Moroccan Lamb Shanks

This was a meal I created last week which is now listed as a new favourite in our house. It's not a fast meal to cook but it is worth the time for the flavour and majority of the time is cooking time, not preparation so you can move away from the kitchen and only come back to check on it sporadically.

This got the tick of approval from my partner, who isn't so much interested in the health benefits of food, as long as it tastes good!

Let's Talk Nutrition:

- The sweet potato and lentils added a solid amount of fibre for our gut bugs so they got a feed also. They also contain a range of vitamins and minerals and polyphenols that have an antioxidant effect on the body.

- Cinnamon added to the recipe assists with regulation of blood sugar and gives the sensation of sweetness.

- I used couches which is not normally a grain of choice for myself but we were not having a large serve and I wanted to keep up the Moroccan theme. You could substitute this for quinoa, cauliflower rice or brown rice for more fibre.

- This recipe offers a nice mix of protein (lamb shanks), complex carbohydrates (sweet potato and lentils), fibre (lentils, sweet potato, silverbeet, onion, garlic) and fats from the lamb.

I used 2 lamb shanks for 4 people, as there was a far bit of meat on them so it is was enough to satisfy our protein requirements, but if you need to increase, do so but you may need to add more water to cover the shanks and therefore your cooking time may increase slightly to cook off some of the liquid.

This recipe was created on the stovetop but could be made in a slow cooker with timing adjusted.

Moroccan Lamb Shanks:

Serves 4, Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time 3.5 hours.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

2 lamb shanks

3/4 cup of brown lentils

500g sweet potato, cut roughly into 4cm cubes

1 onion roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

3cm piece of ginger finely grated

2 tsp of ground coriander

2 tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 red capsicum roughly chopped

500ml of chicken stock

2 teaspoons of tomato paste

4 stalks of silverbeet, stalks removed and finely sliced

3/4 cup of couscous

1 Tbs dried cranberries

Method:

1. Heat oil in large casserole dish or saucepan on stove on medium heat.

2. Add lamb shanks and brown sides for 5 minutes, turning regularly.

3. Add sweet potato, lentils, onion and garlic and stir for 2 minutes.

4. Add ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, capsicum, chicken stock and tomato paste and stir well. Top up with tap water if not covered with liquid.

5. When liquid reaches boiling, turn down to a low simmer and stir every 30 minutes or so for 3 hours.

6. Add silverbeet and stir through and leave for 10 minutes to soften.

7. Meanwhile, cook couscous as per instructions on packet and add dried cranberries.

8. Remove lamb shanks from pot and remove all meat off the bone.

9. Place couscous in serving bowl, place meat on top then ladle the remaining veggies and broth over the top.

Let me know if you try this recipe, I would love to know how you find it!