This dish was inspired by our time in Turkey in 2013 when we spent 2 months in Istanbul. Pomegranate is a staple of Turkish (and Persian) cuisine and is used pervasively in salads and meat dishes. Pomegranate molasses is also used in the spinach salad with pomegranate seeds.
serves: 6 difficulty: easy prep time: 10 min to prep + 2 hrs to cook
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless lamb leg
- 1/3 cup Pomegranate molasses. You can find it in good grocery stores (such as Bi-rite in San Francisco) or in grocery stores that specialize in Mediterranean produce
- 2 tbs canola oil
Preparation
Place the lamb in a container, and pour the pomegranate molasses over it. Make sure all the meat is well covered with molasses.
Cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, better yet – overnight. The pomegranate molasses is both sweet and sour, and the acid in it will tenderize the meat.
When ready to cook, take the meat out of the fridge, and season it with salt and black pepper.
Truss the meat with kitchen twine. In the following video, you can learn proper technique for trussing meat from Chef Josh Anderson at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley.
Vacuum seal the meat in nylon bag, and place it in a sous vide machine for 2 hrs. Cook at 128 degrees for medium rare.
Take the lamb out of the sous vide machine, and pat dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Heat a fry pan, add the canola or vegetable oil, and when it shimmers add the lamb. Fry the lamb on all sides until it caramelizes. Note that the meat will caramelize very quickly because the pomegranate molasses marinade has a lot of sugar.
Let the meat rest for 3-4 min, and then slice in 1 inch pieces. Drizzle a few drops of pomegranate molasses on top.
Here I have served it with two different side dishes: an English peas pure with feta cheese, and sautéed asparagus and English peas.
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