Braised Lamb Shanks with Apricots and Baharat

I love braised dishes for several reasons. One; they can and should be made ahead of time so their flavors can develop and improve, two; they are usually a one pot sort of dish that once it’s put together and in the oven you can walk away and come back a few hours later. And finally and most importantly, they just taste so darn good. Lamb shanks are perfect for braising. They have enough fat so the meat doesn’t dry out and get stringy in the long slow cooking time needed for the collagen in them to melt and the meat to become nice and tender. 
The Middle East has a profusion of lamb dishes which combine the meat with spices we would ordinarily consider “sweet” like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom etc but which marry perfectly with the richness of the meat and complement any fruit added. I created this dish for one of my cooking classes based on a traditional Moroccan tagine utilizing an Middle Eastern spice blend called Baharat instead of the more traditional Ras el hanout . 
I’ve used dried apricots here but you could use dried cherries, prunes, raisins or peaches. The cooking time is dependent on the size of the shanks so it can be anywhere from 3 to 4 hours total or until a knife pierces the meat with little resistance. Enjoy! 

Lamb Shanks with Apricots and Baharat

Serves 4

4 lamb shanks, about a pound/450g each

1/4 cup olive oil 

3 tablespoons of Baharat 

2 cups of thinly sliced onions

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 large sweet red pepper, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced

2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch diagonal slices

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes 

2 teaspoons of salt, plus more to taste

3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth or enough to come halfway up the lamb in the pot

1 cup dried apricots cut in half or quartered if large

Chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish

•  Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C
• In a large, heavy pot like a Dutch oven, pour enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom and place it over a medium high flame. 
• Rub the lamb shanks with half of the Baharat and the salt. 
• When the oil is hot and shimmering add the lamb to the pot and brown throughly on all sides adjusting the flame so the meat and spices don’t burn. If the lamb won’t fit in one layer, brown it in several batches. 
• When the lamb is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. 
• Pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of oil from the pan then add the onions, garlic. and ginger and sauté until the onions are soft and a little browned. Add remaining Baharat and stir, sautéing the spices for a minute or two to bring out their flavor but being very careful not to burn them. 
• Add the tomato paste, stir and continue to cook for another minute then add the peppers, carrots, fresh tomato and 3 cups of broth  
• Bring to a boil then add the lamb back to the pot, fitting them in an even a layer as possible and adding more broth or water to come halfway up the lamb shanks. Bring it back to a boil, cover the pan and place into the preheated oven. 
• Cook for about two hours then uncover and turn the lamb shanks over and add the apricots stirring them into the sauce. Add some more liquid if it seems to be getting dry then place back into the oven for another hour with the lid off.  
• After about three hours remove the pot from the oven and test to see if the meat is tender enough by poking it with a knife and if the knife slides into the meat with little resistance it is done if not recover and placed back into the oven to continue cooking until done.
• If there seems to be too much liquid left in the pot after the lamb is done remove the lamb and reduce the liquid on the top of the stove until the desired thickness is reached.
• Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve with basmati rice or cous cous and a nice salad.