Sunday, June 14, 2009

Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe


These lamb shanks are simmered until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. The simmering liquid forms a rich and flavoursome sauce.

We serve the lamb shanks with creamy mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Preparation time: about 40 minutes

Serves about 4.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

20ml (1 tablespoon) oil
1.4kg (about 4) lamb shanks, trimmed of any excess fat
1 large (about 200g) onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large (about 200g) carrot, peeled and sliced
20g (about 6 medium) garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
250ml (1 cup) white wine
375ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock
250ml (1 cup) passata (tomato cooking sauce)
20ml (1 tablespoon) balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
Sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste

You will need a stockpot or saucepan that is large enough to accommodate the shanks in a single layer. Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and cook, turning occasionally, until browned (about seven minutes). Remove the pan from the heat. Place the shanks on a plate and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add onion and carrot to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened (about seven minutes).

Add garlic to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Add wine to the pan, increase heat to high, and bring mixture to the boil. Then add chicken stock, passata, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, rosemary, salt (we add about 1/4 teaspoon salt at this stage) and pepper. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Return lamb shanks and any juices to the pan.

Cover pan with lid (have the steam vent on the lid shut) and bring the mixture to the boil. Then reduce the heat so the liquid simmers. Simmer the shanks, turning occasionally, for about 2 1/4 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Remove the lamb shanks from the pan, place them on a plate, cover and set aside. Increase heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Reduce heat to low and return shanks to the pan for a few minutes to reheat.

Serve lamb shanks with sauce and desired accompaniments. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
© www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

23 comments:

  1. Could you please explain about the passata? I've checked the 'net and there appears to be some controversy about what it is.
    The Brits say it's uncooked tomato puree with no additives but the Yanks reckon it's cooked with other vegetables such as onion and carrot.
    Please tell me which you mean. I love this site - the extra tips are excellent.

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  2. How did you know that I needed a good lamb shank recipe today? I have the shanks in the fridge and just needed the perfect recipe.

    I am also making your unbaked lemon cheesecake today too.

    Thanks for such a great website. I look forward to trying out more of your recipes.

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  3. Outstanding! Didn't have wine, so increased the stock. Just like every other recipe I have tried from your blog...absolutely beautiful and worked out perfectly.

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  4. I didnt have passata or white wine and substituted with a tin of diced tomatoes and some very good shiraz. Worked perfectly!

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  5. Hi JohnMich

    We use passata that contains tomatoes (99.5 percent) and salt.

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  6. Delicious.Made this last night and we all really enjoyed it. It is very easy to make and the sauce was just right. You really can't go wrong.

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  7. what can i use instead of wine in recipes that contain it?

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  8. Made this tonight - so yummy! I din't use wine I just used a tin of crushed tomatoes. Loved the sauce. Will make again for sure :)

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  9. To the person who asked about a replacement for wine: It will depend on the recipe, but stock is often a suitable substitute. For this recipe, passata or canned crushed tomatoes (as Emma mentioned) would also work well.

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  10. I cooked this tonight - call it the MasterChef effect ;)

    It was beautiful. A fellow at our local Aldi bought a whole box full of passata while I was there (24 bottles).

    I don't like wine so I upped the chicken stock. Wonderful dish, thanks so much for sharing.

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  11. Can you use a slow cooker for this recipe? If so do I need to brown the shanks first and how long do I cook them in the slow cooker for?

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  12. one glass of wine for the meat,two glasses for the chef and you can't go wrong! brilliant.

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  13. Can you cook this in a slow cooker? Would i need to vary much? Thanks in advance, love all the recipes i try :)

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  14. I am so looking forward to making this Lamb Shank recipe as I have 2 black Toy Poodles, Tiffany & Lucy & everytime I bake shanks for them I have to fight my partner off as he also likes lamb shanks & I keep promising him that I will make him some when I find a good recipe & judging by the comments this appears to be delish. Oh JohnMich in Sydney, Australia whenever I buy a bottle of PASSATA it appears to be a tomato puree void of any vegetables UNLESS they have been pureed to a paste Thanks Krystyna

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  15. delicious!! I used extra stock instead of wine as my husband does not like the taste of wine in cooking and used diced tomatoes instead of passata and it was heavenly with paris mash.
    Thanks for such a great recipe.

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  16. Excellent! A recipe that uses everything I have to hand.

    Passata is (literally) tomatoes, garlic and shallots which have been passed through a sieve to make a thin tomato sauce. I make it and bottle it, roasting garlic, shallots and tomatoes together for an hour, passing everything through a mouli until I have a thin sauce, bottling it, then heat processing the bottles for half an hour - keeps in a cool dark place for a year. But you can substitute any kind of tomato puree.

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  17. My family loved this recipe and am making it again. This will become a regular. Made it in the slow cooker - even easier.

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  18. I don't usually eat lamb but found this recipe really tasty! I added some fish sauce to give the dish an umami boost, and rubbed the shanks with salt and pepper before browning. The shanks were then served on a bed of sweet potato mash with some green beans on the side. The sauce was lovely and the shanks were beautifully tender and flavourful. Loved it!

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  19. Absolutely Delicious! I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! It was the first time I've ever cooked lamb shanks but it definitely won't be the last.

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  20. I made this last night, followed the recipe exactly as is, except I slow-cooked them in the oven at 150 degrees C instead of the stovetop. and had them with polenta instead of mash for a lighter dish. Was absolutely delish! Highly recommended with a glass of red. Easy too!

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  21. no reason why it can't be cooked in a slow cooker, just need to reduce the amount of liquid. ie: use less stock.

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  22. i made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I started off in a large stock pot on the stove, but then had to transfer to a smaller casserole dish to go in the oven as the sauce wasn't covering the lamb shanks. Very easy to make and will definitely be making again.

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  23. Great lamb dish. Try half a cup of brown sugar, it really gives the dish a sweet caramelized finish. Also, sprinkle some flour over the onions, garlic and carrots... It's a great thickening agent. Good tip.. If you have any lamb sauce left for the next day try to use it as a pasta sauce base with fettuccine or other large flat Italian pasta to soak up the beautiful sauce. .

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