First Time Working with Lamb Shanks

I should make that plural and say '"First Times" Working with Lamb Shanks'. This dish turned out so good I made it twice in a couple of weeks in December. Prior to that I had never made lamb shanks before. The one big reason for this is that I had never been able to find lamb shanks in past, but recently our local Walmart store has been carrying them! Since this happy event coincided with all the delving into Middle Eastern cuisine of late, it was truly serendipitous.

The first time I made this recipe, it was after reading into all the new cookbooks my husband had gotten for me so I could learn about Middle Eastern flavors and cuisines, and then searching the internet for recipes using lamb shanks in particular. I wished I had a lovely tagine pot to use, but alas, that is still somewhere in the future, for me. I still hold out hopes. 😉 
 

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks served with Freekah and Msemen

As usual, after extensive reading, I start writing down the things that sounded good to me for a recipe. I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of cumin. I realize that it is used extensively in many cuisines, but if I can taste cumin as a predominant flavor, it is too much. For me, that ruins the dish completely. I do use cumin - even extensively. I just do not add it in larger amounts. So if someone uses a tablespoon of cumin in a dish - I don't care how large the overall servings - it is going to overwhelm. I trim back the amounts to what I can tolerate. In a similar manner, I have learned to use fractions of the amounts of hot chilies and hot spices, because my husband cannot tolerate them. My harissa mixture has all the flavors, but only a tiny fraction of cayenne. And so this is how I concoct a recipe; an eye out for things that appeal, or things that don't, as it should be for anyone who loves cooking.

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks on the bone

Once I had all the ingredients written down as I wanted, I began to put together this wonderfully flavored dish using lamb shanks, and it came out so heavenly good that I made it a second time about 10 days later.  

I began with creating a wet spice mixture. I had made "Rose Harissa" a week or so prior to making this dish, and used some of that Harissa in my wet spices. Saffron is a true favorite of mine, and as my husband has no problem with saffron flavor, I do use it in some quantity. I had read in various places that pounding garlic, salt and saffron together is a good beginning for the wet spices that will go into this stew. 

The first two photos in the series below show the garlic, salt and saffron whole, then pounded together. In the third photo across the top row I have blended the whole spices into a powder and add these to the garlic mixture along with some oil and Rose Harissa, 4th photo across top. (If you have regular Harissa, simply adding some soaked rose petals and/or rose flower water, about 1 tsp per cup of Harissa, will give you "Rose Harissa"). This, in turn gets mixed together with a can of petite diced tomatoes, making the base sauce, 5th photo across top. 

Assembling Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks

In the second row of photos, the lamb shanks are first browned (photo 1), then onions are sauteed (photo 2), then combined in a heavy Dutch oven (photo 3), along with other flavorings (ginger, thyme, green chilies) in photo 4, then the spice mixture is poured over along with some stock. This part of assembly takes a little time, but once assembled, it can be put into a slow cooker for quite a few hours or in a Dutch oven and baked very slowly for a couple of hours before you even have to think of it again.

I have added in dried fruits to cook for the last half hour. A guest had issues with the seeds in the figs (!) but aside from that, it is a lovely, well flavored dish, and the lamb positively falls from the bones, as is seen in the photo at the top of this page. Each lamb shank, though they do have a large bone, still feed at least two people easily. If you are very conservative in portion size, I would say you could feed 6. The first time I made these I served them with couscous. The second time I made them I served them with Freekah, which was also delicious. A side of rice or even potatoes would also go well, depending on your taste.

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks

Serves 4

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks off the bone

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lamb shanks
2 onions, chopped
 
SAUCE:
8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron (or to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
1 - 2 tablespoons Rose Harissa
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes

OTHER:
1 (walnut sized) piece fresh ginger, minced
1 green chili pepper, more if desired
1 sprig fresh thyme
1½ - 2 cups chicken stock

FRUITS:
10 dried apricots, halved
10 dried figs, halved
10 Medjool dates, halved, pitted

Have ready a large oven safe pot with lid, preferably enameled cast iron. Heat oven to 225 or 250, whichever will maintain a low simmer. Or, if using a slow cooker, have it ready.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the lamb shanks all over on medium high heat. Remove them to the pot (or slow cooker). Add the onions to the skillet and saute over medium or medium low, until golden. Pour the onions over top of the lamb shanks.

Meanwhile, place the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds into a spice grinder and grind to powder. With a mortar and pestle, smash to a paste the garlic, salt and saffron. Once done, add in the ground trio of spices along with the Ceylon cinnamon and paprika. Add in a teaspoon of olive oil if needed to make a paste. Stir in the Rose Harissa. Pour the petite diced tomatoes into a mixing bowl and now add the spice mixture to the tomatoes, stirring to combine. Pour all of this mixture over top of the lamb shanks and onions in the pot. Add in the minced ginger and thyme. The green chili can be left whole and just pierced with the tip of a knife, to give flavor but no heat. If you like the heat, chop the chili or chilies, with or without seeds to regulate the heat level. Pour chicken stock over all, until it reaches about ⅔ of the way up the sides of the lamb shanks. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover with tight fitting lid and set in oven. Allow to simmer slowly for at least 2 hours. If using a crock pot, allow at least 5 hours on low, or follow the settings on your slow cooker.

A half hour prior to serving, add in the dried fruits. Stir in, then cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes. The meat should be falling off the bones. Serve with couscous, freekah, bulghur, rice or potatoes, as desired. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.