Braised spiced lamb shanks with lemon pickle and couscous

from Fusions: A New Look at Australian Cooking by Richard Whittington and Martin Webb
Cooked for Australia Day and India Republic Day.

I think the amount of effort that goes into this does not justify the reward. At least not for the cook! Could be that I am not a great fan of meat anymore.

Lambs shanks twice marinated. First in lemon and salt, and then in coriander, garlic, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, saffron and yoghurt.

Lamb shanks cooked quickly (200C for 2 hrs) with coriander, carrots, celery, onions, leek, garlic and ginger, star anise, beef stock, and white wine. The lamb shanks would have been better cooked longer at a lower temperature. Whilst the meat was tender, the collagen had not completely broken down.

Cooking liquid strained and reduced.

Chickpeas and carrots cooked separately in salted water, and then finished in the reduction cooking liquid.

Served with couscous and lime pickle (the lemon pickle takes 3 months to make, and I had made the lime pickle last year).