Braised Curried Lamb Shank with Apricots and Barberries

We needed a shank bone for the Seder Plate, so today I made a main dish of curried lamb shank with Middle Eastern Spices. It cooks slowly for several hours, then the meat is removed from the bone, the liquid is reduced, and the large pearl couscous is added for a final simmer.

It turned out so well that if I hadn’t already cooked the brisket, I might have saved this for the main dish on the first night of Passover.

Try it, you’ll like it!

1 lb lamb shanks, about 1 1/
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic
8 dried apricots, halved
2 tbsp raisins or dried barberries
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp sweet curry powder or a mixture of spices (cumin, cinnamon, cardamom etc)
1 cup dry couscous
1/4 cup walnut pieces

1. Season the lamb shank liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and granulated onion.

2. In a heavy, lidded casserole, sear the lamb shank in the oil.

3. Add the onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned.

4. Add the halved apricots, the barberries (or raisins) and the curry powder.

5. Add the beef broth, stir quickly and cover.

6. Reduce the heat to simmer, and cook on top of the stove for 21/2 hours or until the lamb is very tender.

7. Remove the lamb shank and remove the meat from the bone. Cut the meat into 1 inch pieces.

8. Return the meat to the casserole, increase the heat and bring the liquid to a strong simmer.

9. Stir in the couscous, cover and cook over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is done.

10. Serve at once, sprinkled with the walnuts.

Servings: 4

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (8.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.