Freda Cenarrusas Braised Lamb Shanks Recipes

LAMB SHANKS & ORZO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and dredge the lamb shanks in the mixture, shaking off the excess. In a large (13-inch) Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat 3 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 lamb shanks and cook for 10 minutes, turning every few minutes, until browned on all sides. Transfer the shanks to a plate, add more grapeseed oil, and brown the remaining 2 shanks.
• Wipe out the Dutch oven with a paper towel, add the olive oil, and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and rosemary and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, beef broth, wine, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add the lamb shanks, arranging them so they're almost completely submerged in the liquid. Tuck in the bay leaves and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 hours, turning the shanks once while they cook.
• Stir in the orzo and return the lamb shanks to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the orzo is cooked and the lamb shanks are very tender. Discard the bay leaves, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of white wine, and taste the orzo for seasonings. Serve hot.

CHEF JOHN'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Generously season lamb shanks with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place lamb shanks in the Dutch oven, cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate. Drain off remaining oil and fat so only 1 tablespoon remains in the Dutch oven.
• Stir onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt into the Dutch oven; decrease heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, chipotle chile powder, ancho chile powder, and ground cinnamon; stir to combine.
• Pour 1 cup chicken broth over onion mixture. Increase heat to high; when liquid boils, place lamb shanks in Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 90 minutes.
• Remove Dutch oven and stir in jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper and 1/2 cup chicken stock; bring to a boil on the stovetop. Return pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, until lamb shanks are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to plate.
• Place Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat; bring liquid to a boil and cook, skimming off any foam, until liquid is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over lamb shanks and serve.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH CORIANDER, FENNEL, AND STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Mix coriander, fennel, and peppercorns in heavy small skillet. Toast on medium-high heat until aromatic and slightly darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder; process until finely ground. Rub each shank with 1 rounded teaspoon spice blend. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add shanks to pot. Cook until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same pot. Add onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add remaining spice blend and stir 1 minute. Add Port and simmer until liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Add both broths; boil until liquid is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Return shanks to pot. Add cloves, star anise, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Cover pot with foil, then lid. Place pot in oven and braise lamb until tender, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Uncover and cool slightly. Place in refrigerator until cool, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm in 350°F oven for 20 minutes before serving.)
• Place 1 lamb shank on each of 4 plates. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce and vegetables over lamb and serve.
• *Brown, star-shaped seed pods; available in the spice section of some supermarkets, at Asian markets, and at specialty foods stores.

FREDA CENARRUSA'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Brown the lamb shanks in a Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• When the lamb shanks are browned, reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and the garlic and work them down among the lamb shanks so they are on the bottom of the skillet. Cook, stirring as best you can by moving the lamb shanks around in the skillet, until the onions and garlic begin to turn golden, about five minutes. Pour in the wine and stir. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cooking juices have thickened somewhat and the lamb shanks are tender enough to fall from the bone. Depending on the size and quality of the lamb shanks, this will take from three to four hours. If the cooking juices are browning too rapidly, add a half cup of water and continue cooking.
• When the shanks are done, remove them from the cooking juices. Remove any meat from the bone and cut away any gristle you don't want to eat. If there are very large pieces of meat, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Keep them warm. Increase the heat under the pan to medium and reduce the cooking juices, stirring up any brown bits, until they are thickened, about five minutes. Season to taste and keep warm.
• While the sauce is reducing, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles, stir and cook until they are al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mince the fresh parsley and the garlic clove together.
• To serve, divide the noodles among six warmed dinner plates or shallow soup bowls. Place equal amounts of lamb atop the noodles and pour the sauce over all. Garnish with the parsley and garlic and serve immediately.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH ESCAROLE AND RADICCHIO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat a large braiser pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the lamb shanks all over with 2 teaspoons salt. When the pan and oil are hot, sear the shanks on all sides until deep brown, rotating often, about 8 minutes. Remove the lamb to a plate.
• To the pan, add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, rosemary and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes to caramelize the paste. Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, then add the lamb shanks back to the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the lamb is fork tender, about 2 hours, turning the shanks halfway through.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the escarole and radicchio and toss well to coat. Arrange the bitter greens on a large serving platter.
• When the lamb is tender, remove the shanks to the platter with the greens. Simmer the sauce until reduced slightly, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon some of the sauce over the lamb. Serve the remaining sauce on the side, for guests to help themselves. Finish the platter by grating some fresh horseradish over the lamb.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• Pat dry lamb shanks. In a heavy casserole or Dutch oven that will hold all the shanks, heat oil on medium-high. Add lamb shanks and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add bell peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté, stirring, until the vegetables wilt and just begin to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, dill seed, paprika and cinnamon. Stir. Add stock and wine. Bring to a simmer. Stir in tomato paste and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Return lamb shanks to the pot along with any juices on the platter. Cover them with a piece of parchment or waxed paper, cover pot with lid, reduce heat to very low and cook about 2 hours, basting the shanks occasionally and turning them at least once until the meat is very tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove shanks from the pot. Increase heat to medium and reduce sauce by about a third, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Return shanks to the pot, baste and reheat. Serve directly from the casserole or transfer to a serving dish. Strew with fresh dill before serving.