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  • 6servings
  • 140minutes

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Nutrition Info . . .

NutrientsLipids, Carbohydrates, Cellulose
VitaminsA, D, E
MineralsCopper, Natrium, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Cobalt, Molybdenum

Ingredients Jump to Instructions ↓

  1. 6 tbsp groundnut oil , or vegetable oil

  2. 8 lamb shanks

  3. 2 onions

  4. 4 clove garlic

  5. 1 pinches salt

  6. 1 tbsp turmeric

  7. 1 tsp ground ginger

  8. 1 dried chillies , or 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes

  9. 2 tsp cinnamon

  10. 1/4 tsp nutmeg , freshly grated

  11. 1 pinches pepper

  12. 3 tbsp honey

  13. 1 tbsp soy sauce

  14. 3 tbsp marsala

  15. 6 tbsp Puy lentils

  16. 3 tbsp pistachio nuts , blanched almonds or a mixture of both, chopped, to serve

  17. 500 g couscous

  18. 2 tsp salt

  19. cardamom pods

  20. 25 g unsalted butter , in

  21. 2 slices

  22. 25 g blanched flaked almonds

  23. 50 g pine kernels

  24. 25 g pistachio nuts

Instructions Jump to Ingredients ↑

  1. Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks, in batches, in the pan and then remove to a roasting tin or whatever else you've got to hand to sit them in.

  2. Peel the onions and garlic and process in a food processor or chop them finely by hand.

  3. Add the remaining oil to the pan, and fry the onion-garlic mush until soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it catching.

  4. Stir in the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, and season with some freshly ground pepper. Stir again, adding the honey, soy sauce and Marsala.

  5. Put the shanks back in the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 to 1 and a half hours or until the meat is tender.

  6. Add the red lentils and cook for about 20 minutes longer without a lid, until the lentils have softened into the sauce, and the juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Check for seasoning.

  7. Toast the nuts by heating them for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, and sprinkle onto the lamb as you serve it.

  8. To make the couscous, fill the bottom of a steamer, or base of a couscoussier should you possess one, with water and bring to the boil.

  9. When it looks like it's almost ready to boil, fill the kettle and put it on, then empty the couscous into a glass bowl, add the salt, crush in the cardamom and mix with your fingers, then pour over a litre of boiling water from the kettle and place a plate on top of the bowl. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then drain and empty into the steamer or couscoussier top and sit this on top of the boiling water beneath.

  10. . Add the slices of butter on top of the couscous then clamp on the lid and let steam for 7-10 minutes, by which time the couscous should be tenderly cooked and the butter melting. (You can do this a simpler way, if you prefer, by just steeping the couscous in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes, but the grains will be more dense and more likely to clump. It's not disastrous, however, and you must decide what you're prepared to do.)

  11. Meanwhile, toast the almonds by frying them in a dry pan till fragrant and golden, remove them to a plate then do the same to the pinenuts.

  12. . Chop the pistachios. Once the couscous is cooked, tip into a bowl, fork through (and always use a fork for mixing or fluffing up couscous; a spoon will crush it and turn it stodgy), sprinkling in the almonds and pine nuts as you do so (and taste for seasoning at the same time, too). Now fork in most of the pistachios, and sprinkle those that remain lightly on top.

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