James Strawbridge's Lamb and Squash Pitta

Serves 6

Ingredients:

FOR THE ROASTED LAMB:

900g shawarma spiced half lamb shoulder

6 lamb merguez sausages

250g British banana shallots, peeled and halved

2 tbsp big Kalamata pitted olives

22og roasted pepper meze

300g organic tinned chopped tomato

1 tsp harissa paste

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 large glass of red wine [optional]

Season to taste

FOR THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH:

1 butternut squash

Handful of mint leaves

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp shawarma spice or Lebanese 7 spice

Pinch of sea salt

TO SERVE:

Cooked couscous

Feta and Greek yogurt spread

8-12 organic white pitta bread

Salad

Method:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 150˚C. Then drizzle your sausages and half lamb shoulder with oil and sear them off in a hot griddle.
2. After 4-5 mins browning the meat, remove from the pan and add in shallots, then olives, garlic and caramelise for 3-4 mins.
3. Deglaze the pan with your red wine and add roasted pepper meze, chopped tomatoes, harissa paste and seasoning.
4. Return the shoulder and sausages to a casserole dish with the rich spiced tomato sauce and cover with a lid. Cook in the oven for 4-5 hours.
5. Prepare your butternut squash by slicing in half and then removing the seeds. Hasselback the squash carefully and drizzle with oil, salt and spices. Stuff a mint leaf in as many of the sliced segments of squash as you can and roast for 45 mins with the lamb.
6. Remove the lamb to rest and increase the temperature of the oven to 200˚C. Roast the squash for a further 10-15 mins before serving.
7. Shred the lamb shoulder with forks, slice the lamb Merguez sausage and grill some pitta bread. Serve the pitta with couscous, feta and Greek yogurt spread and then stuffed with meat and/or roasted squash.