty and would go perfectly with this quinoa tabbouleh. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Corina. I am a big fan of ras el hanout too…it’s so versatile 🙂 Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
The lamb looks amazing and I am sure it’s as tender and delicious as you promise! Shared the recipe around though couldn’t share it to Pinterest as your description was apparently too long. Thought you might like to know:)
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Monika. It most definitely is tender and delicious, that’s for sure. Thanks for the heads up about the pin – how frustrating you couldn’t pin it! I’ve shortened the description and double checked and it definitely works now. Eb x
Mel says
I love Ras El Hanout, but I’ve only ever used it in my fish tajine recipe. Your lamb looks like it’s going to be melting in the mouth: perfect! Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Mel – it’s such a yummy spice blend, isn’t it? Goes with so many things 😀 Eb x