A whiff of Moroccan Spices: Apricots Lamb Shank Tagine

A heat wave (10 days of sun) has hit Ireland last week, and the Summery atmosphere inspired me to cook a spicy exotic dish... something with a kick.
I set my sight on a Tagine, and the story of the meal started defining itself better after I found some beautiful Irish lamb shanks and some gorgeous spices and vegetables from the Indian shop.
I don't own a proper Tagine dish, but any casserole will do the trick so you shouldn't be afraid to take the leap. The only catch is that you need time: first to let the meat marinate, and then to let the dish simmer gently.
To balance the richness of the Lamb, I also prepared a quick cold pomegranate couscous that added a fresh and aromatic dimension to the meal.


-2 Lamb Shanks
-3 tbsp of Cinammon
-2 tbsp of Ginger Powder
-2 tbsp of Ras Al Hanout
-1 tsp of Turmeric
-1 tsp of Cumin powder
-2 Garlic cloves
-1 diced big Onion 
-10 white Baby Aubergines
-100g of Chickpeas
-1 tbsp of Tomato Puree
-1 tbsp of sunflower oil
-2 tsp of Salt
-1 optional tbsp of Honey
-200 g of Dried Apricots
-50g of flaked almonds

Preheat your oven at 180°C.

Prepare your spice mix, and marinate the lamb with the diced onion in half of the mix for minimum 2 hours (the longer the better of course).
Season the lamb with salt, heat up your casserole with some sunflower oil, and sear the lamb shanks until they are coloured.
Add the onions, garlic, tomato puree, baby aubergines, chickpeas, dried apricots, the rest of the spice mix, half of the flaked almonds, and cover with water. Put your casserole in the oven and let it simmer for about an hour. Taste the sauce, and if you find it too sharp, add a tablespoon of Honey.
15 minutes later, sprinkle the dish with some flaked almonds, this will make them crunchy and enhance their nuttiness, and let the Tagine in for another 15 minutes.

While the Tagine will be making its way to deliciousness, you'll have more than enough time to prepare the cold couscous.

You'll need:

-1 cup of Couscous
-1.5 cup of Chicken Stock
-1 tbsp of Olive Oil
-1 Pomegranate 
-Coriander
-2 Scallions
-1 Lemon 
-1 pinch of Sumac

Put one cup of couscous into a bowl, pour the chicken stock on top of it, and seal the bowl with foil, the couscous will be cooked in 2 minutes. Let it cool down for 20 minutes, you'll be able to prepare the rest of the ingredients during that time. Chop your coriander and scallions roughly, and take the grains out of your pomegranate. You can add all of the herbs and pomegranate to your couscous that will now be lukewarm. Stir everything, add the juice of a lemon, olive oil, and a pinch of Sumac.

Everything will now come together: Your Lamb will have confied, and the rest of the ingredients will have melted to form a rich sweet and spicy sauce. The almonds will offer a nice contrast in textures, and the couscous will add an aromatic note to break through the spices, while reminding you of the sweetness through the pomegranates.