Preheat oven to 200° C.
At the same time, preheat barbecue or heat some olive oil in a heavy-based fry pan over medium-high heat (I prefer the barbecue). Brown the shanks all over and then transfer them to an ovenproof casserole dish (or tagine, if you have one). Add the chopped vegetables to the dish,
along with the tinned vegetables, apricots and tomato paste. Then add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, chilli, cumin, coriander and paprika.
Pour the stock and white wine over meat and vegetables and stir well. Place shanks in oven and cook for 1 hour. Check to see that the shanks are well submerged under the liquid. Cook for an additional hour; salt and pepper to taste. Reduce oven temperature to 180° C and return the dish to the oven for a further hour(uncovered if the liquid needs thickening). By the end of the third hour, the meat should be falling off the bone.
With 10 minutes to go, boil 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt. Bring it to the boil and then turn off the heat. Add couscous grains and stir. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes. Add a small amount of butter and separate the grains using a fork. It should end up nice and fluffy. Place a decent serve of couscous onto warmed plates and top with the lamb shanks and a generous serving of the vegetables and sauce.