The Shank and Spice!

In “Nigella Bites” first published in 2001 there's a recipe for Aromatic Lamb-Shank Stew.

I found the recipe itself really appealing but knowing my family serving a whole shank doesn't go down too well.

What follows is my version of that recipe although obviously the original is very much available!

4 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil

6 lamb shanks

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tsps garlic paste

sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsps cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

black pepper

3 tbsps honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Marsala

Using the oil, brown the shanks and place in your slow cooker. Fry the onion and garlic paste until soft, sprinkling with salt. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg and season with pepper. Add the honey, soy and Marsala. Tip the mixture over the shanks and cover with boiling water. Leave for as long as you like. 4 to 6 hours. Remove the shanks and strip off the meat – add the meat back to the gravy in the slow cooker.

The lamb is ready to serve when you are, fridge until required. You can freeze it if you wish, it enhances the flavour.

The other ingredient my family isn't wild about, is couscous. However, they do love roast potatoes, so, I serve this “stew” with the biggest pan of roasties I can. There's loads of spicy gravy and roast potatoes somehow fit.

If, like my mob, couscous isn't your thing, new potatoes would work just as well, just not as crunchy.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen food disappear quite so fast – absolutely nothing left – so, if you like the idea of a spicy roast then this is for you, it's worth every second of prep and it's not complicated.

A huge thank you to Nigella for the recipe.