Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.75 kg (3 lb 14 oz) leg of lamb
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 thyme sprigs, plus extra, to garnish
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
- 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) white wine
- 750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) chicken stock
- 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) butternut pumpkin (squash), peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
Honey pomegranate onion jam
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 onions, thinly sliced
- 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) pomegranate molasses
- 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) orange juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof baking dish over medium heat. Add the lamb leg and sear on each side for 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove to a plate.
3. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and thyme to the dish and cook for 3 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften. Add the chilli, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, lemon rind, wine and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute.
4. Add the lamb to the dish and cover with foil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours, add the pumpkin to the dish, then cover and bake for a further 1 hour, or until the lamb and pumpkin are very tender.
6. Meanwhile, make the honey pomegranate onion jam. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until the onion is soft, stirring often. Add the pomegranate molasses, orange juice, vinegar and honey and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is sticky and thick.
7. Strain the lamb pan juices remaining in the baking dish through a fine sieve.
8. Carve the lamb and arrange on serving plates. Drizzle with the strained pan juices and garnish with extra thyme sprigs. Serve with the roasted pumpkin and some of the honey pomegranate onion jam.
9. For the next day, reserve the leftover lamb and honey pomegranate onion jam for the lamb wraps. (The ingredients can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 3 days, but are not suitable for freezing.)
