Moroccan lamb shanks with quinces

This is my favourite Winter dinner party recipe from Lyndey Milan.  I have adapted the recipe slightly and changed it to cook in the combi steam oven so you get the long, slow cooking time as well as the addition of moisture.  Honestly, it makes for the most tender, sticky shanks you would ever have eaten 🙂

If you don’t have a combi oven then cook it long and slow in your regular oven @ 130oC in a covered cast-iron casserole dish or a large shallow pan covered with a few layers of foil.

I usually cook this for 8 or more but be mindful of the size of your lamb shanks.  I managed to get four into a large Le Crueset pot but it was a struggle and they had to be turned about half way through the cooking time.  If you are cooking for eight you will need to split into two pots.  I found the standard steam oven tray not deep enough so two deep ones would work.  Alternatively cook in a bigger pot and get ‘Frenched’ lamb shanks that have the bones cut back from your butcher.

Lamb shanks are either are too big or too small but one is usually enough, even for the most hungry of my guests!

Ingredients:  Serves 4

2 small onions, sliced or 1 large
Chunk ginger, grated
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

4 French trimmed lamb shanks
2 tbsp plain flour (leave out for Gluten free)
1 tsp turmeric
1½ tsp ground coriander
1½tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
salt & ground pepper

1x420g tinned, chopped tomatoes
½ cup good red wine
500ml beef, veal or lamb stock (or enough to cover)
1 quince, scrubbed, cut in quarters & seeds removed

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot and saute the onion, garlic and ginger slowly until soft.
2. Meanwhile mix the flour, salt, pepper and spices together and rug all over the lamb shanks.  If there is any mixture left add it to the pot with the onions.
3. Remove the onion mix from the pot after you have stirred the flour for a minute or two, increase the heat, add a little more oil and brown the shanks a little two by two.  Be careful not to burn the base.
4. Remove, add the red wine and let it come up to bubble.  Scrape the bottom of the pot and add all the other wet ingredients.
5. Make sure that the fan cover is on the back of the combi oven.
6. Return the shanks to the pot with the onion mix, add the quinces and cook on Combination mode 130°C Fan forced plus 75% steam for 3 hours without a lid.
7. Turn the quinces (or rotate from top of the pot to the bottom) about half way through the cooking time.
8. Remove quinces & shanks from the pot, cover with foil and keep warm.
9. Reduce the sauce over a high heat on the stove and remove any excess fat.
10. Serve with cous cous (or another grain if you are GF) which has been flavoured with rind and juice of one orange, ¼ cup currents, dash of olive oil and chopped fresh parsley.  Fluff up with a fork before serving.  See my perfect cous cous recipe here.