Lamb shank tagine

[moikel]

I put this in nose to tail because its shanks & it's not smoked.
It's classically Moroccan ,I think I will go with okra instead of dried fruit.
I posted my spice mix in the last lamb thread. I changed it up by adding 3 cloves & a cardamom pod.

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• moikel
• Feb 21, 2014

Big shanks so I went with 2 tabs of spice mix.
First brown shanks in EVO ,set aside. Fry 2 chopped red onions in pan juices until soft the add 3 cloves chopped garlic,bit of chopped ginger 2 min later 2 solid tabs spice mix. DON'T LET IT BURN:devil: Then add shanks back in with enough chicken stock to cover ,1 cinnamon stick.bring it to low boil ,good stir.
Then into oven on low & go for afternoon nap:biggrin:

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• moikel
• Feb 21, 2014

I will let that cook for at least an hour at about 180c then I will add okra.Back in then when okra is done,juice & rind of a lemon,1 tab honey. About 20 minutes more ,finish with chopped cilantro.
You can use this recipe as a basis for other tagines ,chicken with dried apricots or olives & preserved lemon, lamb with dried figs.
I went with okra because I like it & I know that it's big in the South & some people don't like the meat & dried fruit deal.

 

[moikel]

My home Internet is kaput so it's I pad.

 

[moikel]

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• moikel
• Feb 22, 2014

That's 90 minutes in oven,just added okra .Back on stove top for 30.
I forgot to mention I dropped 2 dried chilli in it.
Very fragrant,bumped spice by a sprinkle.

 

[leah elisheva]

Now THIS is fantastic! The shanks are my favorite part of the lamb actually!

And I LOVE okra!

This is so amazing and I would love to eat it right now!!!

Beautiful job!!!!

Cheers! - Leah

 

[moikel]

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• moikel
• Feb 22, 2014

Got it done.Lovely night so we ate outside.

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• moikel
• Feb 22, 2014

 

[moikel]

Missed a step. I gave it a squeeze of lemon & zest, 1 tab of honey gentle simmer few minutes. Then fresh cilantro at service.
Great meal . All about the balance of flavours.
Cooking time all in was maybe 3 hours stove top & oven .
Shanks are a great cut.

 

[foamheart]

Beautiful meal Michael, not a lot of lamb here. But anything with Okra is Ok with me!

I assume the meal impressed someone properly!

Very nice.

 

[mbogo]

Let me know when the house next door goes up for sale- I'll be the nicest neighbor you've ever had........

OUT OF THE PARK!!!!!!!!

Drooling now....

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Hi Mick,

Looks fantastic!  I agree with Leah's comment from above....I love lamb in general, but lamb shanks are also my favorite cut.  So full of flavor and all tender and unctuous when cooked properly.  The picture of your lamb shanks all nestled in the braising liquid along with the okra is great.  Nice color contrast between the green okra and the shanks.

I love the picture of your outdoor meal!  Nice to see you using what looks like real candles on your table.....almost all the restaurants around here have gone to fake LED candles, which is a real pet peeve of mine.  Fake candles!!  Why bother!  

I guess I could look this up on the internet, but you have such a way of explaining things I'll pitch this to you.  What exactly is a tagine, and how is it different from other braised dishes?

This entire meal looks just great.  Thanks for sharing!!

Clarissa

 

[disco]

Great treatment of one of my favourites, braised meat of any kind. Well done!

Disco

 

[dingo007]

Awesome Moikel! (Love the phonetics of your handle :-) )

My father was French/Algerian so we often had Tagine...mostly with Merguez. I haven't tried it with lamb shanks..it'll be next on my list...although my wife will be pissed if I cook shanks differently from my normal red wine braise. Oh well.

 

[moikel]

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• moikel
• Feb 22, 2014

Traditional terracotta tagine dish. Different companies are now making them out of enamel coated metal. Tagine is just the name of the cooking vessel.
I broke my big one this one to small for shanks. The conical lid the secret. I think a lot of meals are transferred to decorative tagines for serving.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Looks great Mick. I love tagine and your lamb shank looks fantastic!

