I love cooking with lamb shanks because the longer you leave them, the better they taste. Three hours may seem a long time, but trust me, once you see the way the meat falls off the bone, you’ll understand. Marinate the lamb in the spice mix overnight if you can as it will really improve the flavor. Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lamb shanks
• Olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• One 750-ml bottle red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Small handful of mint leaves, to garnish

FOR THE MARINADE

• 1–2 green chiles, seeded and sliced, to taste
• 1–2 red chiles, seeded and sliced, to taste
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks, snapped in half
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped, and crushed
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the marinade by mixing together the chiles (use only one of each if you don’t like hot dishes), smoked paprika, oregano, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub the mixture into the lamb so that it is well flavored. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
3. Heat a large casserole dish on the stovetop and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the lamb in it for about 6 minutes until colored on all sides, then add the chiles and cinnamon from the marinade.
4. Add the carrots, onion, and bay leaves to the casserole and brown for a minute or two. Lift the lamb so that it is resting on top of the onions and carrots. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom, then bring to a boil and cook for 7–8 minutes to reduce the liquid by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then transfer, uncovered, to the preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours until the meat is really tender and the sauce is reduced. (If the tops of the shanks look like they might be drying out, just baste and occasionally turn them.)
5. Remove the cooked meat from the oven and serve garnished with torn mint leaves and the cooking juices spooned on top.