Lamb shank tagine with couscous and apricots...

Clodagh McKenna's fragrant tagine recipe uses lamb shanks, a fashionable and thrifty cut of meat, ideal for slow cooking

Prep time: 20 min, plus 10 mins soaking

Cook time: 1 hr 15 min

Serves:2

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 onions, diced

4 sweet potatoes, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 lamb shanks

400 g canned chopped tomatoes

175 g dried apricots, roughly chopped

1 pinches black pepper

For the couscous:

2 tbsp blanched flaked almonds

200 g quick-cook couscous

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan on a medium heat. Add the olive oil and the cumin seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the onions, sweet potatoes and garlic. Mix well, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. 

2. Add the lamp shanks and brown them on all sides. Add the canned tomatoes and dried apricots and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour. 

3. Meanwhile, prepare the couscous. Heat a frying pan on a low heat, add the flaked almonds and dry-fry, tossing all the time as they burn quite easily, until light brown. 

4. Place the couscous in a large bowl, cover with lukewarm water and set aside for 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the water.  Transfer the couscous into a into a dish, toss with the olive oil and sprinkle over the fried flaked almonds. 

Serve the tagine on a bed of the couscous.

uktv.co.uk