Braised Lamb Shanks

Two posts in one day. Not quite a record but the first post today was done by my other half. I've been telling him for months to feel free to post and finally he did. His Chorizo breakfast was yummy. And he spoiled me by also cooking dinner tonight .....braised lamb shanks. We saw the shanks on sale a couple of weeks ago and he got the bug to cook with them so I picked up two nice ones. I mentioned making Scottish Broth soup with them but he had other ideas....other yummy ideas.

We got the recipe from a Food TV cookbook I got for Christmas last year. It was a simple uncomplicated recipe that let the lamb shanks really show their stuff.

Sophie was especially happy to get a bone to gnaw on. She quickly ducked under the table right after we took this picture and made quick work of stripping every bit of meat off it. Although Jim seemed to rather enjoy gnawing on one himself.
Braised Lamb Shanks2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 whole cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 lamb shanks (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
About 2 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
2 cups of red wine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and season with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, mix well and cook until the tomato paste darkens, about 3 minutes.

Salt and pepper the lamb shanks and lay them in a single layer, over the vegetables in the Dutch oven. Add the wine and enough stock to surround but not cover the shanks and bring to a simmer. Transfer to the oven. Braise the shanks, uncovered, turning every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. (The meat will brown during the final stages of braising.) Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes to allow the fat to rise to the surface of the sauce. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Skim the fat from the surface of the braising liquid. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing down on the vegetables with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the vegetables. Degrease the sauce again if necessary and return to the Dutch oven. Simmer the sauce until reduced by about half. Return the shanks to the sauce, and warm gently over low heat. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve.