Aromatic Lamb Shanks

I love recipes that require a long slow cooking…they are so enjoyable to eat and because all the hard work goes in at the start by the time you sit down to enjoy it your relaxed and the glorious smells have made you hungry to taste it.
This recipe is based on the one from Nigella Lawson with just one or two changes.
I will admit that the first time I made it many yrs ago was a total disaster, I had never cooked lamb shanks before and didn’t grasp how the long slow cooking dissolved the fat and made the meat fall of the bone…I undercooked them and it was only the beautiful smells coming from it that made me try again.
I serve this with couscous which I soak in chicken stock and one fluffed up I add finely diced red onion, toasted almond slivers and chopped mint and a good grating of pepper…again a variation on Nigellas original recipe.
In the recipe I include turmeric but when i last made it I had run out and it still tasted delicious.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons of veg oil
6 Lamb Shanks
2 Onions
4 Cloves of Garlic
Pinch of Salt
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
3 Tablespoons of Marsala ( I used Port)
6 to 8 tablespoons of Puy Lentils
To serve
Chopped Pistachios

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and brown lamb on all sides, working in batches.
Peel onion and garlic and whizz i food processor.
Add remaining oil to pan and cook this mixture until soft…sprinkle with some salt to stop it catching.
Stir in turmeric, ginger, chilli,cinnamon and nutmeg and season with pepper.
stir and add the honey, soy sauce Marsala or Port.
Put shanks back in the pan and add enough cold water to almost cover.
Bring back to the boil and place in a preheated oven @160 for 2 hours.
Remove and stir in the lentils and simmer on the stove top for about 30/35 mins with lid partly on till lentils are cooked and sauce has thickened .
Serve with couscous and some baby roast potatoes.
Enjoy