Spiced slow-cooked Mutton shoulder with honey and prunes

This dish takes it’s inspiration somewhere between Persia and Morroco, with rich and warm flavours which compliment the mutton perfectly. There is a subtle warmth and incredible depth of flavour, which makes it such a comforting dish. Serve with freshly baked pitta (which are surprisingly easy to make) and crisp and crunchy salad.

Serves 4

Used in this recipe

7 Day Dry Aged Mutton Shoulder, Bone-In (2.0kg)

£39.55 £1.98/100gAdd to box

Lamb Shoulder, Bone-In

from £23.95 £2.40/100gSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

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Ingredients

1 x 1.0kg Dorset Meat Company Mutton (or Lamb) shoulder (Bone in)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 teaspoons coriander seeds
6 cardamom pods, cracked, and seeds extracted
½ a cinnamon stick
2 onions, sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp honey
200g dried prunes
400ml good lamb stock
A pinch of saffron strands
4 bay leaves
A bunch of mint, finely chopped
A bunch of thyme

For the pitta

250g strong bread flour
160ml water
7g instant yeast
30g nigella (black onion seeds)
A good pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Gently toast the dried spices (Cinnamon, coriander, cardamom seeds, cumin) until aromatic. Gently crush or grind.
Add the turmeric and paprika to the spices, then rub well all over the mutton. Place the meat in your large lidded casserole dish.
In a frying pan, gently sweat the onions, then add the ginger and fresh chilli. After 1 minute, add the garlic, then reduce the heat and cook for a further minute. Add this mix to the casserole.
Deglaze the frying pan with a splash of stock, then add this and the remainder of the stock to the casserole. Tuck in the bay, thyme and mint, then add the prunes, saffron, honey and tomato puree. Stir well. Bring to a simmer on the hob, then add the lid and transfer to the oven
Cook the casserole for 2 hours, checking regularly, and rotating the meat half way through.
While the mutton is cooking, prepare your pitta bread. Mix the dry ingredients first then add the water. Mix to a dough, then need on the work surface with a little olive oil, until smooth, cover and set aside for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
After 2 hours, remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce and become sticky, and to gently glaze the mutton in the oven for a further 30 minutes. After this time, the meat should be beginning to break up nicely. Remove from the oven, and replace the lid, and allow to rest for 20 minutes while you bake the pitta.
To Bake the pitta, turn up the oven to 240°C. Knock back the dough to remove the air, then split the dough into 6 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough into discs. Place on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes, watching as the breads magically puff up into round balls. Once lightly brown, remove from the oven. The air will escape and the pittas return to a flatter shape.
Server with a fresh crunchy salad, perhaps including sliced fennel and cucumber.