Moroccan Vegetable Couscous With Lamb Shanks

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked and peeled (or you can use 2 cups canned)
• 4 cups couscous
• 4 lamb shanks
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 onions, quartered
• fresh cilantro stem, and
• parsley sprig, tied together
• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
• 1 lb carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 lb small turnip, quartered
• 1 quinces, peeled, cored and cubed
• 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 lb zucchini, quartered
• 1 fresh hot chili pepper
• 1 cup raisins
• ghee (how to prepare ghee) or aged clarified butter (smen-see smen) or butter

Recipe

• 1 in a saucepan cover chickpeas with water and cook, covered, until tender.
• 2 drain, cool and remove skins.
• 3 in bottom of a couscoussier (or double stock pot w/steamer), preheat 5 tablespoons of butter and oil over medium heat until hot.
• 4 add lamb, salt, spices, onions, herb sprigs and tomatoes; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
• 5 add 3 quarts water and chickpeas; cover and simmer over low heat, 1 1/2 hours.
• 6 cut meat into chunks, discarding bones.
• 7 add carrots, turnips and quince to lamb broth and simmer 30 minutes.
• 8 in a separate saucepan cover squash with broth from lamb stew and simmer until tender.
• 9 to lamb broth add zucchini, chili pepper, and raisins.
• 10 top with colander containing couscous, cover and steam 20 minutes.
• 11 dot couscous with remaining butter during last 5 minutes of steaming.
• 12 to serve, spoon couscous onto serving dish and toss with ghee*, smen** or butter.
• 13 spread out to form a large well in center.
• 14 with a slotted spoon transfer meat and vegetables into well.
• 15 add drained squash.
• 16 strain broth, adjust seasoning to taste and moisten couscous and vegetables with broth.