Recipe: Braised Lamb Shanks with Moroccan Lemon Couscous

I recently attended the 2015 International Food Bloggers’ Conference in Seattle, organized by Foodista. Until I actually got on the plane, I was waffling back and forth on whether to actually go. I kept thinking to myself—will they like me? Does my blog have a relevant and unique voice? Will I learn anything? As a matter of fact, I had an amazing time and learned so much. So much so, that you should expect to see a major uptick in the frequency of blog posts 🙂

One of my favorite sessions was all about lamb. We got to hear all about the versatility of lamb, the variety of cuts available, insider cooking and butchery tips, and even got to sample some delicious lamb pate, lamb’s cheese and cold smoked lamb loin. Yum! So, when I got home, I was inspired to put my own spin on a lamb dinner. While lamb chops and rack of lamb might be more prevalent, and often seen on your favorite steakhouse’s menu, lamb shanks are the unsung hero of the lamb family. All they need is a little TLC and time, and they become tender, succulent and out of this world delicious. My version of braised lamb shanks is great for entertaining guests at an elegant dinner party, impressing that special someone, or even cooking for your family—perfect for the slow cooker! I serve mine with Moroccan inspired, lemon couscous and homemade pita chips (see recipe here), but feel free to substitute mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or any number of sides. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 medium to large lamb shanks—you should be able to find these in the meat section of your grocery store, but if not, then you could just ask your butcher. Short ribs could be a good substitute, but they won’t have the same presentation
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of AP (all-purpose) flour
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried sliced onion—minced onion works fine too
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley
1 package of fresh mint
2 large Spanish onions, chopped
5-6 large carrots, cut into chunks
5 medium garlic cloves (or 4 large cloves), chopped
1 can of chickpeas, drained
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 lb. package of cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of red wine—use something you’d drink, since the flavor will end up concentrating as you cook out the alcohol
4 1/2 cups of chicken, veal or beef stock—I only had chicken broth, but veal or beef is really the best to use in this recipe
2 lemons
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 cups of couscous
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1/2 cup of dried dates, halved or quartered

Lamb Shanks:

Pat the lamb dry, this will help them stay moist when you cook it
Mix the flour, cinnamon, pepper, salt, turmeric, dried parsley, dried onion, cumin, and a teaspoon of chopped rosemary (about 1 sprig) in a medium-sized bowl
Coat the lamb in the seasoned flour mixture—this will do double duty for you by helping make a crust on the lamb, and also thicken up the braising liquid into a sauce later on
In a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot heat oil—use a neutral oil since you’ll require a very high cooking temperature to sear the outside of the meat
Add the lamb shanks—in batches if necessary—and brown for a few minutes on all sides. Contrary to popular belief, the sear does not “lock in the juices,” rather it helps make a great crust and caramelizes the spices on the outside of the meat
Once the shanks have browned take them out and put aside on a plate—don’t clean out the pot. All of those delicious drippings and brown bits on the bottom of the pan = flavor!
Add a bit more oil and add in the chopped carrots and sauté for another couple of minutes, then add the garlic and one onion to the pot
Cook for a few more minutes, and then add the chickpeas
Once the veggies have started to brown, it’s time to deglaze the pan—deglazing means you add liquid (in this case tomatoes, wine and broth) in order to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot
Add the crushed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer
Add about 1 1/2 cups of red wine and 1 cup of the stock
When it starts to bubble slightly, it’s time to add the lamb back in, and don’t forget the meat juices Add the roasted tomatoes, as well as a few sprigs of rosemary and parsley to the pot and give it a big stir
Let the pot simmer on medium for about 20-25 minutes uncovered—this helps cook out the taste of raw broth and wine. Give it another big stir and move the lamb and veggies all around the pot
Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to medium low and let it braise for at least 2 hours—you should stir the pot every 25-30 minutes, but don’t mess with it too much. This is important spa time for your mea
After a couple of hours, the meat will super tender and following off the bone—In fact, your shank bones should look like they’ve been frenched, which means the end of the bone is cleaned of meat so you can hold it like when you order rack of lamb at a fancy restaurant
Remove the lamb shanks, and crank the heat back up to medium to medium high for another 5 minutes uncovered. The sauce will continue to thicken a bit
Plate the lamb shank with the bone prominently displayed, and smother the meat with the braising liquid that’s chock full of carrots, herbs, onion, garlic, chickpeas and meat that’s fallen off the bone
Garnish with the gremolata, and serve alongside some couscous and some homemade pita chip for dipping

Gremolata:

Mix together about 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary (about 2 sprigs), and zest of a lemon
Use as garnish for heavy dishes, and add when it’s still hot—the gremolata will not only help cut through the richness of the dish, but also perfume the plate as the heat slightly cooks the herbs and lemon peel

Couscous:

I like my couscous a little more moist and stuffing-esqe as opposed to many recipes that like each of the couscous pearls to be separate from each other. Try it my way, and if you don’t like it, then go back to the other way next time

In a medium-sized pot, add some oil
Add the remaining onion to the pot and start to sweat the onions
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika
Saute the onion until it starts to brown and caramelize
At this point, add 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the juice of both lemons to the pot. Increase the heat to medium or medium-high
Bring the liquid to a boil, and then add the couscous. Stir to make sure all of the couscous is covered, and not sticking together
Turn the heat off and cover the couscous
After 4 minutes, add the dates, slivered almonds, as well as the remaining parsley and mint
If the couscous seems dry or not soft enough for you after 5 minutes, add some more stock or lemon juice, stir and cover again for a few minutes
Serve the couscous garnished with some lemon slices and a squeeze of lemon over the top