Rich and hearty, these lamb shanks just fall off the bone.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
Prep/Cook time: Approx 2 ½ - 3 hours
- 4 lamb shanks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small onions - finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
- 900 ml chicken/beef stock
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 lemon, juice & zested
- 125g dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 100g golden raisins
- Salt & pepper
- 1 sheet of shop bought all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg beaten for glazing
Method
- Preheat oven to 150°C.
- Remove lamb from refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole dish over high heat. Season well and sear/fry the lamb shanks in batches until brown all over. Remove lamb from the dish and set aside to until needed.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for approx 5 minutes or until onion is soft but not coloured.
- Add all your spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn or stick.
- Add the tomato purée and coat the onions and spices. Cook out the purée briefly.
- Add the lamb shanks, stock, honey, apricots, raisins and chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until lamb is very tender and falling off the bone.
- Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest, juice and check the seasoning. You could also add a drained tin of chick peas to this to bulk it out.
- At this stage you can serve as it is or remove the shanks from the cooking liquid and pick the meat away from the bone.
- Place the meat into a large pie dish and add the rest of the cooked ingredients from the casserole dish.
- Place a round sheet of puff pastry on top, score and then brush with beaten egg yolk. Turn the heat of the oven to 180oC and cook the pie until the pastry is golden and puffed.
- Serve with some warm couscous and some crusty bread.
