Lamb Shank Tagine

A mouth-watering Moroccan dish.

PREP TIME 20 mins COOK TIME 3 hours MAKES 4

1 tsp ras-el-hanout
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground turmeric
4 lamb shanks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (available from specialist grocers and some supermarkets)
½ tsp saffron
350ml (12floz) chicken stock
125g (4½oz) stoneless dried apricots, halved
110g (4oz) green olives, stones removed
75g (2½oz) whole almonds
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the lamb shank tagine, preheat of the oven to 160°C/315F/Gas 3.
Mix the ras-el-hanout, cinnamon, ginger, smoked paprika, cumin, freshly ground black pepper and turmeric together in a bowl. Add the lamb shanks and turn in the mixture to coat them evenly.
Heat a large pan until smoking hot, then add a tablespoon of the olive oil and sear the lamb shanks on all sides for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown all over. Remove the lamb shanks from the pan and place in base of tagine.
Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan and fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
Transfer onion and remaining ingredients to the tagine, cover with lid and place in oven for 2 hrs or until the lamb is tender.
Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the tagine is slightly thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve with a bulgar wheat salad. Chop the coriander and sprinkle over the tagine.