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


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.

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

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...

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   oh well a few recipes in the leaflet that I could try another day.  The leaflet also gave oven times.

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!!!