Tender lamb shanks, creamy aubergine, harisaa spiced tomato sauce, couscous
This year for Christmas I got Nigel Slater’s Real Cooking book for a present, I think any food obsessed or determined cook would be happy to receive a cookery book for a present. I mean I have a list… But it was a lovely suprise, as I’m currently catching up on reading his book Toast, a food memoir.
I never used to be a big follower of Nigel Slater, but recently with his food programmes on tv, I really enjoy his simple way of cooking. Using only ingredients that are absolutely necessary and making a simple, easy to follow dish which can taste utterly spectacular.
This month I am taking part in the lovely Dom from Belleau Kitchen’s Random Recipe challenge and have taken my Christmas present cookery book and randomly selected a recipe to cook and share with my lovely readers!
Feeling a little bit nervous and excited I opened up my page to Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Aubergine, sounds simple and a bonus since I adore Morcoccan food, tagines be a favourite of mine, laced with sweet apricots, almonds and a mix of tender meat!
This recipe, is a one pot dish, which I was happy to find out, only thing is it takes approx 2 to 2 1/2 hours to cook slowly, which is a good thing unless you start to cook at 9pm…silly me. I had my husband snacking copiously of bread with olive oil/balsamic vinger, plus watching a film and more.. before dishing up at 11pm!
The preparation is easy as chopping the aubergine, garlic, onion, giving the shanks a good searing in a pan prior to being snuggly fitted into a pot bubbling away with tomato puree, a tin of chopped tomatoes, splash of harissa and that’s it really!
This dish just requires for you to put it in the oven, let it do the work while you go and do what you want for 2-3 hours.I did cut down the 2 teaspoons of harissa, to 1 to be on the safe side, but it was just right for me!
The result after 2 hours in an oven at Gas Mark 3, was soft, tender lamb falling off the bone, the sauce had really soaked up the flavours form the tomatoes, harissa, garlic and cinnamon spice. This dish definetly works with letting the magic happen in the pot, the aubergines were soaked in the juices and creamy in texture. I served this on a bed of couscous which was enough, you could of probably just scooped up the sauces and meat with fresh bread and that would be perfect.
Hail Nigel Slater on this dish and I was very happy this ended up being my random recipe, I will be trying out more of his simple suppers. I did give myself some dodgy stomach cramps though but I dont believe it’s down to Nigel, more like eating at midnight? Or too fast? Thats probably what it was!
I’m not a big fan of lamb but that sauce looks amazing – I’m sure it’d be delicious with chicken too.
Wow. That looks ridiculously good. Unlike the commenter before me, I adore lamb, it is my favourite meat. I would kill to eat that plate of food
I absolutely adore Lamb Shank. It’s just the most tender part of the lamb and so full of flavour. I will be making this excellent dish soon. You’re so lucky to have picked this to cook. Thanks so much for taking part xx
I like the look of the Morrocan lamb shank. I will have to have a go at making it.
That looks fantastic. Recipes where you can bung it in the oven, then get on with life for another few hours are brilliant. Low and slow really is the way to go sometimes – I can just imagine how melting the aubergines and apricots would have been, along with the lamb.
I read Nigel Slater’s Toast last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. He has a wonderfully simple yet evocative style of writing. I’m a bit of a sucker for his food and have no doubt that this is wonderful. GG