Slow-roasted tikka lamb with cucumber salsa
<p>Roasting this lamb for 5 hours will ensure that the meat is beautifully tender and falls off the bone, and that the tikka paste gets absorbed into the meat.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span></strong> 6</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in</li>
<li>4 heaped tablespoons tikka paste (see below)</li>
<li>2 long red chillies, sliced</li>
<li>4 garlic cloves, sliced</li>
<li>2-3 mint sprigs, leaves picked</li>
<li>Olive oil, for cooking</li>
<li>500ml chicken stock</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Tikka paste</em></p>
<ul>
<li>1 teaspoon ground cumin</li>
<li>1 teaspoon ground coriander</li>
<li>2 garlic cloves</li>
<li>Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled</li>
<li>1 teaspoon cayenne pepper</li>
<li>1 tablespoon smoked paprika</li>
<li>2 teaspoons garam masala</li>
<li>3 tablespoons oil</li>
<li>2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated puree)</li>
<li>2 red chillies</li>
<li>80 g coriander leaves and stems</li>
<li>2 tablespoons desiccated coconut</li>
<li>1 cucumber, peeled</li>
<li>4 French shallots, thinly sliced</li>
<li>30g coriander leaves</li>
<li>1 small red chilli, seeded and sliced</li>
<li>1 tablespoon lime juice</li>
<li>2 tablespoons olive oil</li>
<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<ol>
<li>To make the tikka paste, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.</li>
<li>Lightly score the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife, then stab it a few times and use your fingers to make little holes. Spread the tikka pate over the lamb and into the holes, and then stuff the holes with slices of chilli and garlic and the mint leaves. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.</li>
<li>When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 170°C. Take the marinated lamb out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Put the lamb in a deep roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and add the stock. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and a sheet of foil.</li>
<li>Roast the lamb, basting it occasionally, for 4-5 hours, or until the coating is dark and the meat is beautifully tender. Remove the lamb from the tin and leave to rest. When ready to serve, tear the lamb into pieces with two forks.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, to make the cucumber salsa, use a vegetable peeler to cut long ribbons from the cucumber. Discard the seeds and squeeze any excess moisture out of the cucumber strips. Put them in a bowl, along with the shallots, coriander and chilli. Add the lime juice and olive oil and season to taste. Serve the lamb on a large platter with the cucumber salsa alongside it.</li>
</ol>
<p><em><img width="171" height="221" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/28763/harvest-cover_171x221.jpg" alt="Harvest Cover (2)" style="float: right;"/>This is an edited extract from </em>Harvest<em>, illustrated by Emilie Guelpa published by Hardie Grant [RRP $29.99] available in stores nationally.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, </em>The Way Mum Made It<em>, yet? Featuring 178 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now</span></a>.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
<p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/08/pesto-crusted-lamb-greens-and-feta/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Pesto-crusted lamb, greens and feta</strong></em></span></a></p>
<p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/07/maggie-beer-classic-shoulder-of-lamb/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Maggie Beer’s classic shoulder of lamb</span></strong></em></a></p>
<p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/06/garam-masala-lamb/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Garam masala lamb with lemon quinoa pilaf</strong></em></span></a></p>
