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Savory Lamb Shanks with Date & Pine Nut Couscous

A date & pine nut couscous serves as the base for this savory lamb shank dish. The couscous is buttery and rich, with pops of sweetness from the minced dates. The lamb shanks are slowly braised in a reduced red wine and beef broth with vegetables until they are fork-tender.
The recipe below is intended to serve four people.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium-sized lamb shanks
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large white onions, (roughly chopped)
  • 2 carrots, (peeled and roughly chopped)
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cups red wine, (reduced down to 1 cup)
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic, (peeled and left whole)
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 shallot, (finely minced)
  • 2 Tbsp salted butter
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp chicken stock
  • 1 cup dry couscous
  • 1 Tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 3 Tbsp fresh dates, (finely minced)
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, (lightly toasted)
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, ( to taste)
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, (finely sliced, as garnish)
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, (finely sliced, as garnish)

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 500F.
  • Toss the lamb shanks, chopped white onions, and chopped carrots in the vegetable oil.
  • Salt the lamb shanks all over with a light coating of kosher salt.
  • Place the lamb shanks and vegetables on a piece of parchment on a sheet tray in the oven.
  • Roast the lamb and vegetables at 500F for about 12 minutes until the mixture is barely golden-brown, turning the ingredients after about eight minutes, so you don’t have anything burn.
  • Once you have achieved the desired golden-brown color on the lamb, remove the lightly roasted meat and vegetables from the oven and reduce the oven temperature down to 275F.
  • Cook down 2 cups of red wine to 1 cup on the stove.
  • Combine the reduced red wine with the 4 cups of beef stock in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a simmer on the stove.
  • Add the lamb shanks, onions, and carrots from earlier.
  • Add the celery stalk, bay leaves, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary.
  • Cover with the lid and cook in the oven at 275F for roughly 3 hours, or until the lamb meat is falling off the bone.
  • When your lamb shanks are finally ready, it is time to make your couscous.
  • Begin by lightly toasting your pine nuts over medium heat, stirring frequently, toasting them in a dry saute pan with no added fat.
  • Remove the lightly-toasted pine nuts from the pan, and set them aside.
  • Add the finely-minced shallot and 2 Tbsp of salted butter to a pot on the stove.
  • Add the 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of chicken stock to the pot, and bring the liquid to a simmer.
  • Add the dry couscous and orange juice to the simmering stock.
  • Add the finely-minced fresh dates and the lightly toasted pine nuts.
  • Gently stir the mixture once and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and reduce heat down to the lowest setting.
  • Steam the couscous over the lowest heat for the amount of time specified on your couscous packaging, or roughly 5-12 minutes.
  • When the couscous has cooked for the appropriate amount of time, remove it from the heat, remove the lid, and gently fluff the couscous grains with a fork to separate them.
  • Taste and season with kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Serve the couscous mixture in deep bowls, topped with the lamb shanks from the oven, topped with a ladle of the lamb braising liquid.
  • Garnish each bowl with the fresh mint and parsley.

Notes

This is a great recipe to make when you have an entire afternoon to cook. The lamb shanks take time to become fork-tender, and usually need the full three hours to braise in the oven until they are falling off the bone.
Serve this with a green vegetable of your choosing.