Kutjera Lamb Shanks with Pumpkin

A warm and wintery meal, serve with mashed potato or try couscous for a Moroccan feel. Inspired by an old Good Taste magazine recipe (one of my old mag clippings) - check out taste.com.au for other ideas.

Ingredients

Approx 300g Jap pumpkin, peeled and de-seeded
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Stock cubes or powder, crumbled (enough to make 1 1/2 cups stock, read each packet to check)
4 lamb shanks, French trimmed
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
250ml tinned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dried dates, pitted and halved
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons Outback Pride Ground Kutjera
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp Outback Pride Sea Parsley Flakes, or chopped fresh parsley

Step One

Cut the pumpkin into 2cm thick wedges and then in half crossways. Stir the crumbled stock into the jug of boiling water and set aside until needed.

Step Two

Place the flour on a large plate and coat the lamb shanks all over, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or heatproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, or until well browned all over. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.

Step Three
Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until onion is soft. Return the lamb shanks to the pan with the chicken stock, red wine, tomatoes, dates, kutjera and cinnamon stick and bring it to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, turning the shanks occasionally, for 45 minutes.

Step Four

Add the pumpkin to the pan and simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes or so until the pumpkin is tender and the sauce slightly thickened. Add the Sea Parsley flakes to the sauce just before serving the lamb over mashed potato. Accompany with a full-bodied red wine.

Serves 4