MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 F
• If you want a leaner meal then trim off excess fat from shanks.
• Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes by slicing it lengthwise first then cutting cubes.
• Place eggplant in a strainer and coat with coarse salt. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes then rinse thorougly. This takes the bitterness out of eggplant.
• Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven on stove with medium-high heat.
• Brown lamb shanks on all sides. This takes 5-8 minutes per shank. When I do this I can only do 2 at a time.
• Place shanks on a plate when browned.
• Lower heat to medium on the dutch oven and more oil if needed.
• Saute onions for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.
• Add garlic and eggplant and saute until eggplant softens and becomes opaque. This takes 6-8 minutes.
• Add paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne. Mix well.
• Return shanks to dutch oven and nestle them in the vegetable mixture.
• Add can of tomatoes including the juice and mix them in.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• You want the shanks fully covered with liquid so add water if necessary. You could use tomatoe juice instead of water if you want.
• Bring to boil on stove top over high heat.
• Turn off burner, cover dutch oven and place in oven.
• Cook for 1 hour then take out and tuck prunes in among the shanks.
• Put back in oven and cook for another hour. you can cook longer if you want just keep an eye to make sure liquid is ok. I don't usually cover for the second hour but you could.
• If you use optional lemon juice mix it in when you add prunes or at end when you take lamb out of oven.