This is a messy, drippy sandwich, and it is delightful and delicious. We make it for crowds, but it definitely can be made on a smaller scale. If you divide it in half, you can make it for a family and have a little leftover for lunches the next day. Baking this in the oven is quite good, but a decent fascimile can be made in a pressure cooker and I will give instructions for both. Lamb shoulder is the better cut and will make a juicier sandwich, but leg of lamb will work if you cannot get the shoulder, though it will be drier. If you cannot get Aleppo pepper, you can substitute red pepper flakes, but I would use a little less, and try to use the smoked paprika with it, because Aleppo pepper isn't quite as hot, and it has a depth of flavor that isn't found in red chile flakes.

10 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg of lamb
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
juice of 2 lemons, strained to remove seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ground coriander
2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground sumac
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons sweet paprika (smoked or plain)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon turmeric

Place onions in the bottom of a thick bottomed roasting pan with a lid, place lamb on top of the onions and set aside. Make a paste with the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, 2 1/2 tablespoons salt, sumac, cumin, paprika, cardamom, Aleppo pepper, black pepper, allspice, and turmeric. Rub this paste all over the lamb and marinate at least four hours in the refrigerator, or overnight.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least two hours before you wish to cook it so it comes to room temperature and cooks more evenly. Preheat the oven to 325˚F and place the roasting pan with the onions and meat, covered with the lid, in the oven to cook for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is extrememly tender and browning a little on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and slice the meat thinly, mixing with the sauce and onions. I do this in the roasting pan itself. Increase the heat in the oven to 475˚F and roast the meat until it crisps a bit, 15 - 20 minutes. You can also take your chances with the broiler on high for 3 - 5 minutes.

Serve as a sandwich with khoubz, crisp French fries, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onions or shallots, thinly sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, briny olives, tourshi or tourshi makhloot, taratoor, toum, duqqus or sah'awiq or harissa or shatta.

For making in a pressure cooker:

You don't have to marinate it overnight, as the pressure cooker will press the seasoning into the meat quite efficiently. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the pressure cooker as for the oven. When you make the paste, use the larger quantity of salt, 3 tablespoons. Proceed the same way for the meat, and pour about a cup of water over the meat. Seal the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally and continue as for the oven method. You will need a separate pan to go into the oven to crisp the meat.

Labels: Homemaking, Pressure Cooker, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:59 AM