Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil
• 4 small lamb shanks (roughly 300g / 10oz each)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 red onions (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed or grated)
• 3 cm piece of ginger (grated)
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 12 dates or apricots (chopped into small pieces)
• 400 g tin chickpeas (drained)
• 2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro)
• Bulgur wheat, couscous or flatbreads to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 160C/ 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a large hob proof casserole dish. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then brown the lamb on all sides in the hot pan.

3. 3

   Remove the lamb from the casserole dish and turn down the heat. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat with the lid on for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. 4

   Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spices and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add a splash of water if it starts to get too dry.

5. 5

   Add the chopped tomatoes, honey and the lamb shanks, lying the lamb shanks down on one side so they are half submerged in the sauce, and bring back to the boil. Cover and place in the preheated oven for 45minutes.

6. 6

   After 45 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and carefully turn the lamb so it is lying on the other side, cover and put back in the oven for another 45 minutes.

7. 7

   After this further 45 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven, turn the lamb so it is now sitting with the bone sticking upwards, add the dates and drained chickpeas, leave uncovered this time, and return the lamb to the oven for a final 30 minutes (a total of 2 hours in the oven).

8. 8

   During this final 30 minutes you can prepare the accompaniments - I like to serve this with bulgur wheat, but it would also go well with couscous or flatbreads.

9. 9

   When the lamb has finished cooking, remove from the oven, scatter with coriander and serve with the accompaniments.