What we ate: Braised Lamb Shanks

We had one of my best friends over for dinner the other night.  It was actually supposed to be brunch but sick cats and little babies threw a wrench into our plans. Going from brunch to dinner was a bit of a scramble.  Baby A usually goes to bed at 6:30, and Keith and Amanda were bringing their baby for the visit. I didn't want to spend the night cooking so I wanted to have something I can do ahead.  This braised lamb shank was the perfect answer.  The slow braise makes the meat tender and moist.  The slow cooking breaks down the cartilage, collagen and fat and turns   Braising is a simple and easy one put meal.  It is typically highly economical since you would typically use tougher (less expensive) cuts of meat for braising.  You can get creative with different kinds of meat (chick, pork, beef, lamb), veggies (root vegetables, mushrooms, cabbage, artichoke), aromatics (cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds), braising liquids (wine, stock) but the method and elements are always the same.   Braising is a slow building and layering of flavors.  It always starts with browning of the meat and forms the foundational flavor.  Add aromatics and spices and then a little liquid.  Always go low and slow - low heat, long time.  This braised lamb shank recipe is a great example on how to do this.  I serve this with a simple couscous side and green salad.

mise en place

Braised Lamb Shanks
4 lamb fore shanks
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup red wine
4 cup of beef stock
1 medium onion thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Flour for dusting (season with salt and pepper)
Spice Rub (recipe below)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Rub a generous amount of the spice rub on each of the lamb shanks.
Dust each lamb shank with the seasoned flour.
Heat a heavy bottomed dutch oven (Le Crueset or something similar) to medium-high heat
Sear and brown the lamb shank, working in batches if necessary (don't crowd your pot)

A nice sear helps build flavor in the braise

Set the lamb shanks to the side, turn heat down to medium
Add onions and garlic into the pot and let this cook down and carmelize but don't let it burn (about 8 minutes)
Add in the raisins, remaining spice rub and diced tomatoes and let it cook for 3 minutes
Add in red wine and let it reduce for another 3-5 minutes

Keep building flavors with aromatics and reducing wine

Add in the beef stock and put the lamb shanks back into the pot
Cover with lid and put the whole pot into the oven and let it braise for 2 hours.
Remove from oven when done and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Optional - if you want to make this more refined, you can remove the lamb shanks, skim the braising liquid, put the braising liquid through a food mill and then put it through a fine sieve for a silky smooth sauce.


Spice Rub
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of black peppercorns
1 tsp of fennel seeds

1 tsp of caraway seeds
1 tsp of cinnamon
3 tsp of kosher salt

Grind the first 4 ingredients together in a pestle and mortar
Mix in cinnamon and divide the spice mixture in half
Add salt to 1/2 of the spice mix and use that for rubbing the lamb shanks
Reserve the other 1/2 of the spice mix (without salt) and you will use this to put into the braise itself.

 I like to serve this family style with the dutch oven on the table.  We had a green salad and a couscous with raisins and almonds as a side.  Enjoy!


Couscous with toasted almonds and raisins
2 cups of prepared couscous (prepare your couscous either quick server or full grain as per preparation instructions)
1/4 cup of santana raisins
1/4 cup of almond slivers toasted
handful of fresh mint finely chopped
1/4 lemon wedge for juicing
olive oil

Fluff out couscous.
Top with almonds, raisins and chopped mint
Squeeze lemon juice on top and drizzle with olive oil
Mix at the table and serve with lamb.