Lahma Bisalsat Tamatim

Description
Source: Information Office of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Spring 1995

Ingredients

 * 1 tbsp olive oil
 * 4 lamb shanks, meaty, each about ¾ pound
 * 2 medium onions, cut into ¼ inch slices
 * 1 tsp allspice
 * ½ tsp ground nutmeg
 * 1 tsp salt
 * black pepper, freshly ground
 * 1 pinch cayenne pepper
 * 9 medium tomato, fresh, ripe, peeled, seeded and finely chopped, or 3 cups canned, drained, chopped tomatoes
 * 3 cup water

Directions

 * 1) Preheat the oven to 450°F.
 * 2) Using a pastry brush apply the tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the lamb shanks comfortably in one layer.
 * 3) Place the shanks in the dish and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally so that they color evenly on all sides.
 * 4) Remove the dish from the oven and spread the onion slices over the lamb.
 * 5) Sprinkle them with the allspice, nutmeg, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, cayenne, and spread the tomatoes on top.
 * 6) Pour in the water and bring to a boil on top of the stove.
 * 7) Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 1 hour, or until the lamb is tender and shows no resistance when pierced with the point of a small, sharp knife.
 * 8) Serve directly from the baking dish or arrange the shanks on a heated platter and pour the sauce over them.