Lamb shanks braised with Moroccan spices with parsnip couscous
Peter Gordon, chef of The Sugar Club in London, piles on the flavours in his version of the lamb shank braise. The tamarind is a terrific fellow-traveller with the flavours of the lamb, olives and vegetables. He serves this with harissa, and a staple of parsnip couscous, which is delicious and very simple. The recipe is from The Sugar Club Cookbook.
Check, when buying couscous, that it is the quick-cook variety, as many of the types sold are not. If you have the patience, however, I do recommend using the true variety, as its texture is more pleasing.
Serves 6
6 lamb shanks
4 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 tablespoons cumin seeds
4 tablespoons fennel seeds
6 whole star anise
4 cinnamon sticks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm (1/3 inch) dice
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 cm (1/3 inch) dice
6 small red onions, peeled and quartered
3 hot red onions, peeled and quartered
3 hot red chillies, sliced
150 ml (5 fl oz) cooking oil
3 juicy lemons, cut into 5 mm (1/4 inch) dice
1 litre (1 3/4 pints) chopped peeled plum tomatoes (tinned can be used)
3 teaspoons dried mint
1 cup unpitted olives - both green and black are fine
Half-cup tamarind paste
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) Asian fish sauce
50 ml (1 3/4 fl oz) tamari couscous
500 g (18 oz) couscous
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 cm (1/3 inch) dice salt
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
2 lemons - grate the zest, then juice
00 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
You can either cook the shanks in a heavy saucepan on top of the stove or braise them in the oven. If the latter, you'll need a braising dish that is deeper than the shanks to ensure they are covered with liquid as they cook.
With the first method you'll need to roast them first anyway, so start by preheating the oven to 220 C/425 F/Gas 7. Put the shanks in a braising dish and roast for 40 minutes, turning over halfway through. While they are browning, put the seeds, star anise and cinnamon on a baking tray and roast in the oven to a deep brown, taking care not to burn them. Remove from the oven and cool, then grind finely in a spice grinder. Use half for this dish (Peter Gordon uses the other half to make his own harissa). Saute the vegetables and chilli in the cooking oil until they soften and turn slightly golden, then add the lemon dice and saute for a further minute.
Then add the tomato, roast spices, dried mint, olives, tamarind, fish sauce and tamari and bring to a gentle boil. Turn off and wait until the lamb shanks are ready.
When the lamb is ready, drain off any fat in the roasting dish, then pour the tomato mixture on top and add enough warm water to come threequarters of the way up the shanks.
Seal the dish with foil and return to the oven for two hours, turning it down to 190C/375 F/ Gas 5. After one and a half hours check the liquid hasn't reduced too much: if it has, top it up with hot water. While the meat is cooking, make the couscous.
Make the parsnip couscous one hour before eating. Use precooked couscous. Soak in cold water and place the covered bowl in a warm place as this gives a much lighter and fluffier result than adding hot water from the start. Put the parsnips in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt and boil until cooked, then leave to cool in their cooking liquid for five minutes. Mix the coriander, lemon juice and zest with the oil. Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl, pour on the parsnips and their liquid and mix well. Add the oil and lemon combination and mix again, then add enough cold water to cover it all by 5 mm (one fifth inch). Mix well again, cover with cling film and stand in a warm place for at least 45 minutes.
Serve the shanks on top of a mound of couscous with lots of the tomato stew and serve with harissa.
Lamb shank sofrito
If you don't want to pile in everything, as Peter Gordon does, then cook the lamb shanks as simply as this sofrito, an idea from Alastair Little and Richard Whittington's book, Food Of The Sun.
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks
About 150 ml (quarter pint) olive oil
2 lemons
1 tablespoon turmeric
Salt and pepper
Scrape the bones and trim the individual joints neatly at the point where the bone joins the meat. Rub them all over with salt and pepper. In a frying pan, brown the shanks in three tablespoons of olive oil, turning them with tongs. Arrange the shanks, bones pointing upwards, in a casserole dish into which the shanks will just fit and which has a tight-fitting lid. Dribble the shanks with three or four tablespoons of fresh oil. Juice the lemons and mix the juice with the turmeric and 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) of water. Pour this mixture over the lamb.
Cover the pan and bring to a bubble over a medium heat. Then lower the temperature and cook at the lowest possible heat for about one and a half hours. Check occasionally and add one or two spoonfuls of water if it shows signs of drying out.
Serve with olive oil mashed potatoes.
`Bell-cooked' lamb shanks with lemon potatoes, Cephalonian style
Finally, a typically idiosyncratic version of the lamb shank braise, as described by Paula Wolfert in her book Paula Wolfert's World Of Food. This is a Greek dish, from the Ionian island of Cephalonia, and the lemon and oregano flavours are very distinctive.
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Half cup strained fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons Greek oregano
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Greek Half cup chopped onion
1 1/2 lbs (3 medium-size) boiling potatoes, pared, quartered lengthwise
Wipe the lamb; trim away any excess fat. With a small, sharp knife, make incisions all over the surface of the shanks and insert slivers of garlic. Combine one teaspoon of the salt and half teaspoon of the pepper; rub them over the lamb.
Place the shanks in a large bowl; sprinkle with quarter cup of the lemon juice. Combine one tablespoon of the parsley, one teaspoon of the thyme, and the oregano on a plate or shallow dish. Roll the lamb shanks in the herb mixture to coat; return them to the large bowl. Let them stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for one to two hours.
About two and a quarter hours before serving, place a four-quart enameled cast-iron casserole in a cold oven. Place the lid on a lower rack. Turn the oven to the highest setting. While the oven is heating (about 20 minutes), lift the lamb shanks from the bowl; wipe off excess moisture and coat the shanks with melted butter. Reserve the marinade.
When the hottest oven temperature has been reached, use tongs to carefully place the lamb shanks in the hot casserole. Brown the shanks, uncovered in the oven for 10 minutes.
Heat the marinating liquid in a small saucepan; add quarter cup of water and bring to a boil. When the lamb shanks are browned, pour the boiling marinade carefully down inside the casserole. Cover tightly with a sheet of heavy-duty foil.
Use heavy oven mitts to carefully remove the lid from the lower rack of the oven; place it securely over the foil covered casserole. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F; bake at this setting for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and two tablespoons of water, and cook until the onions are softened but not browned and all the moisture has evaporated, about three minutes. Stir in the potatoes; saute, stirring frequently to coat with oil, for five minutes.
Add third cup of hot water, the remaining quarter cup of lemon juice, one and a half tablespoons of the parsley, the remaining half teaspoon of salt, the remaining half teaspoon of thyme and the remaining quarter teaspoon of pepper. Heat over high heat to boiling. Cook, covered, 25-30 minutes, stirring gently several times. The potatoes must not stick. Transfer them to a shallow six-cup (about 10 inch by 6 inch) oven-proof serving dish. Spoon the juices over the potatoes to coat them evenly.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200 F; place the potatoes in the oven on the lower rack. Bake the potatoes and lamb shanks for 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven and allow the meat and potatoes to rest undisturbed for an additional 20 minutes with the oven door shut.
Remove the lamb shanks and arrange them on a warmed serving platter; surround with the lemon-flavoured potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining half tablespoon of parsley. De-grease the lamb juices, adjust the seasoning, and pour the juices over the lamb. Serve at once.