Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Apple and Almond Cous Cous

Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Apple and Almond Cous Cous.....


This dish is the ultimate in melt in your mouth lamb dishes... the crunch of apple in this cous cous dish is amazing!! When Royal Gala apples are in season they are a wonderful addition and blend well with the almonds and raisins.  I love this dish so much and i hope you do too.


Time to prepare around half hour average.  Cooking time i would cook for around 2 hours for very best taste.


Ingredients:


4 large or 8 small lamb shanks (enough to fit into your baking dish)
50g of plain flour
olive oil 
1 large brown onion thinly diced
Masterfoods Moroccan spice 1 tablespoon (or more if desired)
3 garlic cloves diced thinly
4 cups of beef stock 
400g diced tomatoes in a can
3 strips of lemon rind *important that this is the very edge without the white*
Pinch of Saffron threads for the colouring in the dish


to make the Apple and Almond Cous Cous:


1 1/2 cups of Cous Cous
1 1/2 of boiling water
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 royal gala apples cored, quartered and sliced thinly
1/2 cup of flaked almonds
1/2 cup of good quality raisins

Place your shanks in a large bowl with the flour and some salt and pepper shaken in.  Toss to coat them nicely.  Heat up a little olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.  Add half the lamb shanks turning them occasionally until they begin to brown say around 5 minutes or so. Transfer to a plate when just browned on the outside and do the same to the remaining shanks.  


Wipe the pan clean with some paper towel and add some more olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes til soft. Stir in your spice mix then add the stock, tomato, lemon rind and saffron.  Bring to the boil cook uncovered for 20 odd minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add your lamb shanks into the mix and cook them in the sauce for around 1 hour.  The longer you cook the more tender the meat so longer is best.  


To make the apple cous cous you place the cous cous in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Using a fork you separate the grains slightly.  Add your apple, raisins, lemon juice and almonds.


Enjoy with a nice bottle of  Italian Muscato mmmmmm