Lamb Shanks Deluxe Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place lamb shanks into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil; season with salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, and thyme. Toss lamb shanks to coat with oil and seasonings.
• Roast in the preheated oven until lamb is browned, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion, celery, and carrot in the hot butter until onion is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into vegetables until combined; mix in garlic. Cook and stir for 1 more minute.
• Pour red wine into vegetable mixture, stir to combine, and mix in chicken stock, water, balsamic vinegar, and cinnamon. Pour sauce over lamb shanks in the roasting pan. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil, sealing foil loosely so that the sauce can reduce slightly as it cooks.
• Bake lamb shanks for 1 hour; flip lamb shanks and place foil back on dish. Continue baking until a fork inserts easily into the meat, about 1 more hour. Transfer lamb shanks to a large bowl, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour braising liquid into a saucepan, place over high heat, and boil for 10 minutes, skimming fat as it reduces and thickens slightly. Stir chopped rosemary into sauce, check levels of salt and pepper, and serve lamb shanks with pan sauce.

Steps:

• For the brine:
• Place the water, sugar, and salt into a large container. Carefully add the lamb shanks and soak for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove shanks from the brine and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic, to taste.
• Coat shanks with flour and saute in 2 to 3-ounces of virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes each side.
• Place the shanks in a roasting pan with the crushed tomatoes.
• In same saute pan that the shanks were seared in, saute the carrots, celery stalks, onion, fresh fennel and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add to the roasting pan.
• Deglaze saute pan with 1 cup each red wine and orange juice. Reduce by half and add to roasting pan.
• Add 1/2 cup each fresh Italian parsley and fresh oregano to roasting pan. Cover and roast in oven for 2 hours or until tender. After 1 hour, turn shanks and cover for remaining time, making sure shanks are covered in the gravy.
• Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs and parsley and your favorite Italian cheese. Best served with polenta!

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat from lamb shanks and season generously with salt. Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, rosebuds (if using), black pepper and turmeric. Sprinkle evenly over shanks and rub into meat. Let sit at room temperature at least an hour, or wrap and refrigerate overnight, then bring to room temperature.
• Place a Dutch oven or deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. When oil is hot, add 2 lamb shanks and fry until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside, then brown the 2 remaining shanks.
• Meanwhile, put saffron in a small bowl with lime juice, 2 teaspoons rosewater and 1/2 cup warm water. Let steep for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Season onion with salt, then add lime zest, orange zest, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in saffron mixture. Lay in the lamb shanks and add the broth. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover pot.
• Transfer pot to oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, covered, until meat is tender when probed and beginning to fall from the bone. Remove lamb shanks to a deep serving dish and keep warm. Strain braising juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon to obtain all the liquid (discard thyme, bay leaves and onions). Skim fat, then taste and add salt if necessary. Add 1 more teaspoon rosewater, if desired. Reheat strained juices and pour over lamb shanks. Combine parsley, mint and reserved orange zest and sprinkle over top.
• Use a large spoon to break the tender shank meat into large chunks. Serve in low, wide soup plates, giving each portion a spoonful of the juices. Accompany with steamed Basmati rice, lavash flatbread or a loaf of crusty French bread.