Middle Eastern Braised Lamb Shanks with Dates and Cous Cous

PREP TIME

20 minutes

COOK TIME

150 minutes

SERVES

4 people

Ingredients

8 lamb shanks
1 stick The Spice People’s Cinnamon Sticks
4 tsp The Spice People’s Sweet Paprika
2 red capsicum, thinly sliced
200g pitted dates, roughly chopped
2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 cup dates, chopped
2 tin crushed tomatoes
2 cup chicken stock
2 tin chickpeas, rinsed
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp salt
6 cups cous cous
6 cups hot chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
salt and pepper to season

The love this recipe

Lamb shanks are a classic slow-cooked dish that have been tried and tested for many years now. They’re such an easy ‘set and forget’ meal to cook and; although they look and taste very impressive, they actually require very minimal skill and effort.

So, if you’re not the most confident of cooks but you still want to wow your dinner guests, this is definitely one for your repertoire!

Lynton has put a Middle Eastern twist on this shanks recipe with the inclusion of Sweet Paprika, Dates and Whole Cinnamon. The paprika and cinnamon permeate the dish and after a low and slow 2 hours of cooking, the dates become jammy and caramelised and their sweet flavour compliments the richness of the lamb so well.

Once your shanks are at falling-off-the-bone stage they’re ready to be laid on a soft bed of fluffy cous cous with lashings of that yummy spiced sauce. Try this one at your next dinner party, your guests will be uber-impressed and they never have to know it only took you 10 minutes to prep!

Directions

Preheat a large casserole pot over high heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt. Brown off the lamb shanks in batches until deeply caramelised. Remove the shanks and cook the onion and capsicum until tender, add the spices, dates, and garlic and continue cooking for a further minute or two. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and add the stock, crushed tomatoes and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-2.5 hours or until the lamb shanks are falling apart.
Just before the shanks are ready to serve, cover the cous cous with the hot stock in a small bowl and wrap in cling film. Allow to sit for 3-4 minutes before forking through the chopped parsley, chopped hazelnuts and seasoning with freshly ground black pepper and salt.