Moorish-style lamb

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 ½ kg leg of lamb
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cumin, ground
• 400 ml olive oil (for pickling approx. 300 ml) for frying the remaining 100 ml
• 2 large onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 3 tbsp sherry
• 2 tbsp almonds, peeled
• 12 dates
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Total time approx. 1 day 30 minutes

The night before, soak the raisins in sherry for about 30-45 minutes. Debone the leg of lamb and cut the meat into larger pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl, add the raisins, dates, almonds, cinnamon, and cumin. Add 300 ml olive oil, salt, pepper, and the halved garlic cloves, and massage the spices and olive oil into the meat. Marinate overnight. The next day, strain everything and sear the meat pieces in a roasting pan for 5-10 minutes at high heat in no more than 100 ml of fresh olive oil. Stir in the fruit and other marinade ingredients (without the oil!). Pour in the chicken stock and bring everything to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Slice the meat pieces and serve with the dried fruit and sauce. This goes perfectly with polenta, which I roll out about 1 cm thick like semolina slices and fry in butter until golden brown. This recipe tastes really sensational, is easy to prepare and ideal for guests.