Food and Drink > Lancashire Recipes > Barbecued Lamb Shoulder with Lebanese Taboulé

Barbecued Lamb Shoulder with Lebanese Taboulé

On a hot summer day the perfect Mediterranean meal al fresco with the advantage of not doing much while your guests are there, what can I say but hostess heaven, also use local lamb from your local butcher for maximum taste.

What you need: (Serves 4)
For the lamb
1 kg lamb shoulder cut into 1inch chunks (ask your butcher to trim off as much fat but leave a little layer to self baste the meat as it cooks)
100 gms chopped thyme and rosemary
50 of fresh ground seven spice mixture
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 ml pomegranate molasses (available at your local Booths)
50 gms fresh ground garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

What to do:
Combine all the above ingredients several hours in advance and let marinade until ready to barbecue. Thread the meat on the skewers and when the coals on the barbecue are white barbecue for 6 minutes each side for medium .rare or longer if you like your meat cooked more. Take off the barbecue push the meat off the skewers and (very important) douse while hot with the lemon vinaigrette and let rest for 10 minutes so the juices meld , serve with crusty barbecued pitta bread and bowls of zingy taboulé.

Lemon dressing to serve with the lamb
50 ml very good extras virgin olive oil blended with 1 crushed garlic clove and 150 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice season with salt and pepper to taste and toss in some chopped chilli for extra zing.

What you need:
For the Taboulé
1 kg very red juicy but firm tomatoes diced as small as you dare making sure you conserve all the juices that run
200 gms flat leaf continental parsley
1 large bunch spring onions peeled and chopped
75 gms deseeded and chopped red chillies
100 gms mint leaves
6 large lemons juiced
50 gms fresh ground very good quality cumin
50 ml pomegranate molasses
100 ml very good extra virgin olive oil
100 gms extra fine bulgur wheat (available at your local Booths) rinsed in hot water for no longer than a minute to keep the crunch
Salt & pepper to taste

What to do:
Pick all herb leaves off the stems (get the kids to do it and keep them busy), wash the herbs and put through a salad spinner and chop down as small as you can maybe using a mezzaluna if it helps but the herbs must be hand chopped to keep it rustic and with texture.
Toss the herbs, the spring onions, the chilli and tomatoes together taking care not to over bruise the salad. Rub the cumin salt and pepper into the bulgur wheat and toss into the tomato and herb salad, add the rest of the ingredients taste for seasoning and keep refrigerated for no more than two hours.
To make this fuss free pick the herbs the night before when marinating your meat and just chop it all down an hour before lunch. Thread the meat skewers two hours before lunch and this should leave you plenty of time to relax and enjoy lunch. I recommend a very good chilled rose or extra cold Prossecco.