
Moroccan lamb shank tagine
Recipe courtesy of Benjamin Guaman, CEC, Executive Chef, Governors Club (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Ingredients
- chickpeas - 175 gms., dried
- olive oil - 2 Tbsp.
- lamb - 4 shanks, medium
- onions - 2 ea., medium, chopped
- root ginger - 2 tsp., fresh, finely chopped
- garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
- cumin - 2 tsp., ground
- coriander - 2 tsp., ground
- black pepper - 1 tsp., freshly ground
- paprika - 1 tsp.
- tomatoes - 2 ea., large, peeled, seeded and chopped
- saffron strands - pinch
- cinnamon stick - 2-cm. piece
- carrots - 450 gms., cut into thick slices
- dried apricots - 140 gms., ready-to-eat
- Ingredients for Garnish:
- almonds - 50 gms., blanched
- coriander - chopped, fresh
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain, tip into a saucepan and cover generously with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil; simmer for 45 minutes and drain.
- Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the lamb all over. Remove and set aside. Pour off most of the fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the dish, add the onions and fry for 8-10 minutes until soft.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C. Mix together the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper and paprika. Add half of this to the onions, tip in the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Put in the lamb and chickpeas, cover generously with beef stock (about 2 pints), bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and cook in the oven for 4 hours until the chickpeas are really tender. (You can prepare up to this stage the day before. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring back to simmering point before starting step 4.)
- Remove from the oven and stir in the remaining spice mixture, the saffron and cinnamon, carrots, apricots, and salt. Cover and return to the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour until the lamb is tender and the vegetables cooked. Scatter the almonds and coriander.