Braised Lamb Shanks

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

This picture didn't turn out exactly as elegant as I had wished, but the dish turned out exactly as I had hoped.  There is nothing more succulent than the deep flavored, fall-off-the-bone lamb shanks.  This is also a "man's meal".  If you have a carnivore in your household, make this dish and he will slave away all day in the yard, building fences, creating stalls for your horses, planting gardens--whatever you wish.
Here, I fixed it with Saffroned Short Grain Rice and a medley of Crookneck Summer Squash and Crimini Mushrooms, which I sauteed in a bit of olive oil and butter.

Ingredients:

1 lamb shank per person--this recipe is based on two servings, so double the veggies, etc. for four and so on (they look like something Fred Flintstone would eat, don't they?)

1 onion, chopped

2-3 medium carrots

6-8 healthy sized cloves of garlic

1 10 oz. can tomato paste

2 medium stalks of celery

1/2 bell pepper

Salt and pepper

1/4 bottle Petit Syrah Red Wine (or other semi-dry to dry red wine) (save the rest to drink with dinner!)

Vegetable Stock or Veal Stock (I prefer Vegetable to let the Lamb flavor shine)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a food processor, puree the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic

Season the Lamb Shanks with salt and pepper

Heat about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a very big sturdy sautee pan or Dutch Oven to medium-high on the stovetop (the oil should shimmer but not smoke).

Sear the shanks well on all sides.  Make sure they are really brown on as much of the surface as possible to develop the flavor, and also to render some flavor and bits for the next step--Remove the shanks to another dish on the counter to rest and pour off almost all the fat from the pan; reserve the lamb bits that accumulated in the pan and add a touch more EVOO to the hot pan.

Add the pureed vegetable mixture to the hot pan the lamb was in, and cook them to death on med-med high heat.  Cook them for about 20 minutes at least, and when they look almost burnt, add the tomato paste and cook it about 5-10 minutes more.  You should not be able to taste any rawness or individualized veggie flavor in this mixture--it should all meld together.

Add the wine and some of the stock, and while stirring, let it come to a boil, then add the shanks and snuggle them down into the mixture.  Then add the rest of the stock to cover or almost cover the shanks. Cover tightly, or put the lid on the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven.  Let this cook for at least 2 hours.  This is the easy part, because the longer you let it cook, the better the flavor of the juices develop and the more tender the meat becomes.  Just make sure that the liquid doesn't reduce down so far that the bottom burns.  If the juice becomes too reduced (too thick) before you are ready to serve, simply add more stock--it is that easy!  Do be sure to taste the sauce a few minutes before removing from the oven to test the seasoning, add more if necessary.  This dish also goes well with roasted potatoes and probably potatoes of any kind!