Slow Braised Lamb Shanks With Guajillo Pineapple Sauce Roasted Vegetables And Coconut Tamales Recipes

SLOW-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH GUAJILLO-PINEAPPLE SAUCE, ROASTED VEGETABLES, AND COCONUT TAMALES

Steps:

• Make guajillo-pineapple sauce
• Wipe guajillo chiles clean with a damp cloth, then slice off stem ends and remove seeds. Preheat large skillet over medium heat, then toast chiles, turning frequently, until fragrant and beginning to darken, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl, cover with cold water, and soak 20 minutes.
• While guajillos are soaking, toast chiles de arbol in same skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to plate and cool.
• Drain guajillos and combine in blender with chiles de arbol, pineapple, garlic, cumin, cloves, canela, orange juice, and 1 cup water. Blend until very smooth.
• Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat and fry sauce, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, 30 minutes. Mix in vinegar and sugar; season with salt. Strain sauce through fine sieve, discarding solids. Cool completely. (Sauce can be made ahead and stored, covered, in refrigerator. Before using, taste and add salt if needed.)
• Prepare lamb
• Combine orange zest and canela in medium bowl. Rinse lamb shanks and pat dry. Sprinkle liberally with salt, then with orange-canela mixture. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
• Arrange steamer rack in very large stockpot and add water to just below bottom of rack. Cover and bring water to boil.
• Place 1 parchment sheet on work surface and place 1 pineapple slice in center. Put 1 lamb shank, bone pointing upward, on top of pineapple, and spoon a thick coating of guajillo-pineapple sauce over meat. Draw up sides of parchment and tie tightly around bone with kitchen twine. Assemble 5 more pouches in same manner and place in steamer. Steam until meat is very tender and falling off the bone, about 2 1/2 hours.
• To serve, place each pouch on a plate, untie, and discard twine. Spoon some roasted vegetables onto parchment next to meat, and place 2 coconut tamales alongside.

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

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the onions in a layer in the bottom of a Dutch oven or medium roasting pan with a lid. Arrange the lamb shanks on top of the onions. Pour the wine, balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the lamb. Place a clove of pressed garlic next to each shank, and a quarter of a lemon on each side. Pour the tomatoes over everything, then season with salt, pepper and basil.
• Cover and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours. Use juices from the pan to make a nice flavorful gravy.

SLOW-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown shanks well in oil; this will take as long as half an hour (you can cover the pan to avoid spattering). Sprinkle with salt and pepper as they cook.
• Lower the heat, pour off the excess fat, add the wine or stock. Simmer over low heat for 1½ to 2 hours, covered, turning and adding water, about ¼ cup at a time, as necessary, until the meat is falling of the bone.
• Cool. Take meat off the bone and reserve the liquid. When the liquid is cool, skim the fat and reserve the juice. Use meat and juice in the following recipes: Tomato Sauce With Lamb and Pasta; Indian Lamb Curry With Basmati Rice; Chinese Braised Lamb Shanks.

SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
• Rub the shanks with salt and pepper, then place them meaty-side up in a roasting pan.
• Roast for 25 minutes, or until nicely browned.
• Remove from oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the vegetables and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables soften, then caramelize.
• Stir in the thyme, rosemary, fennel and coriander seeds, the peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley.
• Increase the heat to high, add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Boil until the liquid has reduced by one third.
• Pour over the lamb, spreading the vegetables over, but not completely covering, the shanks.
• Add enough of the water, chicken broth or lamb stock to almost cover the meat.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 7 hours, basting with the pan juices every hour or so, and adding liquid as needed.
• Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• At this point, the lamb should be fork-tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove the shanks from the pan and let cool to room temperature.
• Strain the braising liquid, pushing on the vegetables to get all of their goodness and skim off the fat. Best to refrigerate overnight and skim off the solidified fat.
• When ready to serve, slowly reheat the shanks in the braising liquid.
• To serve, roast your favorite root vegetables and spoon onto serving plates, center a lamb shank on each plate and spoon a little of the braising liquid over the top.
• Garnish with parsley, if desired.