Marinated leg of lamb with chickpea purée, slow-cooked courgettes and caçik
Sam and Sam Clark’s marinade for their butterflied, barbecued leg of lamb is inspired by marinades from the southernmost region of Spain – using a blend of garlic, hot and sweet paprika, cumin, lemon and red onion. It is barbecued until earthy and smoky on the outside, whilst staying beautifully pink on the inside. Served with comforting chickpeas – think a rich, sweet base of golden onions, cumin and garlic that is blended into a loose purée – sweet, slow-cooked courgettes and a fresh chopped cucumber caçik; Türkiye’s tzatziki.
Sam and Sam Clark have built restaurant Moro on their deep appreciation of the layered culinary legacy of Muslim and Sephardic Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula (now modern-day Spain and Portugal) from the Al-Andalus medieval period (711–1492), whose ingredients and techniques are central to a lot of Mediterranean cooking today. Their cooking blends with the cuisines of Türkiye, Morocco, and wider Maghrebi cooking shaped by Arab, Amazigh and Jewish communities – and is at the core of what they do.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1.5kg leg of lamb, boned (or 800-900g trimmed lean leg), skin, sinew and excess fat trimmed
MARINADE
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
COURGETTES
- 1kg courgettes, a mix of colours and varieties, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 5 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp of fresh mint, roughly chopped
CAÇIK
- 1 large cucumber, approx. 400g, deseeded and finely chopped
- 200g of Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed with salt
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 3 tbsp of mint leaves, finely shredded, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes, or 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli, to serve
CHICKPEA PURÉE
- 2 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed
- 20 saffron threads, infused in 2 tbsp boiling water (optional)
Equipment
- Hand blender
- Charcoal barbecue with lid
Method
Marinate the lamb at least 4 hours before you want to cook the dish (or up to 2 days before). Combine all the marinade ingredients except the olive oil in a small food processor with a pinch of black pepper. Blitz to a smooth purée
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
Open out the boned leg of lamb to make a flat, vaguely rectangular shape (you can leave it whole or divide it into 4 pieces). Rub the meat with the marinade to coat, then add the olive oil and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours (or up to 2 days) for the flavours to infuse and develop. If you plan to roast the lamb in the oven instead of over the grill, keep it as a whole piece
- 1.5kg leg of lamb, boned (or 800-900g trimmed lean leg), skin, sinew and excess fat trimmed
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
For the courgettes, toss the chopped courgettes with the salt and place in a colander. Allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes over a draining board or sink
- 1kg courgettes, a mix of colours and varieties, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Meanwhile, for the caçik, mix all the ingredients together except the Aleppo chilli flakes. Check the seasoning and store in the fridge until needed
- 1 large cucumber, approx. 400g, deseeded and finely chopped
- 200g of Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed with salt
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 3 tbsp of mint leaves, finely shredded
If you can, remove the lamb from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it
Pat the courgettes dry with kitchen paper. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the courgettes and cook for about 10 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and half the mint and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, until very soft, sweet and starting to break down. Add the remaining mint and season with salt and pepper
- 5 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tbsp of fresh mint, roughly chopped
Meanwhile, for the chickpea purée, purée the chickpeas, either using a handheld blender or food processor, until quite smooth but retaining a bit of texture – add enough water so they have the consistency of wet mashed potato
- 2 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Heat up the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and cumin with a pinch of salt and fry until golden brown, stirring regularly
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed
Mix the chickpea purée into the saucepan, along with the saffron infusion (if using). Simmer for 5 minutes (take care as it can spit), then check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Set aside
- 20 saffron threads, infused in 2 tbsp boiling water (optional)
Set up a barbecue or grill for direct grilling – for best results you want to barbecue the lamb, but a hot grill or griddle pan also works well (or you can roast in the oven)
Season the lamb all over with salt and cook for about 10-16 minutes for a medium-rare to medium pinkness, turning once or twice (or cook to your liking). Remove and let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes loosely covered in foil. Alternatively, you can roast the lamb in an oven preheated to 220°C for 20-30 minutes
Gently reheat the chickpea purée and courgettes
Slice and serve the lamb with the hot chickpea purée, courgettes, caçik and the extra sliced mint and Aleppo chilli flakes. Spoon any resting juices over the lamb and serve
- mint leaves, finely shredded, extra to serve
- 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes, or 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli, to serve
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