Braised lamb shanks with red wine, tomatoes and vinegar

This recipe for lamb shanks, ticks all the right boxes.  The shanks are perfectly tender; they have a lovely rosemary and tomato flavour; and there is a gorgeous rich sauce.

There will be more sauce than is required for serving the shanks.  What is left over can be eaten as a soup.

Preparation Time: 15 Hrs

Cooking Time: 6½ Hrs

Total Time: 6¾ Hrs

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

2                    Lamb shanks          

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

2½ tbs            Flour        

2 tbs               Olive oil    

1                    Onion  - chopped     

4 cloves           Garlic  - chopped     

2 sprigs           Rosemary  - chopped

2 tsp               Thyme  - dried        

2                    Bay leaves

100 ml             Vinegar  - tarragon   

½ tbs             Sugar  - muscovado  

150 ml             Wine  - red 

1 tbs               Tomato purée         

2                    Tomatoes  - chopped

500 ml             Stock  - lamb or chicken         

1 stick             Celery  - chopped     

1                    Carrot  - chopped     

5 gms             Butter       

To garnish

                     Parsley  - chopped    

Method

Season the lamb shanks and then lightly dust them with some flour.  Heat half the oil in a flameproof casserole in which the shanks will fit snugly, add the shanks and brown them on all sides. Take out them and place them on a plate.

Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic, herbs and bay leaves and then fry them until the onion is lightly browned.  Add the vinegar and sugar and boil hard until reduced to a syrupy sauce.  Stir in 1 tbs of flour, add the wine and boil until reduced by about half.  Stir in the tomato purée, tomatoes and stock and then bring to the boil.

Put the sauce and lamb shanks in a slow cooker and cook for 5 hours.

Stir in the celery and carrots and then cook for another hour.

Lift the shanks onto a plate using a slotted spoon and cover them with kitchen foil.  Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bubble for 10 minutes or until the sauce has slightly reduced.

Mix the butter with the remaining tablespoon of flour to make a beurre manié.  Bring the sauce back down to a simmer, add the beurre manié and cook for 5 minutes – stirring continuously. Season to taste, add the shanks and simmer briefly until heated through.  Serve garnished with parsley.

Variations

The cooking time is long and the recipe suggests using a slow cooker.  If one is not available, cook the shanks in the casserole in a cool oven (110°C).

Wine recommendations

A warming red wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône

Interesting

     Cahors

     Côtes du Luberon

     Gigondas

     Hermitage

     Rasteau