Mediterranean Lamb Shanks Recipes

EASY BRAISED LAMB SHANKS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, add all the spice mix ingredients and mix to combine.
• Pat the lamb shanks dry and season with the spice mix on all sides.
• In a large Dutch oven pot like this one, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the lamb shanks on all sides (about 8 mins or so). Transfer the lamb shanks to a large tray or bowl for now. Carefully dispose of extra fat in a separate heat-safe bowl, and return the pot to heat.
• Now add the onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Saute for 5-7 minutes on medium-high, or until the vegetables gain some color. Add red wine, scrape the pot of brown bits. Cook briefly so that the wine reduces a bit.
• Add the broth, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, thyme, and rosemary. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Return lamb shanks back to the pot; press down to submerge. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn heat off.
• Cover the pot and transfer to the 350 degrees F-heated oven. Cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours (It's a good idea to check periodically through cooking just in case you need to add a little more liquid. When the shanks finish cooking, the liquid will have reduced to about 1/3 of what it was when you started.)
• While the lamb shanks are cooking, prepare rice according to this recipe, or prepare 2-3 cups of orzo pasta according to package instructions.
• Serve the lamb shanks hot with a little of the veggies and braising sauce on top of rice or orzo pasta. You might also like to prepare a side salad like this 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad or Fattoush. Enjoy!

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a sauté pan over high. Brown shanks, two at a time, on both sides, about 5 minutes; transfer to a 6- to 8-qt. slow cooker.
• Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper to same pan; cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker.
• Stir flour and tomato paste into pan; cook 1-2 minutes.
• Deglaze pan with stock, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes and transfer to slow cooker. Cover slow cooker and cook shanks until fork-tender on high setting, about 5 hours. Remove shanks and let rest 15-20 minutes.
• Strain braising liquid through a sieve; press vegetables into sieve and discard. Skim any fat from liquid and discard. Transfer liquid to sauté pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add vinegar to liquid and reduce slightly. Stir in 2 tsp. thyme and season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over shanks.

LAMB SHANKS MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Chop the onions, zucchini, carrots, and garlic.
• In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Cook the lamb shanks, 2 at a time, turning until browned on all sides. Remove shanks to a plate.
• Drain off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the pan. Add the onions and cook about 8 minutes until golden. Stir in zucchini and carrots and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, basil, oregano, mint, tomato sauce, and wine. Heat to boiling. Add lamb shanks and press them into the sauce.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 3-3 1/2 hours, until lamb is very tender and falls away from the bone.
• Stir in lemon juice, olives, and pepper. Serve over orzo or rice.

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the shanks and sear over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion, garlic, celery root, carrots, olives and ginger. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.
• Add the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients, except coriander leaves and parsley leaves. Stir to combine. Return the shanks and vegetables to the saucepan. Cover partly and simmer gently over medium-low heat until the meat begins to fall off the bone, about 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, combine the coriander and the parsley in a bowl. Set aside. Remove the bay leaf from the saucepan and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the shanks among 4 plates. Ladle the sauce over each shank. Garnish with the coriander-parsley mixture and serve immediately. Serve with white bean puree (recipe below).

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Add lamb; brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Using tongs, transfer lamb to plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables brown and begin to soften, scraping up browned bits, about 10 minutes. Return lamb to pot, pushing gently into vegetables. Add tomatoes, broth, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and peppercorns. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover pot; transfer to oven. Roast until meat is tender and pulls easily from bone, turning occasionally, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, bring 8 cups water and salt to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened and tender, stirring frequently, about 22 minutes. Whisk in butter and minced thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove lamb and herbs from pot; discard herbs. Place pot over medium-high heat and boil until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Divide polenta among 6 large bowls; top each with 1 lamb shank. Pour sauce over; serve.

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 F
• If you want a leaner meal then trim off excess fat from shanks.
• Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes by slicing it lengthwise first then cutting cubes.
• Place eggplant in a strainer and coat with coarse salt. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes then rinse thorougly. This takes the bitterness out of eggplant.
• Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven on stove with medium-high heat.
• Brown lamb shanks on all sides. This takes 5-8 minutes per shank. When I do this I can only do 2 at a time.
• Place shanks on a plate when browned.
• Lower heat to medium on the dutch oven and more oil if needed.
• Saute onions for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.
• Add garlic and eggplant and saute until eggplant softens and becomes opaque. This takes 6-8 minutes.
• Add paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne. Mix well.
• Return shanks to dutch oven and nestle them in the vegetable mixture.
• Add can of tomatoes including the juice and mix them in.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• You want the shanks fully covered with liquid so add water if necessary. You could use tomatoe juice instead of water if you want.
• Bring to boil on stove top over high heat.
• Turn off burner, cover dutch oven and place in oven.
• Cook for 1 hour then take out and tuck prunes in among the shanks.
• Put back in oven and cook for another hour. you can cook longer if you want just keep an eye to make sure liquid is ok. I don't usually cover for the second hour but you could.
• If you use optional lemon juice mix it in when you add prunes or at end when you take lamb out of oven.

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Pat Lamb Shanks dry, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add lamb. Cook for 6 minutes, turning, until browned all over. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion and celery to pressure cooker. Cook, stirring for 4 minutes or until starting to brown. Add garlic, rosemary and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add crushed tomato. Bring to a simmer.
• Return lamb to pressure cooker. Secure lid. Bring cooker to high pressure. Reduce heat to stabilise pressure. Cook for 60 minutes. Release pressure according to manufacturer's instructions. Remove lid. Stir in olives.