Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Quinces

Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Quinces requires only a little preparation and then no supervision. Put it in the oven overnight or before you go to work and when you come home not only will dinner be cooked but its aroma will waft enticingly through the air. Alternatively you could cook the dish for one and a half to two hours in a moderate oven.

Ingredients

4 onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 lamb drumsticks (French trimmed lamb shanks)
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 x 810 g (1¾ lb) tin good quality tomatoes
400 ml (14 fl oz) beef, veal or lamb stock
2 quinces, scrubbed, cored and cut into eights

Couscous

1½ cups (10 oz) couscous
1½ cups (12½ fl oz) boiling chicken stock or water
zest of 1 orange
¼ cup currants
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup toasted flaked almonds

Instructions

Cut the onions into quarters or eighths and place on the base of an oven tray with a little olive oil. Place in the oven while it heats to 220°C (440°F, Gas Mark 7).
Meanwhile, rub the lamb shanks with the mixed dry spices. When the oven is hot, place the drumsticks in the pan on top of the onion and cook for 15–20 minutes, turning over half way (they can also be placed in a slow cooker). Add the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, stock and the quinces. Cover carefully with a double layer of foil. (You can even seal it with a flour and water paste if you like.) Immediately lower the oven to 80°–100°C (180°–215°F, Gas Mark 1) and leave in the oven for up to 8 hours.
Pour boiling stock or water over couscous, cover and leave 5 mins. Fluff up with a fork and mix through remaining ingredients.
Serve lamb shanks with quinces with couscous.