Tagine-Style Pulled Lamb Shanks with Cucumber Yoghurt

• Olive oil
• 4 small free-range lamb shanks, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 20g store-bought Moroccan or tagine seasoning mix
• 4 baby onions, peeled and halved
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 3 ml dried chilli
• 50g tomato paste
• 1x 400g tin of whole tomatoes
• 500ml beef stock
• Flatbreads or pita breads, toasted to serve
• Fresh herbs like mint, basil, and parsley, to serve
• Zesty cucumber yoghurt, to serve

Heat a Le Creuset 24cm Signature Round Casserole with a good splash of olive oil. Meanwhile, season the shanks. Once the casserole is hot enough, sear off the lamb shanks in batches until evenly golden. Place in a large dish and sprinkle with the Moroccan seasoning and a little extra olive oil, then toss to coat.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. In the same casserole, drizzle a little more olive oil. On a medium heat, sauté the onion halves until golden, and add the garlic, cinnamon, and chilli. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer; add the seasoned lamb shanks to the liquid making sure they are submerged.

Put the lid on the casserole and place it in the oven for 3-4 hours until the meat falls off the bone, checking that they are submerged throughout the cooking process to avoid the meat becoming tough or dried out. You can, at this stage, serve the shanks as they are on the bone or remove them to allow them to rest for 30 minutes before pulling them apart with forks and placing them back in the sauce. Check the sauce for seasoning, as it will have gained flavour in the cooking process. Adjust if necessary. Serve with flatbreads, fresh herbs, and zesty cucumber yoghurt.