Tag-Archive for » Shanks «
This is a great dish, tastes wonderful and the thing I love about cooking shanks is that although the cooking time is long once you have it all in the pot that is it, just come and stir it a couple of times. I actually went and enjoyed a drink with my hubby that evening at our local restaurant and I didn’t have to worry about the food. When we got home it was nice to know I did not have much to do add the kumara and make some couscous. I make lamb shanks all the time I really enjoy them, I would probably make them more if they were readily available. This is just another take on a more traditional lamb shank recipe. I use 4 nice size lamb shanks in this recipe or if you can only get french trimmed use 8, 2 per person as they are smaller. Ingredients
4 Lamb shanks or 8 French trimmed
olive oil
2 Medium brown onions, chopped coarsely
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 Teaspoons ground cumin
3 Teaspoons ground coriander
1 Cup dry red wine
4 Cups (1litre) Chicken Stock
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Kumara (sweet potato), about 500g, chopped coarsely
1-2 Tablespoons cornflour, depending on how thick you want the sauce
Method
1. Heat some olive oil in a pan, cook lamb until browned all over, drain.
2. In a large saucepan or casserole dish (depending on whether you want to cook on the stove or in the oven.)Add some more olive oil, cook onion and garlic until onion softens, add cinnamon, cumin and coriander, stir until fragrant.
3. Add wine, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until liquid has reduced by about half (it doesn’t have to be precise). Add chicken stock and honey, bring to the boil, and reduce heat again.
4. Return lamb to the pan and either cook covered in a moderate slow oven (170c) for about 1hr 30 minutes or on a low heat on the stove for the same time. Uncover dish and add the kumara, cook covered again for a further 50Min’s to 1 hr until lamb is falling of the bone.
5. Remove lamb and kumara from dish cover with foil to keep warm. Strain liquid into another pan, mix a little water with the cornflour, bring the sauce to a boil over a high heat add cornflour and stir until mixture thickens.
To Serve: I served mine over spiced couscous topped with kumara and lamb and then poured the sauce over.
All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.
I made this the other night it was an experiment, it turned out really great. I will say with all the ingredients it could have been quite a salty dish depending on what brands you buy. I did use low sodium soy sauce and I will list the brands below on the other sauces. If you can’t get these brands just taste what you have and change amounts listed, so no one flavour becomes the dominating flavour of the dish.
It was a wonderful dish the lamb was juicy and tender and I had to hold it together when I was dishing up, to stop it from falling off the bone altogether.
Ingredients
2-3 Large lamb shanks or 4-6 french trimmed (I allow 1 large per person and 2 french trimmed per person.)
1-2 Tablespoons green curry paste (I use Thai kitchen brand.)
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
75ml Low sodium soy sauce
21/2 Cups water
1/2 Cup Chinese rice wine
1/2 Teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
3 Tablespoons Hoisin (I use blue dragon brand.)
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
11/2 Teaspoons chicken stock powder
2 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
6-7 Teaspoons cornflour
Asian Greens
1/2 Cup chicken stock
40ml Oyster sauce
1 Teaspoon sesame oil
1 Teaspoon sugar
800g Baby bok choy, trimmed
500g Gai lan, trimmed
12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
3 Asian string beans, chopped 2-3 inches in length
This should be the right amount for 3 people.
I only made enough veg for myself and my hubby, but I did do 3 shanks as we love them and I can’t get them all the time where I live, so when I can we tend to be a bit piggy. If you want to do it for 4 people the sauce should be plenty to cook 4 shanks in and just up the veg a bit.
Method
1. Spread curry paste over the surface of the lamb, Heat some olive oil in large pan, add shanks and turn to brown them all over. Remove and set to one side.
2. In a large saucepan with lid or crock pot, heat the peanut oil, add onion cook for a few minutes, add garlic and ginger and cook until onion is soft.
3. Add soy, water, wine, spice, hoisin, oyster sauce, stock, cinnamon and star anise, stir to combine. Return lamb to pan and turn the heat down (I have an electric stove top and leave my temperature on 2 1/2.) Place lid on pan and cook lamb for 21/2 to 3 hours, turning a few times during cooking, cook until lamb is done and falling off the bone.
4. Remove lamb from pan and wrap in foil to keep warm, discard cinnamon stick and star anise.
5. Add sugar, turn the heat back up, mix a little water with cornflour and add to sauce, stir until mixture boils and thickens.
Asian Greens
1. Combine stock, sauce, sugar and oil in a wok or pan, bring mixture to the boil.
2. Turn the heat down slightly, add beans, mushrooms and gai lan, cook for a few minutes, add bok choy, cook until leafy greens are just wilted, mushrooms soft and beans are just tender.
To Serve: Place greens on a plate top with shanks and pour some sauce from lamb over.
All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.
