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Braised Lamb Shanks In Merlot With Figs

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,238
2,778
The bunker at parliament
Gonna try this one tomorrow night.
:happydance: :D


BRAISED LAMB SHANKS IN MERLOT WITH FIGS

Lamb shanks are always popular, especially in winter. They need long slow cooking to ensure tenderness and good flavour.

Ingredients
6 New Zealand Quality Mark lamb shanks
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
12-20 black olives
2-4 Tbsp capers
2 cups dried figs, halved
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, crushed but not peeled
750 ml bottle Merlot
About 2 Tbsp oil
¼ cup tomato paste
1 cup stock (beef or chicken)
Salt and pepper to season

Method
In a deep dish put the lamb shanks, onions, celery, olives, capers, dried figs, rosemary, black pepper and garlic and pour over the wine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Remove the shanks from the marinade and set aside. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the shanks on all sides. Transfer to a casserole.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir over a moderate heat until it becomes quite a deep reddish brown colour. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Pour over the lamb shanks and add the reserved marinade ingredients.

Cover and cook at 160°C for 2-2.5 hours until the meat is almost falling off the bone. Season with salt and pepper if wished.

To serve
Serve with roughly mashed potatoes and fresh greens.

Serves 4-6

Source: www.recipes.co.nz
 

Nobody

Danforth Kitchen Whore
Sep 5, 2001
1,485
8
Toronto
I use lamb shanks in stews - [skipping details for now] - i braise them in the stew until the meat can get easily removed, then I roast the bones for about 1/2 hr in the oven and return the roasted bones to the stew!

Then I carry on and finish the stew as per recipe, removing the bones near the very end.

mmmmmm. Lamb goodness.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,658
1,129
NORCAL is the hizzle
Not a fan of olives like that but otherwise that sounds great.

I love making lamb shanks in the colder months. Sometimes I get 'em started in the morning, turn it down way low, and go do a long cold bike ride. Nothing better than coming home cold and tired to a house smelling like a long slow braise.

Don't skimp on the browning part. Take your time and don't crowd the pan - do it in batches if necessary. I like to dust the shanks with a little flour before browning. A good browning will add a lot of depth and body to the braise. And be sure to deglaze the pan you used to brown the shanks before you pour the liquid over the shanks in the other pan - except for really black stuff, you want to get all the crispy dark bits into the braise. I actually brown and braise in one pot - an enameled cast iron dutch oven - so nothing is lost.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
Lamb shanks rule....heheehehehe shank....anyway Dave knows in his true heart that it would be much yummier with Australian lamb.
 

mcadam

Chimp
Aug 4, 2006
17
0
I'm sitting here at 7:00 pm and thinking of supper...and I read this. OMG now I am so hungry, and will head to the market and spend much more than I planned 5 minutes ago. But that's ok, thank you for the recipe.
 

Nobody

Danforth Kitchen Whore
Sep 5, 2001
1,485
8
Toronto
I'm sitting here at 7:00 pm and thinking of supper...and I read this. OMG now I am so hungry, and will head to the market and spend much more than I planned 5 minutes ago. But that's ok, thank you for the recipe.
Generally, try to avoid this particular forum if you're hungry...


just my 3¢ worth.