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lemon lamb shanks with baby artichokes

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Lemon Lamb Shanks with Baby Artichokes

In choosing this recipe, I glanced quickly at the ingredient list and loved the idea of lamb shank, lemon and artichokes together -- what a wonderful combination! Then as I was going over the ingredients before going shopping, the full realization of the recipe hit me: black lemon? grains of paradise? preserved lemon? How was I going to procure all these things? So I ended up substituting grated lemon zest for the black lemons (per aargersi’s suggestion), 1 quartered lemon (and a little extra salt) for the preserved lemons, and some coarse ground pepper, coriander and cardamom to mimic (slightly) the flavor of the grains of paradise. I ended up cooking my lamb for about two hours, flipping the lamb every half hour or so, then taking the lid off for the last half hour. The end result was an amazingly succulent, flavorful dish. The lemons, artichokes, tomatoes, lamb and spices melded together to create a dish that was layered with flavor and texture. I am looking forward to trying this again with actual preserved lemons and grains of paradise, but for now, this was absolutely lovely.

Ingredients

  • Lamb
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 yellow onion - sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic - chopped
  • 6 baby artichokes, trimmed and cleaned
  • 1 preserved lemon - quartered
  • 1 black lemon - crushed (World Spice Merchants!)
  • 4 small sweet tomatoes - quartered (I had campari ones)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • a good drizzle of honey
  • 1 pinch grains of paradise
  • vinegar and water in a bowl

Directions

  • Clean the artichokes by cutting away the tough outer leaves and stem, then cut them in half and throw them in the bowl of vinegar water (this prevents browning). I did NOT trim mine enough because they were so pretty, so I ended up having to scoop out the tender insides when I ate them.
  • Salt and pepper the lamb shanks. Heat some olive oil in the tagine (or a dutch oven) and brown the shanks on all sides, then remove them to a plate.
  • Brown the onions in the tagine, then add the garlic and saute a couple more minutes. Now put the shanks back in and add in the remaining ingredients, drizzling the whole thing with honey last. Cover and turn the heat to low. Go outside and play, it's spring! Or sit on the back porch and have a glass of wine. The lamb will be done in an hour or so.

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