 

[moikel]

Glad you all liked it . It was a lovely meal,1 shank was a portion .
Down here we have some newer breeds of sheep that are bigger & meatier. The Dorper is the best example.
These were really good shanks very dense meaty & moist. Braising the best method the bone marrow gets into the sauce ,the meat fell of the bone. I think chicken stock helps a lot you need to keep them moist.
If you need the spice formula it's in the Moroccan stuffed lamb thread!
Thanks for all your kind comments.

 

[moikel]

Awesome Moikel! (Love the phonetics of your handle :-) )

My father was French/Algerian so we often had Tagine...mostly with Merguez. I haven't tried it with lamb shanks..it'll be next on my list...although my wife will be pissed if I cook shanks differently from my normal red wine braise. Oh well.

I do several different braises using shanks. When what passes for winter here arrives everybody wants shanks,ox tail & beef cheeks . I have posted a bunch of dishes here in nose to tail .
Improved & more focused breeding is giving us better lamb & bigger. These were sort of stumpy compact shanks with a lot of meat. Wool breeds you get longer leaner shanks that can be a bit stringy. Dorpers came here from South Africa,mix of English Dorset & more exotic breeds. Even die hard cattle farmers have been known to just have a few on their farms because they produce such great meat.
Any chance you might show us a bit of French/Algerian home cooking?

 

[moikel]

Dorset x Persian black face,if you look up a photo you will see what I mean.Very broad in the back ,deep through the chest,great fat cover,well sprung ribs. Great U shape from the rear. Look like woolly barrels on legs.
Yes I grew up in sheep country! Funny what you remember all these years later.:biggrin:

 

[moikel]

Clarissa,
Emile Henry make tagines in modern ceramic .The are easy to find big outfit fromFrance.
I don't really need any more cooking gear but if I saw one at a yard sale I would be all over it.
You have to be a little careful with them but not as much as original terracotta .
Regards Mick

 

[dingo007]

Thanks Moikel, I heard about the Dorpers from friends still in the sheep industry. I've been out of it since the great wool stockpile fiasco. We were super fine wool growers on the northern table lands..but kept some border/Leicesters and a few young Herefords to kept the freezer full.

I'll share whatever i cook, although my father died at an early age and most of his "old" french family is also gone, so I dont have a plethora of recipes. Now I think about it, i've still got an aunty in villefrance...might have to look her up.

I'm doing a Moroccan lamb recipe as we speak...I'll post it up in the lamb section tomorrow.

 

[bdskelly]

Bonzer Mick! Big fan of the lamb shank. And being a southern boy I love okra.  Never thought of putting the two together.  Looks like a great rustic blend of flavor and color. 

Brian 

 

[moikel]

 
Thanks Moikel, I heard about the Dorpers from friends still in the sheep industry. I've been out of it since the great wool stockpile fiasco. We were super fine wool growers on the northern table lands..but kept some border/Leicesters and a few young Herefords to kept the freezer full.

I'll share whatever i cook, although my father died at an early age and most of his "old" french family is also gone, so I dont have a plethora of recipes. Now I think about it, i've still got an aunty in villefrance...might have to look her up.

I'm doing a Moroccan lamb recipe as we speak...I'll post it up in the lamb section tomorrow.

I was from the Riverina & went to Yanco Ag High School, so lots of kids there from those fine wool districts ,Hay Jerilderie ,Hillston,Forbes etc.Then plenty of fat lamb growers as well.

How did you end up in Colarado? Would make Guyra seem balmy

When I was a kid it was Border Leicesters,Dorsets,Corridales & Suffolks that were the fat lamb breeds. I was at a cattle show in Dubbo talking to an old school friend who is a bit of a cattle baron now,Beef Shorthorns. I asked him why is there a stand for sheep here of all places. He (a very wise man) told me go & have a look they ain't sheep like you know them. He was right. The guy at the Dorper stand knew he could sell product to beef cattle people even if it was just a few at a time. 50 cow cockys,( who had made a few sales themselves),$ in their pockets , 10 preg tested ewes at a time is . No fool.

Look forward to your lamb dish.

Regards Mick