Braised Lamb Shanks...

Nothing warms the house like the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen. If your area of the country is under a "deep freeze" watch, like here in the deep South; I suggest you try my favorite meal that makes great use of a marginal cut of meat, a variety of common vegetables, some hearty wine and a few aromatics herbs ~ Braised Lamb Shanks. I love the warm fragrance that spreads throughout the house as it cooks, slowly, for several hours. Serving it to family or good friends just feels right. I usually take big meaty lamb shanks and slowly simmer them with fresh rosemary, garlic, carrots, onions and red wine. Then serve it with polenta, or my favorite roasted garlic mashed potatoes, as you need something to soak up the wonderful sauce that is created with these. A fantastic dish for company, as all the prep work is done at the beginning, and then you just have to wait for it to cook.



Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, quartered
3 large carrots, cut into 1 -inch pieces
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle red wine
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.

Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.

Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Serve by spooning over shanks.

Serves 6

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George’s notes:

• Lamb shoulder square cut whole is a square-shaped cut containing arm, blade, and rib bones. The thin, paper like outside covering is called fell. This cut is usually prepared by slow roasting.