Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce
- 4 lamb shanks (around 400gm each)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 large brown or white onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup carrot, finely diced (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 cup celery, finely diced (3-4 stems of celery)
- 625ml (2 1/2 cups) full bodied red wine
- 800 g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 ml chicken stock (or use water)
- 5 sprigs of thyme, plus extra for garnish if desired
- 2 dried bay leaves
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb onto a plate and drain any excess fat from the pot.
Turn the heat down to medium-low. Heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet. Add the red wine, crushed tomato, tomato paste, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Return the lamb shanks to the pot, squeezing them in to fit so the meaty ends are mostly submerged. (At this stage, you could also transfer the meat and sauce to a slow cooker, to cook on low for 8 hours, if desired). Turn stove up to medium and bring to a simmer. Cover, then transfer pot to the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove lid, and return to the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes. Check to ensure lamb meat is ultra tender (gently use a fork to test) - if not, cover and keep cooking for another half hour. You want tender meat which just holds onto the bone.
Remove lamb onto plate and keep warm. Pick out and discard bay leaves and thyme. Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing to extract all sauce out of the vegetables. (You can leave the vegetables in the sauce if desired for a chunkier sauce, otherwise discard vegetables or retain for another use). The sauce should be glossy and syrupy, if it looks a little thin then pour strained sauce into a saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat to reduce slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the lamb shanks on mashed potato or cauliflower puree with green vegetables and plenty of sauce! Garnish with thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Visit Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce for Nagi's recipe notes and tips.
