Monday, February 13, 2017

This week’s MENU recipe. Lamb shanks in red wine

Lamb has become so expensive that we now reserve it for only special meals and the recipe needs to be good. We love Lamb shanks and sometime we find these more reasonably priced than other premium cuts of meat. Long slow cooking while we are working is something Lynne appreciates and this recipe was very good. We hope you like it. Do use a robust red wine. The quality of the wine will reflect in the dish
2 T oil or coconut oil - 4 whole lamb shanks - salt & freshly ground pepper - 3 carrots, sliced - 1 large onion, sliced - 2 T seasoned flour - 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped - 2 bay leaves - 3 or 4 small sprigs of rosemary - 600 ml red wine - 2 cups good lamb or beef stock - 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar -
Preheat oven to 160C
Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large oven proof casserole, brown the lamb shanks on all sides in the oil; remove from the pan and put aside and keep warm
In the same casserole, put in the carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary. Stir and cook slowly until nicely coloured. Add the seasoned flour and stir into the vegetables so it absorbs the fats and juices. Then pour in the red wine, beef stock, and brown sugar and bring to a low boil, stirring all the time to deglaze the pan. Put the lamb shanks back into the casserole and top up with water; they should be submerged.
Cover the casserole with its lid and put into the oven and cook for 2½ to 3 hours until very tender. Check every hour to see that they are not drying out. Top up with more water and wine if they are looking too dry. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the lamb and vegetables to a serving dish. Reduce the sauce if it is a bit thin. It is great if served with mashed potatoes and peas. If you have leftovers, it makes a very good shepherd's pie topped with the left over mash

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017

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