Aromatic Lamb Shanks

Some days all you need is hours of watching volleyball, weight lifting, table tennis, fencing, swimming, athletics, gymnastics, hockey, rowing, cycling, diving, shooting, dressage, badminton, handball, archery... and a hearty meal in a pretty bowl to make you happy :)


Aromatic Lamb Shanks
from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites
Serves 4

3 tablespoons groundnut or vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks
1 onions
2 cloves of garlic
Sprinkling of salt
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 dried red chilli pepper, crumbled
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoons Marsala
1/4 tablespoons red lentils

Put the oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks, in batches, in the pan and then remove to a plate while you cook the vegetables.

Peel the onions and garlic and process in a food processor. Fry the onion-garlic mush in the same pan as you browned the shanks in. Sweat them until they are soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it catching. Stir in the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, and season with some freshly ground pepper.
Stir again, adding the honey, soy sauce and Marsala.

Put the shanks back in the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer very gently for 1-1½ hours or until the meat is tender.

Add the red lentils and cook for about 20 minutes longer without the lid, until the lentils have softened into the sauce, and the juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Check for seasoning.

Serve with couscous.