Lamb shanks with tomato and rosemary

This lamb shanks dish has flavours that are typically English but, in addition, some flavours of the Mediterranean. If is slow cooked and is an excellent example of the dish.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 3¼ Hrs

Total Time: 3½ Hrs

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

90 ml              Olive oil     

4                    Lamb shanks           

                     Salt          

1                    Onion  - large, diced  

4 cloves           Garlic  - crushed       

250 ml             Wine  - red 

2 l                  Stock  - chicken       

1 tin                Tomatoes  - chopped 

4 sprigs            Rosemary   

2                    Bay leaves  

Method

Heat one third of the oil in a large frying pan.  When hot, season the lamb shanks with salt and then brown each of them on all sides.  Take them out and place them in a slow cooker.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan, put in the onion and garlic and gently sauté them until they are golden brown.

Pour the red wine into the pan and bring to it the boil.  Reduce the wine by two-thirds.  Add the stock, tomatoes, rosemary and bay leaves, bring to a simmer and then pour them on to the lamb shanks in the slow cooker.

Cook for 3 hours.

Transfer the lamb shanks to a serving dish.

Pour the sauce over the lamb shanks and serve with a couple of branches of rosemary and root

vegetables.

Variations

If a slow cooker is not available, then use a casserole and cook lidded in a cool oven (110°C).

150 gms of diced butter can be stirred into the sauce to make it even richer.

Wine recommendations

A robust red wine.

Conventional

     Cairanne

     Côtes du Luberon

     Côtes du Rhône Villages

     Côtes du Rhône Villages, Plan de Dieu

Special

     Châteauneuf-du-Pape

     Côte Rôtie