Contributed by Jeremy Silansky, chef and currently General Manager of Skinny Pancake to Food and Wine Magazine for their How to Eat like a Localvore article a few years ago. Another good shank recipe (adpated to use lard or other fat and frozen or canned tomatoes) is Forageddish’s Harissa Goat Shanks with Carrots, Tomatoes & squash puree!
He did them with lamb, but we think goat shanks work well too!
His serving suggestions for the rest of the meal are also wonderful:
Maple Glazed Root Vegetables and Braised Red Cabbage, but for warmer upcoming days they’d be great with spinach or a nice green salad as well.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Four 1-pound Goat shanks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled
4 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 thick
4 medium celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick (optional)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
1 cup water or stock
3 bay leaves
12 peppercorns
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Season the shanks with salt and pepper and brown them on 3 sides over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion to the casserole.
Add the red wine and boil for 3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover the casserole tightly and transfer to the oven. Braise the shanks, turning once, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender.
Transfer the shanks to an ovenproof serving dish. Using a fine sieve, strain the braising liquid into a medium saucepan, pressing on the solids. Boil the braising liquid over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour about 1/2 cup over the shanks; keep the remaining sauce warm.
Cover the shanks with foil and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve the shanks with the remaining sauce, the Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables and the Braised Red Cabbage.
MAKE AHEAD The braised shanks can be refrigerated in their sauce overnight. Cover and reheat in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until warm.