Lamb shanks with olives and preserved lemon
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + 2 hours in the oven
- A little effort
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- 100ml olive oil
- 25g butter
- 8 small lamb shanks
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- a good pinch saffron
- 800ml lamb stock, chicken stock or water
- 2 small or 1 large preserved lemons
- 200g green olives, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and coriander, roughly chopped
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large casserole or frying pan and brown the lamb on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for a minute, then add the garlic, spices and seasoning (go easy on the salt as the preserved lemons might make it salty later on) and cook for another minute.
Transfer the onions, garlic, spices and browned lamb shanks to a large roasting tin. Pour over the stock or water. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 1¾ hours, stirring from time to time and turning the shanks over. - STEP 2
Cut the lemons in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and discard, cut the rind into shreds. Add the olives and the lemon to the dish. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes.
The lamb should be meltingly tender and coming away from the bone. If there is a lot of juice, remove the shanks from the roasting tin and put the tin over a high heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the juices have reduced by half. Season. Add the herbs and serve.
