Lamb fatteh

You’ll need to begin this Middle eastern lamb fatteh recipe the day before.

Ingredients

Fatteh
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to deep-fry
4 (about 1kg) lamb shanks
2 cinnamon quills
1 tsp each whole allspice, cardamom and white peppercorns
20 parsley stalks
2½ onions, quartered
1 small head of garlic, halved widthways
100 gm (½ cup) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water, drained
1 piece Lebanese bread, split in two and cut into small triangles
¼ cup thinly sliced parsley
1 tsp ground sumac
1 tbsp each pine nuts and flaked almonds, toasted in olive oil
1 tbsp ghee, melted

Yoghurt sauce
280 gm (1 cup) natural yoghurt
1 clove garlic, pounded to a paste with a pinch of salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Heat olive oil in a large casserole, add lamb and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, turning until browned. Add 1 cinnamon quill, allspice, cardamom, white pepper, parsley stalks, 8 onion quarters and garlic, cover with 1½ litres water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2½ hours or until meat falls from the bone. Remove meat from bone and set aside. Strain stock and reserve, discarding solids.
2. Combine chickpeas, cinnamon and remaining onion in a large saucepan, cover with water and simmer over medium-high heat for 20-30 minutes or until chickpeas are tender. Drain, reserve chickpeas and discard cinnamon and onion.
3. For yoghurt sauce, combine all ingredients and season to taste with sea salt.
4. Heat extra oil in a large, deep, saucepan or deep-fryer to 180C. Add Lebanese bread, and deep-fry in batches for 30 seconds or until golden, remove and drain on an absorbent paper-lined plate.
5. Increase oven to 220C. Combine lamb and chickpeas in an ovenproof baking dish, add ½ cup reserved stock and cook for 10 minutes or until hot. To serve, top lamb with bread, drizzle with yoghurt sauce, scatter with parsley, sumac, nuts and ghee.