Moroccan Lamb in the Crock Pot!

Moroccan Lamb in the Crock Pot!
This recipe comes from an assortment of recipes that I have used over the years.
I must say I LOVE LOVE LOVE the combination of lamb, cumin and coriander. I
like to add a bit of Italian spice as well with some red pepper flakes and VOILA! A
meal is made!
I am a true believer in sharing great
meals with friends or family and still
have leftovers so I always make more
than enough for at least 1 or 2 extra
meals. This recipe can easily be
halved. Depending on your appetite 1
lamb shank is good for 2 people
unless they are really hungry say after
a long ski!
Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sweet onions diced
6 stalks celery
2 red peppers, diced
1 yellow pepper diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups red wine (can use broth as a substitute but I think the wine gives it so
much depth!)
1 can tomato paste
1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp Italian spices
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup dried apricots
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Serve over Moroccan season basmati rice (find recipe below!)
Directions:
If your lamb shanks have a tough silver skin on the outer parts, you will want to
remove this simply use a paring knife to cut it off.
Truth be told you can really just stick everything in the crockpot –this is the true
joy of crock pot cooking! BUT, if you have an extra 20mins or so then I would
suggest the following:
Drizzle lamb with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place a large
skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add lamb shanks and brown on all
sides, about 3 minutes per side, this step will add tons of flavor and keep the
meat moist. Remove lamb and place in crock pot
Add onions, celery and peppers to the hot pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring
regularly. Try to scrape up any bits stuck to the pan- again this just adds extra
tastisness. Place this in crockpot
Add tomatoes, garlic, and spices to the crockpot.
Cook on high heat for at least 4hours or low heat for 6 hours.
Add garbanzo beans and apricots, together and continue to cook for another
hour or two until lamb is very tender. Basically you want the meat to fall away
from the shank.
Keep lamb warm in slow cooker until you need to serve it.
Serve lamb shanks over rice (see recipe below) and garnish with cilantro
Moroccan Seasoned Rice:
Yes you can simply use rice prepared as directed on the package – BUT for this
dish I like to add a bit of seasoning to my rice. So in a large pot place 1
cinammon stick, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 coriander pods and 1 tbsp olive oil – heat
and stir then add 2 cups of basmati rice and stir to coat rice with oil and
seasonings. Then add 4 cups of chicken broth bring to a boil, stir and then put on
simmer and let cook for approx 30mins or until all water is absorbed and rice is
cooked!