Couscous (Moghrabiyeh)

2 shanks lamb can use beef stew with bones
1 large yellow onion can use other onions
1 stick cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt to taste
1 tsp white pepper or black pepper, ground
2 leaves bay or sprigs thyme
1 bag Lebanese couscous aka moghrabiyeh
2 tsps ground caraway or 1 tbsp seeds
1 tsp seven-spice
1 tsp white pepper or black, ground
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pound pearl onions peeled
1 can garbanzo beans 14-ounces, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup olive oil as needed

1. Braising the shanks: Salt and pepper the lamb shanks and brown them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, quartered, and brown it as well. Add water to the pan (about 1 1/2 quart), the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer until the shanks fall off the bone, about 1 hour or longer, either on top of the stove or in a slow oven (300F). This can be done one or two days before. Remove the shanks into a plate and pick apart to remove all gelatinous and fibrous tissue. Let the stock and meat rest for a day in the fridge.

2. Parboiling the couscous: Bring about a quart of salted water to a boil,add a tablespoon of oil and drop the couscous in it. Let it cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Then drain the water and set the couscous aside.

3. Sauteing the pearl onions: Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and drop the peeled pearl onions in it, twirling the pan until the onions are gently browned and glistening with the oil. Add a couple ladles of broth to the onion and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the garbanzo beans to the lamb broth and simmer gently for about 15 minutes for the beans to soften and the flavors to meld. Leave it on the heat to be added to the moghrabyeh later. Add all the spices: caraway, cinnamon, white pepper, 7-spice, and salt if necessary. Add the pearl onions to the broth.

5. Heat the pan that will be used for the final cooking of the couscous and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon of butter (if you wish); add the drained couscous to the pan and start to stir with a large wooden spoon for the grains to be all evenly coated with the oil and not to stick; add the hot broth gradually to the pan (as if making risotto), a couple ladles at a time, for about 30 minutes. Normally, you should need around a quart of broth for 3 cups of moghrabyeh. It is possible to cover the pan and let it cook on its own either in a slow oven (300F) or on top of the stove, checking it every 10 minutes or so. Taste and adjust seasonings.

6. If there is any leftover broth, add a handful of garbanzos and onions to it and serve it separately in a saucepan to present with the moghrabyeh on the side. 7) Serve the moghrabyeh by piling the grains in a serving dish with the pearl onions and the lamb pieces arranged on top.