MANILA, Philippines?Yes, love is in the air.

For those of you who want a memorable Valentine?s Day celebration by impressing the significant other with your culinary skills, here is a nice, exotic dish for that romantic candlelit dinner a deux at home.

Moroccan-style Lamb Shanks Tagine, prepared by 22-year-old chef Paolo Ong of Chelsea Market and Café at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City (tel. 9097911 for reservation), is boldly and richly spiced, typical of Moroccan cooking.

The lamb is coated with different fragrant spices and gently simmered with vegetables, red wine, honey, preserved fruits, and spices like cinnamon, cumin and cayenne pepper. Some cooks may even add saffron and turmeric.

This dish is often served with couscous, another staple of Moroccan dining.

Ong recommends slow cooking for this recipe, which can be a wonderful and hearty main dish, to tenderize the tough shanks. After a long braising time, the lamb, which should be meltingly tender by then, is infused with all the warm, soft flavors of the spices.

Lamb shanks are available in most supermarkets for P200-P300 a kilo. The various kinds of spices can also be purchased in the same places.

Since this dish is so rich and complex, you can have just some plain rice or polenta, or some crusty bread and a green salad with it.

The dish may be time-consuming to make, but you will find it is all worth the effort when you receive the complements, especially from that special someone.

Of course, if you have no time to cook the lamb yourself, you and your date can just go to Chelsea, which is open from lunchtime to midnight. At Chelsea, the lamb shanks are often served with roasted organic vegetables and couscous.

If you decide to cook, make sure to prepare all the ingredients and measure out all the spices before you begin.

Ingredients

4 pc lamb shank

Vegetable oil

Spice rub:

? c cinnamon, ground

? c cumin, ground

? c cayenne pepper

? c salt

Braising liquid:

4 pc white onion, chopped

2 pc carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 pc cinnamon bark

2/3 c coriander seeds

3 pc bay leaf

Zest of orange

1 c tomato paste

3 c red wine

1 c honey

1 pc beef stock cube

Water, as needed

1. COMBINE cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl and coat meat with this mixture. The meat may be marinated for several hours or overnight, or cooked immediately.

2. IN A PAN over medium heat, add oil. Carefully sear the lamb shanks on both sides until browned and crusted, about one minute. Set aside.

3. IN A LARGE pot (or stockpot), add oil then vegetables, cinnamon bark, seeds, orange zest and bay leaf. Stir.

4. SWEAT all ingredients until they release their flavor and aroma for about 2-3 minutes. Mix well.

5. ADD the tomato paste. Sauté for a minute. Add red wine, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer. Let the sauce reduce for 5-8 minutes.

6. ADD stock cubes, honey and orange juice. Let it simmer gently.

7. RETURN the shanks to the pot in one layer, spooning the sauce and vegetables over them. Add enough water to cover.

8. COOK for 50 minutes to an hour in low heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Check the liquid level every 10-15 minutes while the shanks are simmering and add water as necessary to keep the lamb half-covered at all times.

9. REMOVE meat and transfer to a serving platter.

10. FOR THE LAMB sauce, strain the braising liquid from the pot. Pour sauce over the lamb. Top with dried fruits or lemon slices. Serve with vegetables, buttered couscous, rice or mashed potatoes.

11. MOROCCAN-STYLE Lamb Shanks Tagine

For suggestions, e-mail the author at vbaga@inquirer.com.ph