Weekly Recipe: Lamb Shank Tagine With Quince

Still in slow food mood, so here is a recipe for lamb shank tagine, mashed together from a few different Moroccan tagine recipes. First, catch your lamb shanks - frenched is good. Brown them in butter in the bottom of the tagine (or heavy-based saucepan), then remove to a plate.

Then reduce the heat and cook one chopped onion until soft. Add in a teaspoon of ground ginger, a pinch of saffron threads, a teaspoon of ground coriander and a cinnamon stick and heat until fragrant, then return the lamb and add two cups of water. Cayenne pepper and coriander would also be good in here. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

Next I added in a quartered quince (which I had previously peeled, cored, boiled and frozen, but if you are using fresh quince, sautee in a little butter first) and a small eggplant, chopped. A spoonful of honey was drizzled over the top and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Then simmer for a further 30 minutes.

I wish that I could Blog the smell! Mmm.

Unfortunately, I cooked the tagine for too long and burned the bottom a little, so there was a bit of a smokey flavour. Don't do this.

I served the tagine with couscous and a fantastic preserved lemon and tomato salad that I've been making for years. It is about 750 g of peeled tomatoes (to peel them, slit the base with a knife, dunk in boiling water and then in cold water - the skin will become loose and easy to slip off) which are meant to be seeded, but of course I never do that. Also add in half a red onion, in wedges, strips of preserved lemon skin from one lemon (I made this batch of lemons a couple of years ago), olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, flat-leaf parsley and coriander and let it all sit for at least half an hour to let the flavours combine.