Pulled Outback Lamb Tacos

The recent rains have definitely fallen into the too little, too late category; but they have created a grassy green tinge that makes my step oh, so much lighter. The joy of getting outdoors and seeing the animals hit that greenery for the first time is uplifting. The reality that a lot of it is capeweed (think daisy chains) and barley grass is not lost on me, but there are medics and clovers and natural trefoils in abundance as well – so I’m going to be all Pollyanna and focus on the positive.

Which brings me to this week’s recipe offering, a delicious pulled lamb taco that has warm spring weather and the joy of outdoor eating all over it. It does require some work I admit but is totally a throw together meal once the hard work is done. This makes it perfect for feeding the family, for picnics or for when you have guests around on the weekend.

I literally cook all of this the day before and it all will keep beautifully in the fridge for days. There are 4 (four!) main components and all take time so read the recipe well - for example the homemade satay needs the cashews to be soaked for up to 6 hours.

* Recipe inspiration must go to Irena Macri for her Mexican pulled pork recipe in the book “Eat Drink Paleo”

PULLED OUTBACK LAMB TACOS

2 cos lettuce heads

Pulled Outback Lamb

Homemade Salsa

Homemade Guacamole

Homemade Satay

Take the cos lettuce leaves - you will need 2 lettuces to feed 5-6 people, rinse and place in the middle of the table with the pulled outback lamb, the tomato salsa, the guacamole and the satay sauce. Have everyone help themselves and voila! A delicious and healthy meal that everyone will love.

PULLED OUTBACK LAMB

1kg of outback lamb shoulder, diced

1 brown onion, sliced

½ cup white wine

2 cups lamb broth (or chicken stock is fine)

1 tsp black pepper, ground

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp tomato paste

3 bay leaves

1 star anise

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Zest and juice of 1 lime

METHOD FOR LAMB

Brown the diced lamb in a pan with some olive oil for a few minutes. Add the onion, stir and cook for a further 3 minutes. Then add the white wine and all the ingredients EXCEPT the honey, balsamic vinegar and lime juice. Stir, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

Just before the 3 hours is up, preheat your oven to 160°c. Take the lamb, pull it apart with forks and place into a baking tray, add the balsamic vinegar, honey and lime zest and mix well. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until its all browned and caramelised. Drizzle with the lime juice and set aside.

HOMEMADE SATAY

1 cup cashews, soaked for 2-6 hours

2 garlic cloves

3 shallots, sliced

1 red chilli, seeds removed and sliced finely

½ cup EVOO

2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp tomato paste

1 cup water

Lime juice

METHOD

Rinse the soaked nuts, the process with the garlic, shallots and chilli until they resemble small crumbs. Put the EVOO and the nuts, plus all the ingredients EXCEPT water and lime juice into a saucepan and cook for 4 minutes, over medium heat, stirring frequently. After this, gradually add the water while still stirring and cook for another 6-8 minutes on a low heat. It will thicken and caramelise and when its done stir through the lime juice and set aside.

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE