Recipe: Moroccan Lamb Shanks

It’s winter in Oz, and even though I am lucky enough to live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, we still have chilly evenings. Slow-cooked lambs shanks hit the spot perfectly for a winter-warming meal.

The Moroccan combination of sweet, fruity and spicy works really well with lamb shanks. Ras el hanout, a North African blend of spices, literally translated means “top of the shop” and as the name implies only the best spices are used. It is available in good supermarkets and gourmet stores. This is a great make-ahead dish (perfect for entertaining), and the flavour actually improves the next day.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 lamb shanks, about 400g each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix) – available from good supermarkets
1 litre chicken stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons honey
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
150g pitted dried dates, halved lengthways (you could also use dried apricots)

Garnish: chopped continental parsley
pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Equipment:
Large heavy-based saucepan or flame-proof casserole with lid

Method (30 minutes + 3 hours cooking time):
1. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and brown on all sides (do in batches if necessary). This will take about 5 minutes per batch. Remove to a large plate and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the finely onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped garlic and the ras el hanout and cook a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the stock, undrained tinned tomatoes and honey. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
6. Add the browned lamb shanks. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes or so.
7. Add the chickpeas and the dates, increase the heat to medium-low and cook for another 30 minutes with the lid off. By this time the meat should be very tender.
8. Test for seasoning, adding salt and/or pepper if necessary.
9. Serve the lamb shanks on a bed of cous cous with the sauce spooned over. Garnish with parsley and pistachios.