Mechoui Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Trim off any loose bits of meat and excess fat, leaving about 1/4 inch of fat. Put lamb in a roasting pan skin side up, cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove from oven, uncover, and rub generously with butter. Cover with foil and return lamb to oven. Repeat 3 more times, once every 15 minutes.
• After 3 1/2 hours, remove foil, raise heat to 425 degrees and cook 10 more minutes, or until the skin side is gold and crusty.
• Remove from oven, place shoulder on a large platter, and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and ground cumin. Carve and serve with salt and cumin in small dishes on the side.

Steps:

• Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.
• Thread garlic cloves onto a metal skewer. Put garlic skewer, tomatoes, onions, peppers, chile, and eggplant on grill rack. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred all over, 6-7 minutes for garlic and tomatoes; 10 minutes for eggplant; 15 minutes for peppers and chile; 20 minutes for onions.
• Place peppers and chile in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes and eggplant. Peel and coarsely chop onions. Peel garlic cloves. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop peppers and chile.
• Place all vegetables in a food processor, along with oil, pulsing until pureed to desired consistency. Transfer to a large bowl. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 450°F.
• Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and slide your fingers under the skin of the breast and thighs to loosen/separate it from the flesh.
• Mash the garlic with the salt, using a fork or a mortar and pestle.
• Work the garlic/salt paste into the butter and then work in the spices; using your fingers, spread the spiced butter into the cavities between the skin and the flesh of the chicken.
• Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Season the cavity with salt and pepper and place the four lemon halves and the thyme inside.
• Roast the chicken breast side down for 15 minutes.
• Turn the chicken breast side up and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Baste frequently, using additional water and olive oil as needed.
• If the skin begins to brown too soon, cover with foil (but remove the foil about 15 minutes before the roasting time is up).
• The chicken should be done in about 90 minutes; the skin between the breasts and the legs should become almost transparent, the legs should move easily in the socket, and any juices should be clear.
• Let rest before carving.
• Strain excess fat out of the cooking juices and squeeze in some lemon juice for a lovely flavor.
• Note: Zari suggests serving with orange salads dressed with pomegranate vinaigrette and carrot salads dressed with lemon, cumin and olive oil.