Lamb, naturally, is the focal point of this recipe, and is therefore an area where corners shouldn't be cut. Adapted from a David Tanis recipe, this one calls for the very best lamb shank you can find and/or afford. The lamb shank has become almost chic in recent years, so there wont be too much bother in finding what you're looking for. However, if budget or unavailability get in the way, a lamb shoulder cut into small chunks will also do an admirable job.
As this dish really does have it all, we don't recommend serving it with anything but a generous glass of wine, and bread as fresh as you can get it.
(to serve 4 adults)
Ingredients: Lamb shanks (or shoulder), generous knob of butter, 2 onions, pinch of saffron threads, 4 garlic cloves, thumb-sized piece of ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, 100g gold raisins, 150g pitted prunes, 500ml chicken broth,150g chopped tomatoes, 100g blanched almonds, salt, and black pepper.
Method: First, pre-heat the oven to 160c/325f, and melt the butter in a large pan. Once melted, add the onions, saffron, and a pinch of salt. As the onions begin to brown, remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, the raisins, and half the prunes. After a couple of minutes gentle stirring, return to the heat, and add the lamb. After a couple more little moments, add the tomatoes and broth, and slow cook in the oven for approx. 2 hours. When ready, remove from the oven and add the remainder of the prunes and increase the heat to 200c/400f. Leave the lid off to gently brown the meat, and return to the oven for 15mins. Serve with gently fried almonds to garnish.
Tips: Be ready to adapt, and try it with beans and/or spinach for another twist.
Music: Ben L'Oncle Soul - Soul Man
