Moroccan Lamb shanks

Moroccan Lamb shanks

PREP TIME

30 minutes

COOK TIME

90 minutes

YIELDS

4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp The Spice People’s Moroccan Ras el Hanout
  • 1kg lamb shanks or large lamb chump chops with bone
    2 large onions, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 500ml lamb stock or stock of your choice
  • 1 cup apples – peeled, cored and diced
  • 1/2 cup of either pitted prunes/apricot/raisins/sultanas or a combination of all
  • 1 cup cous cous, rice or brown lentils
  • 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves or tsp preserved lemons finely chopped

Memories

Moroccan Lamb Shanks are the perfect comfort dish this winter and must-do for all Moroccan food fans!

The deep flavours of Moroccan cooking marry so perfectly with the richness of lamb meat. On my trip to Morocco, I ate many a tagine and slow-cooked meat dish. By cooking the meat low and slow it allows the flavours to infuse and penetrate the meat whilst it becomes tender and ‘falling off the bone’ as so many of us love.

Moroccan cooking is well known for incorporating fruit to dishes to enhance the flavours of the spices. I’ve added the tart sweetness of apples and dried fruit into this dish which I think works so well with the meat and Moroccan Ras el Hanout.

Directions

  1. Heat oil and butter in a deep-dish pan, add meat and brown
  2. Add onion, Ras el Hanout spice  and cook till the onion is translucent.
  3. Add chopped apple and stock or water, bring to the boil and simmer till meat falls off the bone (1-1/2 hours).
  4. Remove meat and discard bones. Tear meat rather than cut and put back into the pan.
  5. Add prunes and couscous and bring to the boil, simmer till couscous ready.
  6. Serve with coriander and preserved lemon and warm bread.