INGREDIENTS
1kg ripe Roma tomatoes
6 lamb shanks, trimmed
Salt
Plain flour for dusting
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 sticks of cinnamon
Moroccan spice rub
1 tbsp lamb stock, stirred into 500ml hot water
Zest of one orange
1009 roasted almonds
200g soft dried Turkish apricots
Handful Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Handful Coriander, roughly chopped
METHOD
Score the skin of the tomatoes, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
Drain and peel off the skin using a paring knife.
Slice in half and remove the core.
Finely chop by hand or pop them in a blender until you a puree.
Set aside.
Season and dust the lamb shanks with flour, shaking off the excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large casserole dish over medium heat.
Brown the lamb shanks on all sides and set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil to the dish and saute the onion until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, cinnamon sticks and Moroccan spice rub and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Return the lamb shanks to the dish and pour over the lamb stock.
Add the chopped or pureed tomatoes along with the orange zest, dried apricots and roasted almonds.
Reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 2 hours or until the lamb is tender.
Alternatively, you can pop them in the oven, 160°C, for 2 hours, after which you can remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes to brown the shanks slightly.
If the sauce looks too thick at any point, simply add some more lamb stock.
Garnish with roughly chopped Italian parsley and coriander and serve with couscous and flatbread.
