Lamb, fig and bulgur pilaf with feta and pistachios

Diana Henry
Lamb, fig and bulgur pilaf with feta and pistachios
Diana uses lots of ingredients here, but if you don’t have feta, nuts or pomegranate, you’re still guaranteed a great meal - Haarala Hamilton & Valerie Berry

There are quite a lot of ingredients here – the dish is full of flavour – but this doesn’t take long to make as bulgur wheat cooks quickly. You can also leave out some of the ingredients, such as the feta, nuts or pomegranate seeds, and still have a good dish.

Pilafs are great for using up leftovers – roast lamb is perfect here, just cut it into chunks. You can also make it with chicken – use chicken thigh fillets instead of lamb steak.

Requires 10 minutes resting time. 

Overview

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Serves

4

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra if necessary

  • 8 fresh figs, cut in half

  • 500g lamb leg steaks, cut into chunks, or use leftover roast lamb

  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated to a purée

  • 1 red chilli, halved and finely sliced

  • ½ tsp ground allspice

  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 175g bulgur wheat

  • 350ml hot lamb or chicken stock

  • 25g pistachios, roughly chopped

  • 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

  • rinds of 2 preserved lemons (use only 1 if homemade), shredded, plus 2 tbsp brine from the jar

  • 100g feta, crumbled

  • 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds

  • Greek yoghurt, to serve

Method

Step 1

Heat 1 ½ tbsp of the olive oil in a sauté pan and when hot, cook 8 halved figs cut-side down, until they are tender and golden on the bottom, ensuring not to overcook. This will take 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Step 2

Add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and brown 500g lamb leg steaks (cut into chunks) over a high heat, in batches, until it has a good colour all over, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the pan to a bowl, cover and set aside. If you’re using cooked lamb, just trim it of any fat.

Step 3

You probably won’t need any more oil, but add 1 tbsp if the pan is dry. Add 1 large roughly chopped onion and cook for about 8 minutes on a high heat to get a decent colour, then for 2 more minutes on a low heat to soften. Stir in 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 finely sliced red chilli, ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and 2 tsp ground cumin, and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add 175g bulgur wheat and stir briefly to get it coated in the oily juices.

Step 4

Add 350ml hot lamb or chicken stock and some seasoning, and put the lamb into the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down as low as possible.

Step 5

Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the bulgur is tender. Season again and gently fork the grains.

Step 6

Gently fork through 25g roughly chopped pistachios, 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander, the shredded rinds of 2 preserved lemons, 2 tbsp brine from the preserved lemons and 100g crumbled feta. Carefully stir through the figs and 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds. Serve with some Greek yoghurt on the side.

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