Ingredients

• Serves 4 - 6

• 600g Lamb shoulder. Boned and cut into 6cm pieces

• Plain flour

• 2 x Medium onions - loosely diced

• 2 x Medium/Small carrots - diced

• 2 x Celery sticks

• 3 x Garlic cloves, finely diced

• 2 x Tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 x Cups home made style rich chicken stock - important. See note

• 2 x Teaspoons pomegranate molasses

• 1 x Teaspoon sumac powder

• 2 x Teaspoon Mediterranean dried oregano

• 1/4 x Cup pistachio nuts - crushed. Walnuts would be an alternative if pistachio not available

• 1 x Teaspoon Turkish Aleppo Chilli peppers or extra to your taste. The Aleppo chilli peppers are important

• 1 x Tin Italian whole tomatoes

• 1/2 x Bunch trimmed spinach

• 1/2 x Teaspoon blackpepper

• 1/2 x Teaspoon salt or less to your diet

Preparation

Dust the lamb with the flour then in a large pot with a little olive oil brown the lamb pieces on all sides. Then set aside.

Next fully caramelise the onions, celery and carrots - about 15 minutes then place the tomato paste at the bottom of the hot pan and allow about three minutes to remove the bitterness then stir into the onions.

Now, add the chicken stock, spices, pistachio nuts, salt and pepper, aleppo chilli and pomegranate molasses and stir well to mix, then return the lamb to the pot. Add the tomatoes, trimmed spinach leaves and stir well, then bake covered with foil and lid for two hours at 180c. so the meat is falling apart.

After one hour check progress and add a little water if you feel the dish is drying out.

Important: A lovely rich home made stock is really important to this and all dishes. A chicken stock is wonderfully simple, fun to do and it will save a lot of money while adding wonderful flavour. Best to avoid the cardboard supermarket stocks. they are overloaded with salt and many with artificial flavourings

Comments: Have your butcher bone and chop the lamb shoulder, we suggest 5-6cm pieces