Tagine ’L’ghanmi bel Barkouk

Lamb Shank and Prune Tagine

The addition of prunes gives this dish a sweet–sour flavour, revealing its Persian origins. Any stewing cut of lamb may be used, but lamb shanks are delicious cooked in this way. Ask your butcher for frenched (trimmed) shanks for a neater appearance.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon oil

30 g (1 oz) butter

4 lamb shanks

1 brown onion, chopped

⅛ teaspoon ground saffron threads

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

4 coriander (cilantro) sprigs, tied in a bunch

zest of ½ lemon, removed in wide strips

300 g (11 oz/1¹/₃ cups) pitted prunes

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Place a heavy-based saucepan over high heat and add the oil and butter. Add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides, then transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes to soften. Add 375 ml (13 fl oz/1½ cups) of water, the saffron, ginger, cinnamon sticks and coriander sprigs and season, to taste. Stir well and return the lamb shanks to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, then add the lemon zest strips and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Add the prunes and honey, cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes, or until the lamb is very tender. Discard the coriander sprigs. Serve the tagine hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

NOTE: Frenched lamb shanks are trimmed of excess fat with the knuckle end of the bone sawn off. If unavailable, use whole shanks and ask the butcher to saw them in half for you.

A small bunch of coriander sprigs adds flavour without altering the colour of the delicious prune sauce. Remove before serving.