Slow Braised Lamb with Barley and Black-Eyed Pea Pilaf

Introduction:

It’s been over a week since the World Cup of food ended on this here blog and the little grey cells have been taking a few days off from writing as well as catching up on some long awaited sleep due to the asocial hours that the football was on in Australia. However, the cooking has not stopped, as one must eat.

You are in for a treat with this dish. It has been influenced by the amazing food that I have discovered during those 32 days and 32 dishes. It’s an amalgamation of North Africa, the Middle-East and a touch of the Brasilian.

Firstly, the pilaf combines pearl barley and black-eyed peas (the Brasilian bit). Texturally they are a great combination, but the added bonus is that the cooking times are approximately the same so they can be cooked together. Also, the black-eyed pea is the only legume I know that doesn’t require prior soaking. I wanted a North African/ Middle Eastern feel to the flavour so combined sumac, the wonderfully sour and tangy dried dupe of the same named shrub, cinnamon and cumin. Once the pilaf has cooked coriander, mint and toasted hazelnuts are tossed through and then pearls of pomegranate are sprinkled over to produce random bursts of acidic punch and crunchy bitterness.

The lamb has been marinated with a concoction of Moroccan style spices, the inspiration being ras-el-hanout. The key to a melting pull-away lamb is long and slow braising, in its own braise. Finally, I created a tangy and salty sauce to complement the dish and for this I used a combination of feta and yoghurt spiked with lemon juice, cumin and mint.

I feel like this dish is a story within itself.

 

 

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