Za'atar Lamb, Braised Vegetables & Chickpeas - North African

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 200 g dried garbanzo beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 800 g lamb backstraps
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 20 g butter
• 12 baby onions, halved
• 1 large carrot, diced small
• 2 celery ribs, trimmed & diced small
• 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed & sliced thin
• 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (firmly packed)
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 60 ml olive oil
• 60 ml lemon juice

Recipe

• 1 place chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water and soak overnight. rinse and drain.
• 2 cook the chickpeas and bay leaf in boiling water until just tender. rinse and drain well.
• 3 place the lamb, 2 tbsp of the olive oil, sumac, sesame, dried herbs and paprika in a large ziploc bag and close. massage the rub into the meat for 4-5 minutes before refrigerating for at 45 minutes (or a little longer).
• 4 place all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar, close it, then shake well and set aside.
• 5 heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large frying pan / skillet. cook the onions for around 10 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. add the carrot, celery and fennel then cook until veggies and just tender - stir well to avoid burning or sticking!
• 6 cook the lamb in batches on a hot, well oiled grill plate, until browned and cooked how you like it. cover and let rest for 5 or so minutes before carving into generous slices.
• 7 just before serving, combine the chickpeas, parsley and 1/2 the dressing with the veggies, cook until heated through (stirring well).
• 8 divide salad between 4 plates, place sliced lamb on top and drizzle with remaining dressing.