Moroccan Lamb Shanks & Gremolata

Moroccan Lamb Shanks

A hearty, slow cooked, falling off the bone, spiced pot of heaven. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon feast, with plenty of leftovers for weekday lunches. A little bit of effort goes a long way.

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large lamb shanks
• 1/4 c whole wheat, whole spelt or gf flour
• oil, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

• 1 brown onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 carrots, roughly diced
• 2 tsp each cumin, tumeric, sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 – 1 tsp hot paprika, optional

• 1/2 c white wine
• 1 can chopped tomatoes or 1 c passata
• 1/4 c dry lentils
• approx 4 c stock
• 1/2 c dates, chopped & pitted

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C [350F]. On the stove-top, heat a large heavy-based, oven-proof pot over medium heat.

Quick method:

Toss lamb in seasoned flour and brown on all sides. Set meat aside and saute veggies in same pot. Stir through spices and cook to toast. Deglaze with wine, add tomatoes, lentils and dates. Add browned shanks, pour over stock to fully cover everything. Bring to boil, cover and bake in preheated oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, turning shanks a few times during cooking. Remove when meat is falling off the bone.

Detailed method:

Place lamb shanks in a plastic bag with flour, a large pinch of salt and some cracked pepper then shake to coat. Tap excess flour off the shanks. Add a splash of oil to the oven-proof pot and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Without cleaning the pan, add another splash of oil and saute onion, garlic and carrots for 1-2 mins. Add all spices and stir for 30 sec until just fragrant. Add wine and stir to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan while the alcohol boils off. Add tomatoes, lentils and dates, stir to combine.

Add browned lamb shanks back to pan, fitting them in like a puzzle. Pour in stock, adding extra water if needed to fully cover everything. Bring to the boil. Place lid on pot and move into preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Check twice during cooking, turning shanks to keep meat submerged. Once meat is falling off the bone remove the pot from the oven and allow to sit for 20 mins before serving.

Serve with polenta, sweet potato or roast pumpkin and steamed green veggies. Top with gremolata.

COOK’S NOTES

• Stock: I use water with a good organic stock powder.
• Wine: All the alcohol boils off but feel free to replace this with an equal measure of stock or apple juice.
• Pot: An enameled cast iron dutch oven is perfect for this but a large oven-proof sauce pan will work too. If all else fails make it on the stove-top and layer in a large roasting pan covered with foil to bake.
• Cooking time: The longer you cook this the more tender the meat will become until it simply falls off the bone. Keeping the pot covered and turning the shanks occasionally will keep them from burning as the liquid reduces, you can remove the lid for the last 10-15 mins to caramelize the meat and thicken the sauce a bit more but it is by no means necessary.

gluten free // dairy free

Gremolata

A traditional accompaniment to Italian Osso Bucco, the crisp herbal and citrus flavours cut through the richness of Moroccan Lamb Shanks perfectly.

Makes: half cup

INGREDIENTS

• large handful parsley, finely chopped
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• tiny pinch sea salt

METHOD

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate until needed.

gluten free // dairy free // vegan // vegetarian