Lamb Shank Stew
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This is perhaps my favourite winter recipe. The lamb shanks are a superb source of iron and good quality fats. This cut contains a lots of connective tissue and bone marrow, which is packed with nutrition and when slow cooked it tastes incredible.
I like to serve this dish with a heap of cooked winter greens. Broccoli, kale, spinach and beans. You’ll need veges to break up the heaviness of the meat and the sauce. This recipe also goes great on cauliflower rice, but avoid the cauliflower, kale and broccoli when you are experiencing a lot of wind, as vegetables from the brassica family can be difficult to digest. If this is you, consider serving the stew on a bed of mashed carrot and parsnip, perhaps with a salad on the side.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
4 shanks is 6 servings
Ingredients:
4 large lamb shanks
1 tsp ground cinammon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
400g or 1 can of chopped tomatoes or 6 large tomatoes chopped finely
1 1/2 cups of vege stock
2 large kumara, cut into cubes
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
16 prunes, chopped into quarters
Olive Oil
Bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
Combine cinammon, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub a little olive oil on each shank and then coat with the spice mixture. Press the spices into the meat as much as possible. Cover and leave to rest for at least 1hr.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celcius.
In a large frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. You will need to do this in batches in order to avoid overcrowding the frypan. Remove the shanks and place them in a large casserole dish and set aside.
Add another glug of oil to the frying pan and cook the onion and garlic until it is translucent (approx 5 mins).
Then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, the chopped carrot and kumara, the prunes and the vege stock.
Mix thoroughly and cook on a medium heat for 5mins.
Pour this mixture over the lamb shanks in the casserole dish.
Put a lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hrs. Turn the shanks halfway through.
After 2 1/2 hrs check the casserole, ensuring it is nearly cooked and that there is still some liquid in the stew. Take the lid off the dish and cook for a further 20-30mins in the hot oven. This final process browns the meat, and has it falling off the bones.
After three hours take it out of the oven. Sprinkle the italian parsley on the top and serve on a bed of veges, cauliflower rice, or mashed carrot and parnsip.