Marlborough Living Jul - Aug 2021

pestle and give them a rough grind; it
works wonders.
LAMB SHAWARMA
I suggest doing this with a small leg
of lamb as you get the best results
by being able to lay the meat as flat
as you can in the base of the slow
cooker. This allows the braising
liquid to come up the sides so that
the glorious spicy crust can be
maintained. Obviously, slow cooking
a lamb leg is a far cry from roasting it
on a rotisserie, but the spice-addled
preparation is the same and the end
result is freaking delicious. I love
serving this as part of a spread with
flatbreads, pomegranate, bundles of
mint and tahini.This works best if you
can prepare it ahead. The day before
you want to serve it, rub the spices
into the scored meat and rest it in
the fridge overnight. You will need a
large, shallow-base slow cooker for
this recipe. Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
6 cloves
1 star anise
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
½ tablespoon sumac
4 garlic cloves, crushed
zest of 1 lemon
1–1.2 kg (2 lb 3 oz–2 lb 10 oz) lamb
leg, bone in
1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) chicken or
vegetable stock, or enough to come
three-quarters of the way up the side
of the lamb
To serve
tahini
pomegranate arils
finely sliced red onion (optional)
flatbreads
mint and coriander (cilantro) leaves
METHOD
Add the peppercorns, cloves, star
anise and all the seeds to a frying
pan and briefly dry-roast over a
medium–high heat until the spices
pop and become fragrant.
You can also do this in your slow
cooker if you have it nice and hot.
Grind them in a spice grinder or using
a mortar and pestle. Add to a bowl
with all the remaining ingredients,
except the lamb and stock, and stir
to combine.
Score the lamb leg in several spots.
Rub the spices into the skin and top
of the leg, then set aside to marinate
for a minimum of 2 hours, but
preferably overnight.
Set your slow cooker to low. Add
the lamb, then gently pour the stock
into the bowl, being careful not to
pour it over the top of the lamb; you
want to keep as much of the spice
mixture on the meat as possible to
form a crust. Cover and cook for 10
hours. Remove the lid for the last 30
minutes of cooking.
Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes
before serving with tahini,
pomegranate arils, red onion, if using,
flatbreads and herbs.
SPARKLING ROSÉ
POACHED PEACHES
The sweetness of white peaches at
their peak and the pure pink fizz of
this
dessert really encapsulate late
summer eating at its best. The
peaches are
delightful on their own or with a
dollop of crème fraîche. Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
500 ml (2 cups) sparkling rosé
115 g (1 cup) caster sugar
1 tablespoon rosewater
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
6 white peaches
To serve
organic rose petals
3 tablespoons roughly crushed
freezedried raspberries or
strawberries
METHOD
Combine the rosé, sugar, rosewater
and vanilla in the bowl of your slow
cooker. Set to the sauté function
and cook for 10 minutes, stirring to
dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat to
low, add the peaches and close the
lid. Cook for 2½ hours.
Allow to cool completely in the syrup.
Gently remove the peaches and
place in a large serving dish. Pour
over the syrup, then scatter over
the rose petals and the freeze-dried
berries to serve.
You can, of course, cut the peaches
in half and remove the stones, but
I like throwing the whole lot in for a
more low-maintenance approach.
The stones are so easily removed
once the peaches have slow-cooked,
and it stops the fruit from losing its
shape as it cooks.
Slow Victories by Katrina Meynink
(Hardie Grant, £16.99) Photography
©Kait Barker, Katrina Meynink
20 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk