Middle eastern spiced lamb shanks

This has a middle eastern flavour but is not genuine middle east, however, the ingredients are from Iran, Morocco and a little bit of Spanish thrown in for good measure!  It's a beautiful dish and makes a beautifully rich sauce that is just divine :)  As it's so rich, be careful what you serve it with.  I made a bulgar wheat salad with a mix of roasted and raw vegetables and this worked really well, all the family came back for more.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1 large knob of butter
2 large onions, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
A good pinch of saffron strands (optional)
1½ heaped tbsp tomato purée
1 dessert spoon clear honey
400ml lamb stock
2 teaspoons quince jelly

Method
Heat oven to 160C. Heat the oil and butter in a large casserole. Season the shanks, then brown in the oil for 10 mins until golden all over. While the shanks are browning add the onions and garlic to the casserole and cook with the lamb - once the lamb's done, they'll be turning golden too.

Add the lemon zest and all the spices to the casserole and cook for 1 min, then add the tomato purée, honey, stock, the lemon juice and quince jelly and stir to combine.  Bring the casserole to a simmer, then cover with a tight fitting lid and braise in the oven for 2½-3 hrs.

Once the meat's done, spoon away any excess fat, then check the consistency and if it looks a little thin, remove the lid and reduce the whole lot until it's a good, thick, rich gravy.  Season to taste and serve with rice, salad or my bulgar wheat salad recipe.