This is a tried and true recipe I use...  I have seen olives added but I think it over powers some of the spices.
Also, I add the stems of the tomatoes into the mix and fish it out for serving.  I think it adds more "tomato-y" flavour tot he mix.



Ingredients

Spice mix
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1½ tablespoons  paprika
½ teaspoon chilli powder

Spice paste
4 garlic cloves
2 brown onions, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
Stalks from good bunch of coriander, reserve leaves
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon salt

For the tagine
4 lamb shanks, cut into 3 or 4 pieces each
3 tablespoon olive oil
450 g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, sliced
400 g chat potatoes, peeled and left whole
400 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks, same size as potatoes
450 g vine ripened tomatoes, thickly sliced
75 g dried apricots
2 tablespoons clear honey
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Chicken or vegetable stock to just cover


Method

Trim lamb of any excess fat, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place spice paste ingredients in blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste.

Place spice mix into a small bowl and mix together, sieve if necessary.

Heat olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add lamb pieces and brown. Set aside.

Add the spice paste to the remaining oil and fry gently for 3 minutes.

Add spice mix and fry for a further minute.

Add carrots, onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apricots and turn over a few times in the spice mixture.


Return the lamb to the pan and add the honey and enough stock to not quite cover the meat.

Add bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer very gently, uncovered 1½ - 2 hours, turning the meat occasionally.

Serve with couscous.


Recipe notes
Use a large casserole (or tagine). The meat should be falling off the bone. This dish has great depth of flavour. Don't be put off by quantities of spices, they are all needed.

Thanks Rastas I'll give that a shot! It doesn't sound too hard but I'll bet it's got some flavour.

Skip [smiley=batman.gif]

Reads wonderful, only problem I would have is cutting the shanks into pieces.  Might have to go to the butchers.

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/VIRTUALCOG/BITS/NSWGLITTER.gif

Next week end, this will be the goal, thanks Bob, if its as good as it sounds it may make it to the "red folder".

MMMMMM looks good to me ...... thinking a couple of largish veal shanks might work too

It says uncovered does that mean I dont put the top on the tagine?   ROFL so I could just use the CO bottom!!

I am still going to buy a tagine tomorrow.  

I am not a fan of cous cous but couldnt see why I couldnt eat rice or naan bread with it instead.

hehehe, I keep the top off the tagine unitl the sauce has reduced to the consistancy I want, then put he lid on....

That is coz I forget food occasionally.  The bottom line is that you use amount of fluid to suit the cooking method...

Saltbush Bill wrote on Apr 13^th, 2009 at 6:43pm:

largish veal shanks might work

I would wonder at the spice combination for beef/veal, but it is worth a try.  For some reason, cinnamon and beef don't work in my mind, but it would be a good one to try to see if my mind is stuffed...

Well at least 20 tagines and the rush today was more for the clothes. I had no trouble getting one.  Also got fresh coriander and found a butcher who would cut the shanks.

Got all the ingredients ready and could see it wasnt going to fit in the tagine  :D oh well a few recipes in the leaflet that I could try another day.  The leaflet also gave oven times.

[smiley=thumbsup.gif] Rastas I was very nervous about the quantities of the spices but as you recommended I stuck to the exact amounts.  The mixture of dried and fresh was wonderful and not at all overpowering in the finished meal.

The only variation I made was that as tomatoes are dreadful here at the moment I used the same amount of diced tin ones.  Other than that I followed the amounts and instructions.

;)Till the end that is, I brought it up to the boil in the french casserole (cast iron enamel coated) and then put it all in the oven at 160C for three hours.   Very nice, will do us two meals.

It would be a great camping recipe in a REAL CO.  We love shanks which I do in what I would call the english style (mostly root vegetables and wine) so this is a tasty variation.  I felt being cut up the shanks picked up the flavours better and of course ended up soooo tender.

I dropped my good camera at the Bellingen Flower Show and its still not back so this is not as good as it really looked.

Its not only you blokes have problems with your better halves.  The MOTH was not impressed that I hadnt cooked dinner with my new toy!!!!!  Just as well he liked it.  He had no understanding at all that I didn't really care that I just liked it to look at and wanted one!!! :D  

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/VIRTUALCOG/BITS/morrocanlamb.jpg

I saw the Tagines at Aldi too Carolyn. I normally have the breaking strain of a warm Mars Bar, but this time I was strong and managed to resist the call for more cast iron even though it was only the base.


regards skip ;D

Me too Skip!
Actually had it in my hands in Aldi Clifford Gardens Tmba yesterday, then thought - I am going to be killed if I take this home..................

Top looking effort.. if I have a few more drinks, it WILL come into focus.  In fact, when it does, I will stop drinking..  LOL

I am glad you persisted with the spices, as they do work.

I almost never use fresh tomatoes on the road, but at home they get used of the vines at home.  Sadly, I never calculate the correct normal-cherry tom's conversion...

Love to see if you think there is a difference in cooking in the tagine..

Rastas tonight I used the Tangine but on the stove top (electric).

Its cold wet and miserable in Sydney so I took pleasure in looking at the bright orange Tangine cooking away in the kitchen.

I cooked chicken with morrocan spices (not as good as your lamb mix but ok) carrots, potatoes, zucchini, onions, greens etc in a tomato basil sauce.

Not sure if it was the cold day or the season for the vegies but they all seemed to be full of flavour.  I cooked it slow for about 2 hours with the heat almost off.   I reheated some rice from last night to go with it.

A great winters meal and its so hot and keeps that way as you eat it which is something I like.