Great chance to enjoy some additional slow cooked goodness before the summer season kicks in.
Contributed by Jeremy Silansky to Food and Wine Magazine for their How to Eat like a Localvore article a few years ago when he was General Manager of Skinny Pancake. Another good shank recipe (you can adpat to use lard or other fat and frozen or canned tomatoes) is Girl Carnivore’s Moraccan Braised Lamb Shanks.
Both recipes would work well with lamb or goat shanks!
Silansky’s 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 (or lard or schmaltz would also work well)
Four 1-pound Lamb or Goat shanks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled
4 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 thick
4 medium celery ribs or celeriach, sliced 1/4 inch thick (optional)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
1 cup stock, broth or water
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.