Lamb Shanks

As I always say, time spent caring for your food is time well spent. 

I've been wanting to post this recipe for a long, long time. This is my favorite braised lamb shank recipe. To cook lamb shank it takes patience. Shank it's the lower part of the leg, from the knee down. As in any animal, the most-used muscles are the toughest ones, so the shank is one of the toughest cuts you can find on a lamb. With other cuts of lamb, you can grill them, you can roast them, you can make minced meat....etc. With shanks, you must cook them in a pot with some liquid for long time, otherwise you can not eat them. In this recipe, lamb shanks are slowly cooked in the oven with fresh herbs, garlic, red wine....etc. It has a fantastic flavor and the meat just falls off the bone. It's delicious when served with mashed potatoes. Please adjust seasonings to your own individual tastes. I sometimes add chili paste to the marinade. Hope you enjoy it as much as Primo Piano restaurant (Norway) clients do.

Here is the video recipe.

                   This video belongs to TV Vestfold, Norway http://www.tvvestfold.no/program.php?video_id=2317
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks

750ml (1 bottle) red wine (preferably Marsala)
1 liter fresh lamb stock or beef stock

2 large onions

3 cloves of garlic 

1 sprig of thyme 

1 sprig of rosemary 

2 bay leaves 

3 star anise

3-4 dry chilies - I use piri piri

green peppercorns

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

140g shallots or onions 

150g carrots 

80g celery (1 stick)

100g bacon 

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary..)

To serve: mashed potatoes and  pomegranate seeds 

Method

With a sharp knife, cut about 1 inch from the bottom (narrow end) of the shank bones down to the bone and all the way around; this will help expose the bone while cooking. Set aside. 

Place the lamb shanks in the bottom of a casserole (or any oven-proof dish) with a lid. Add the sliced onions on top . Pour the wine and stock over the lamb; add the garlic, thyme, rosemary bay leaves, star anise, chili and peppercorn.

Marinate in the refrigerator overnight. 

Cover and place in the preheated oven to 160 degrees C. Cook for 3 hours or until the lamb is soft. Cool the lamb shanks in the sauce.

Remove the lamb from the pot, sieve the liquid into another pan, discard the vegetables.

Peel the carrots, celery and shallots and chop them into small pieces.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bacon, carrots, onions, and celery until they begin to turn brown.

Add the stock and brown sugar to the pot, bring it to the boil and then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer until the liquid has reduced by three quarters and become thicker, to make the sauce.

Place the lamb back into the pot and gently reheat the lamb for about ten minutes.

Add the chopped herbs.

Here, we served it with mashed potatoes and pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy.

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