Fig And Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks Recipes

SLOW BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF.
• Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper. Brown the lamb shanks in a large, deep oven-proof pot/pan until well-browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the herbs and tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds before adding the red wine and stock. Allow to come to a simmer then add the lamb shanks back into the sauce.
• Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Allow to braise slowly for 2-3 hours until the lamb is soft and succulent. Check on the lamb shanks half-way through cooking and add more stock if necessary.
• Remove from the oven and serve.

BRAISED LAMB CHOPS WITH RED WINE AND FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season lamb with fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large high-sided ovenproof skillet over high heat. Sear chops until well browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Add wine and vinegar. Boil until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add stock, figs, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
• Braise lamb in oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover. Braise, basting often, until lamb is tender and just falling off the bone, about 45 minutes more. (If liquid is not saucelike, simmer over medium-high heat until thickened.) Serve lamb with sauce.

FIG AND RED WINE-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Dry each lamb shank well, then season each shank with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the pepper. (Although this may seem like a lot of salt, much of it will fall off during searing.) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Heat a black steel pan over medium heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until the surface is rippling but not smoking. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and fennel and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables take on some color. Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a large Dutch oven or deep roasting pan that will accommodate all of the shanks, and rinse and wipe dry the black steel pan.
• Heat the black steel pan over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until the surface is rippling but not smoking. Working in three batches to avoid crowding the pan, immediately add 2 shanks to the pan and cook, pressing down with tongs until a deep brown sear forms on as many sides as possible, 5 to 6 minutes total. Since the shanks have an odd shape, you may have to turn them frequently. It's normal for lamb fat to smoke more than the fat of other meat; open a window and turn on your exhaust fan. Place the seared lamb shanks on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven. Rinse the pan and wipe it completely dry before repeating with each of the next two batches, adding 1 tablespoon of the oil for each batch. Add these shanks to the Dutch oven along with the figs, thyme, and garlic.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the wine and stock to a simmer. Pour the stock mixture over the lamb and vegetables and season with the remaining 2 tablespoons salt. Cover and cook in the oven for about 3 hours. Testing for doneness here is a delicate art. You want the meat to start to fall off the bone when pushed without it falling off when you pick up the shank by the bone. The meat shouldn't feel like it's about to slip away from the bone, but you shouldn't have to work at getting the meat off, either. Still, it's better to overbraise than underbraise to ensure tender meat.
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the shanks out of the liquid and place them in a baking dish. Strain the braising liquid, reserving the solids and the liquid. Remove and discard the thyme and garlic from the vegetables. Arrange the figs and vegetables around the shanks and pour about ¼ cup of the braising liquid into the baking dish. Reserve the rest of the braising liquid for another use, such as for the base of a rustic soup. Tent the shanks loosely with aluminum foil and return to the oven to reheat for about 10 minutes.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until rippling but not smoking. Add the whole green onions and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until blistered slightly in spots. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
• To serve with Fennel Gratin as shown (see the photo, left), partially assemble and cook the gratin up to 1 day ahead (per the instructions in that recipe). If you're cooking and serving the lamb and fennel on the same day, assemble and bake the gratin while the lamb is braising. Reheat the lamb when the gratin has 10 minutes of baking time left.
• Plate individual shanks with the seared green onions alongside. If you want the shanks to look really fancy, with a beautiful sheen, spoon about 3 tablespoons of warm Demi-Glace around each one. Serve the gratin family-style.
• Reprinted with permission from Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking by Naomi Pomeroy with Jamie Feldmar, copyright © 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.