Braised Lamb Shanks with Ras el Hanout

Name: Braised Lamb Shanks with Ras el Hanout
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon, anise seeds; 1 teaspoon, fennel seeds; 8 , allspice berries; 8 , cardamom pods; 15 , black peppercorns; 1 , cinnamon stick (1/2 inch length); 1 teaspoon, coriander seeds; 1/2 teaspoon, cumin seeds; 1/8 teaspoon, red pepper flakes; 1/8 teaspoon, mace; 1 tablespoon, ground ginger; 1 teaspoon, ground nutmeg; 6 , lamb shanks, 3/4 to 1 pound each, trimmed of excess fat and fell (thin, white papery covering), see illustration; , Table salt; 1 tablespoon, canola oil; 2 , medium onions, sliced thick; 3 , medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces; 2 medium ribs, celery, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces; 4 medium cloves, garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons, tomato paste; 2 , ancho chiles or 2 to 3 fresh jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced; 2 cups, dry red wine; 3 cups, low-sodium chicken broth; , ground black pepper

2 comments

Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 1995

SERVES6

TIME3¾ hours, plus 4 hours soaking

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For our lamb shanks recipe, we found that we preferred to braise them in the oven rather than on the stovetop, as the oven provided more even heat. Browning the shanks over high heat in a skillet first added a great deal of flavor to the di...

This is a members' feature.