I love lamb, almost as much as I love pork.
I love lamb shanks yet so many recipes I see or have eaten tend to use red wine as a marinating and braising component. The problem is my wife is not crazy about red wines so I decided to give it a twist. I wanted to have a braise that resulted in a not-too-heavy handed flavor as red wine can sometimes do as lamb is so rich as it is already. This dish starts with an overnight brine, leads to a good sear then a long braise but still retaining a browned meat at the end. The celery and carrots in the dish is served with the lamb in form of a thick stew. To balance the richness of the meat, I made a relish with Persian cucumbers quick pickled in cider vinegar with just enough heat to balance the dish.
The lamb and brine:
*This recipe is geared for two people
- 2 Lamb shanks, washed well
- 1/2 Cup of kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup of sugar
- Black peppercorns
- Canola oil (for searing)
- Kosher salt (for seasoning before searing)
- 1/2 Large yellow onion
- 2 Medium celery stalks, chopped on bias in 1/2″ slices
- 2-3 Medium carrots, chopped on bias in 1/2″ slices
- 2-3 Cloves of garlic, mashed and roughly chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
- Several parsley sprigs, tied
- Small pinch of thyme (or 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme)
- Small pinch of oregano (or 1-2 sprigs of fresh oregano)
- 2 Dried chile de arbol
- 1 Tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 Tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 Cup of tomato sauce
- 3/4 Cup of dry white wine (I used a Chardonnay)
- 3/4 Cup of chicken stock (use more if needed)
- 2 Persian cucumbers, diced into 1/8″ or 2 -3mm cubes. (English or any low-seed/seedless cucumbers can be used instead). If using English cucumber, then just 1/2 should do.
- Crushed chile flakes
- 1 Clove garlic, minced
- 3 – 4 Sprigs of cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 Cup of cider vinegar
- 1/2 Tsp of lemon zest
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3/4 Tbsp of sugar
- Fresh ground pepper
Let the shanks sit in brine overnight. Take out and remove from brine, rinse, pat dry and sprinkle with kosher salt liberally before searing. In a hot pan or dutch oven, pour enough canola oil to lightly coat the bottom. When oil is hot, sear the shanks on all sides. Take your time and turn each piece to make sure you get a good browning, almost char on the meat. Remove from pan and reserve.
Reduce heat to medium (add oil if needed) and add onion, celery and carrot to pan and cook until it begins to soften. Add wine to deglaze pan and reduce by half (be sure to taste to check that liquid does not taste like raw wine before continuing). Add all other ingredients except chicken stock, stir well and bring to simmer for a minute. If using a dutch oven, put shanks back into pot, nestling it in the vegetables. Add chicken stock to pan, the liquid should come up and just about cover the meat but not drown it. Cover tightly and place in oven for 45 minutes, check and turn the shanks. Add more chicken stock if needed. Check again in 45 minutes, uncover pan to brown the meat for another 30 minutes.
While the braise is in the oven, make the cucumber relish.
Trim the ends of cucumbers then dice into small cubes about 1/8″ (2 – 3mm) square. Place in bowl add salt, sugar, vinegar and lemon juice. Taste for saltiness, acidity and sweetness. Adjust to your liking then add the rest of the ingredients, stir well then refrigerate. It is best if the relish can sit for at least half hour before use for the flavors to blend.
When the braise is done, you should be able to insert a skewer into the meat and glide in and out without resistance. Plate, give the lamb a fresh crack of ground pepper, add relish, garnish and serve.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you can’t find any ingredients or have questions about anything in the recipe, feel free to comment or contact me and I will answer as best I can. Thanks for visiting.
A Feast For One 