Braised Lamb With A Sour Orange Marinade Recipes

ORANGE BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• In a suitable casserole dish, sweat the diced vegetables in some of the olive oil without browning until tender.
• Add the thyme, bay leaves, garlic, tomato, wine and lamb stock or water, along with most of the orange zest and juice (retain a few pinches of zest and 1 tbsp of juice).
• Bring to the boil and lower to a gentle simmer.
• Heat a little more olive oil in a separate pan and brown the lamb shanks on all sides, seasoning with a little salt and pepper as you go.
• Transfer to the casserole dish and cover with its lid.
• Transfer to the oven and cook for approx 2hours or until the meat is completely tender and coming off the bone.
• Remove the shanks from the pan and keep warm while you finish the sauce.
• Skim off some of the fat that is floating on it. Taste for seasoning and to assess its intensity, boil to reduce if you think it needs it.
• Stir in the reserved juice to refresh the citrus flavour.
• Serve one lamb shank on each warmed plate with a generous amount of sauce spooned over.
• Sprinkle each shank with a little parsley and a pinch of the reserved zest.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS IN ORANGE-MERLOT SAUCE (PASSOVER)

Steps:

• Combine the basil, oregano, rosemary, orange juice, orange zest, Merlot and garlic and pour over the rinsed lamb shanks in a wide glass dish (shanks should be in a single layer).
• Turn the shanks to coat and cover.
• Marinate 2 hours at room temperature, turning the meat every half hour or marinate in the refrigerator, turning meat occasionally.
• Remove the shanks from the marinade and dry them with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the lamb with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat for 20 seconds. Add the olive oil and heat for 10 seconds then lower the heat to medium-high and add the lamb shanks.
• Cook each side for approximately 2 minutes until browned on all sides.
• Place shanks in a single layer in a casserole dish and pour the chicken stock into the hot pan.
• Scrape up any meat particles, add them to the reserved marinade and pour over the shanks in the casserole and cover with a lid (use foil if no lid).
• Put casserole in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. (The hot oven will sear the meat initially, but the mixture needs to cook at a lower temperature or the meat will toughen.).
• Roast for 45 minutes then baste and cook for another 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
• If the liquid has reduced greatly, add 1/2 cup of water to the pan.
• Remove the shanks to a serving platter and keep warm.
• If the gravy is too watery, boil the liquid down 5-10 minutes, or until it is the consistency of tomato sauce.
• Drizzle some of the sauce over the shanks and serve.