BE PREPARED FOR BUSY!
A few weeks ago, I was having a throw out of old magazines from my magazine rack. Of course I quickly glanced through each issue to be sure I wasn’t discarding an idea or recipe worth keeping! Some mags went back to 2014 …. I know, I’m a bit of a hoarder!! Anyway, I happened on a lift-out in a very old Better Homes and Gardens mag. It featured Mexican recipes using burrito and taco seasonings. I slipped it into my ‘To Try’ folder (I’m an organised hoarder) and am sharing it with you today because I used it on the weekend and it was truly a triumph.
As I am constantly thinking ahead in my calendar and know when I am going to have a really busy day. For me it’s often with “He who Gardens on the Weekend” which means coming in exhausted after a long day spent wrenching weeds, filling the green recycling bin and wishing I had something ready to eat. SLOW COOKING to the rescue.
OH NO, MY SHOULDER IS FROZEN…..
This recipe is for fresh lamb but my shoulder of lamb was frozen. Not to worry!
Now the recipe called for an hour or overnight marinade so I jammed the sharp point of a knife all over the frozen lamb to make holes and placed it in the plastic zip-lock bag and followed the instructions. I poured the marinade over the frozen leg, sealed the bag and left it in the fridge overnight, ready for Sunday in the garden and a long slow roast for lunch…
I do think a small leg of lamb or even lamb chops would be just as good. You may even like to try it with a fresh chicken (must it be completely thawed and rinsed out) but make sure you discard the marinade. This is such a quick and easy recipe you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself (I am!).
SLOW ROASTED MEXICAN PULLED LAMB
TIME: 15 MINS and 1 hour or overnight marinating
COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS + 10 mins
INGREDIENTS
-
1/4 cup tomato paste
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2 Tbsp honey (I substitute maple syrup for FF*)
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2 garlic cloves, grated (2 tsp minced garlic)
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5 Kg lamb shoulder or leg
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40g packet of BURRITO SPICE MIX
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250 mls (1 cup) red wine
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2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
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salt flakes and grind of black pepper
METHOD
STEP 1
Put ingredients 1-5 in a large zip-lock bag and massage well then put into the fridge for an hour or over night (definitely overnight if your meat is frozen as it gives it time to defrost).
STEP 2
You want a very gentle heat so pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius fan-forced (170 degrees Celsius for conventional). Transfer the lamb and the marinade (not the marinade if you are using chicken) into a large baking dish. Drizzle over red wine and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Tightly cover the dish with baking paper and then foil so no steam escapes.
STEP 3
Bake for 3 hours (or 4 if your meat is still a little bit frozen) then remove the foil. Increase the temp to 250 and drizzle with the pan juices. Pop back into the oven for 10 minutes uncovered to make it golden. It may blacken a little but that’s just extra flavour!
OH, NO, EXTRA MOUTHS TO FEED!
Just as I was about to serve our lunch the phone rang. Two very dear friends said they were passing by and could they impose for lunch if they brought fresh bread rolls. Of course! Panic stations!
I made up a platter of shredded salad makings, lettuce, tomato and grated cheese. I happened to have some coleslaw from the day before and a small piece of feta in the fridge which I crumbled into a bowl (optional). It all looked like I had planned it. Ha!
TO SERVE:
I poured the meat juice onto a large dish and carefully put the lamb in the centre. It was literally falling apart. It looked and smelt divine. I added several forks to the platter so we could shred our own portions. What fun!
The recipe suggested serving the lamb in soft tacos which could be wonderful for children too.
MEXICAN PULLED LAMB A SCRUMPTIOUS SUCCESS!
Sorry there is only one photo but I really didn’t have time for photography before it was devoured. Usually I think NPDR (No Pictures Didn’t Read) but well, you’ve read this far..!
We helped ourselves to make the most scrumptious rolls with this easy MEXICAN PULLED LAMB. Not only was it delicious and easy, but it can be extended to accommodate extra people at your table. The perfect Sunday lunch!
