This lamb leftover recipe is adapted from a recipe by Diana Henry, from her book Food from Plenty, it can be made using other leftover meats, including chicken. For a vegetarian option use roasted aubergine chunks and a vegetable stock. It is a great way of making a satisfying tasty weeknight supper dish with a bit of leftover meat. The original recipe uses dried figs, pomegranate, feta & pistachio nuts. It can also be made using other dried fruits, dried apricots, sultanas or raisins, whatever you have in your cupboard. If you don't have much leftover meat you can add a tin or jar of chickpeas or lentils to bulk it out.
If you like this recipe from Diana Henry's book Food from Plenty and would like to purchase the book, please click on the link
Ingredients:
500g leftover roast lamb cut into chunks
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded & sliced (or according to taste)
1/2tsp ground allspice or ground cinnamon (whichever you have in your store cupboard)
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
50g dried fruit (cherries, cranberries or for a true Middle Eastern flavour - Barberries) soaked in hot water for 15 mins to soften
50g dried figs, apricots or dates quartered.
100g feta cheese
2 tbsps of chopped parsley or mint or both if you have them
40g raw pistachio nuts or toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 pomegranate
Greek yogurt to serve (optional)
Method:
Put a tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan or deep frying pan on a medium heat/Aga simmering plate add onion and cook until soft. Add chilli, spice and garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Add rice and stir to coat in oil. Add stock, season with salt & pepper then and add dried fruit, stir once, then do not stir again.
Turn up heat/Aga boiling plate and bring to the boil, then reduce heat/Aga simmering plate, cover and simmer for 20 mins, until liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat, remove lid and cover with a clean tea towel while you cook the leftover meat.
1 roughly chopped onion, 1 finely sliced red chilli (or to taste), 1/2 tsp ground allspice or ground cinnamon, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 2 cups basmati rice, 4 cups chicken stock, 50g dried soaked fruit of choice, 50g dried figs or apricots |
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and quickly fry lamb chunks to heat through, season with salt & pepper, remove from heat and gently fork through rice, crumble over feta cheese, sprinkle herbs and gently fork some of it into rice leaving bits on top, sprinkle over pomegranate seeds and serve straight away. Serve with a bowl of greek yogurt on the side (optional) and maybe a flatbread.
500g leftover roast lamb cut into chunks, salt & pepper, 100g feta cheese, 2 tbsps chopped parsley, mint or both, seeds of 1/2 pomegranate. Greek yogurt and flatbreads to serve (optional) |
Use leftover meat from recipes such as:
Sourcing ingredients:
lamb from O'Mahony's Butchers, The English Market
Spices dried fruits & nuts from Mr Bell's, The English Market
Feta cheese from Toon'sbridge Dairy & The Real Olive Company, The English Market
Fresh fruit, vegetables & herbs, Superfruit, The English Market
If you like this recipe and would like to purchase Diana Henry's book Food from Plenty or any of Diana Henry's cookery books please click on the link, thank you, Jacqui
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