Lamb Siniyah

This recipe is from our favorite chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. His recipes are always surprising and fresh! This lamb siniyah has been on our Christmas menu for years.

Tim Bosenick

Experience Creator

Tim Bosenick

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil (70ml), divided
2 small onions, peeled, and finely chopped
4 medium stalks celery, finely sliced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon baharat spice mix
¾ cup tahini paste (200g)
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 lbs stewing lamb (shoulder, leg, or neck), cut into ¾″ (2cm) chunks (1kg)
1 lb whole tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and roughly chopped (500g)
1 teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons caster (or powdered) sugar
½ cup pine nuts, toasted (60g)
⅔ cup parsley, chopped (40g)
salt and black pepper

Directions

Add two tbsp of oil to a large sauté pan with lid and heat on medium.
Add the onions and celery, cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add the tomato paste and baharat, cook for two minutes, remove from heat and place in a bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix tahini with the lemon juice, ⅔ cup (160ml) water, garlic, and ¼ tsp salt. Whisk to a thick, but pourable consistency, like double cream (add more water if needed). Set aside.
Season the lamb with ¾ tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Add 1½ tsp olive oil to the pan in which you cooked the onions and put on a medium-high heat.
Add a quarter of the lamb and fry for three minutes, browning all over.
Transfer to the onion bowl and repeat with the remaining lamb, adding 1½ tsp oil to each batch.
Return all the lamb and vegetables to the pan and stir in ⅔ of the tomatoes, the paprika, sugar, ½ tsp salt, and plenty of black pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for 70-90 minutes, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick (you may need to take off the lid so the liquid reduces more).
About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) .
Stir the pine nuts, parsley, and remaining tomatoes through the stew and pour the mixture into a 9″ x 9″ (25cm x 25cm) ovenproof dish.
Pour tahini sauce over the meat mixture in an even layer.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the tahini forms a golden-brown crust (the sauce will look like it’s separating, but don’t worry).
Remove, uncover, and rest for five minutes.
Brush the top with oil and serve.