Moroccan Lamb Shanks

17.06.2013
Food & Travel, Make, Eat, Drink
10 Comments

We had such a wet Sunday yesterday, the perfect day for some slow cooking. I had some lamb shanks in the fridge so searched the Internet for a new recipe that wouldn’t require too many new ingredients to stock up on. I came across this Moroccan lamb shank recipe on the Delicious UK site.  It was super easy to do, the most fiddly part, if you can call it that, would be mixing the spices. I’ll definitely make this yummy meal again!

This recipe is for four but when I do some slow cooking, I always make extra as it freezes so well. Because of the size of the shanks, if you double the quantity like I did, you’ll need two French ovens (casseroles) to fit it in.

Ingredients

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

3cm pieces fresh ginger, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped  (I forgot and it still tasted great)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

4 lamb shanks

2 large red onions, cut into wedges

1 1/2 tsp Harissa Paste

200g can chopped tomatoes

600ml chicken stock, hot

1 cinnamon stick

100g dried apricots

100g dried figs

Fresh coriander to serve

Couscous to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/. Whizz the cumin and coriander in a mini food processor or grind together with a mortar and pestle then add the ginger, garlic and salt, and whizz or work to a rough paste. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a high heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown well all over. Remove and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions to the casserole and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the spice paste and harissa and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock, return the shanks to the casserole and stir together. Bring to the boil and drop in the cinnamon stick. Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours, turning the lamb once or twice.

Stir the dried fruit into the casserole and return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until the lamb is almost falling off the bone. Serve with hot couscous or pearl couscous and sprinkle with fresh coriander. Enjoy!

Mel x

NB: the recipe called for 1tbsp of coriander seeds but I thought it would be a little too strong so used 1tsp.

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10 Comments

  1. Catherine bedson

    Oh my goodness, this dish looks so good Mel, yum!!! We’ve been having wet, cold weather here as well and this is just the kind of dish we love. Will try this soon. Beautifully styled and Lovely photo. How was Guillaume’s chocolate cake from the WKA book? Looked rich and moorish. Sounds like a perfect wet, cold Sunday in your new home!

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